Business

Video marketing: a film says more than 1,000 words

When companies want to be visible online, they put their faith in video content. This article shows that the production is not so complicated, after all. Read on to find out more.

03.01.2019
6 minutes 6 minutes
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Every marketing campaign needs video. Platforms like YouTube and Facebook provide previously unknown reach. You can go viral at no cost. This article shows you that the production of video content is not so complicated, after all.

Every marketing campaign needs video. Platforms like YouTube and Facebook provide previously unknown reach. You can go viral at no cost. This article shows you that the production of video content is not so complicated, after all.

Video content – the first step is easy

When attention online turns to videos, companies need to use videos to turn attention to them. Fortunately, video marketing is not rocket science.

We all know how simple it is to make a video on your smartphone. And customers are not especially demanding. Primarily, they want content to speak to them and move them. No one is asking for a 90-minute documentary. 90 seconds is enough. That keeps the time and money requirements within reasonable limits.

The benefits are clear: video grabs the user more than a text does. It is more emotive, which is why the demand for video content is growing exponentially.

There is nothing easier for users to consume than online videos. The short films are real all-rounders. They convey information, show products, present brands and sell services, while simultaneously establishing a strong connection with the target group.

Film, ad, video – what’s in a name?

There are various video formats you can use to address your target group. Just taking a look on YouTube or social media reveals numerous examples:

  • The most widespread format is the brand or corporate film. It can tell the story of your company or its founders and show what your company stands for in two to five minutes. People like that. This turns them into fans of the brand or company.
  • An advert is generally 30 to 90 seconds long and normally focuses on a product or service. This format originated in TV advertising and always requires creative content that addresses, convinces and entertains viewers.
  • Explanatory videos are suitable for presenting a complex product and packaging information in a more interesting way. The content is often animated or illustrated.
  • A micro-video is the expanded form of micro-blogging. Short videos, not longer than 15 seconds, are shared from your own website with Twitter or Facebook. The effort is minimal.

More attention for an idea

In addition to the production, strategy is also decisive. Successful content marketing is always a question of whether and how a company’s video is successful.

Clearly defined aims are required to determine this. Is the plan to collect email addresses? To increase the number of comments? To garner more clicks for the website? Companies can establish corresponding targets in their content strategy.

As well as its own success, your company can also measure what interests the target group. You can then direct your strategy accordingly and optimise the length or positioning of videos. The dwell time on the video or on the video page is often more important data than the click rates alone.

Marketing videos: 16 simple tips for clips that guarantee attention

We have put together a checklist of the essentials to help you master the initial steps without difficulty. Have fun with your first production!

  1. Tell a story that touches on the desires and expectations of the target group on social networks.
  2. Find an interesting and gripping starting point for your subject so that viewers don’t immediately click away from your video.
  3. Give your video an appealing title that is SEO-relevant.
  4. Do not put too much focus on your product. Show how users benefit.
  5. Do not use any boring content. It will only be watched and shared if it is interesting.
  6. Feel free to be a bit cheeky, without overstepping the mark.
  7. Optimise your video for mobile devices.
  8. Write an accompanying text that includes SEO-relevant keywords.
  9. Integrate your URL into the video.
  10. Videos with hints, tips and information make for more effective content that a pure advertising video.
  11. Test the use of music. Users do not view all videos without sound.
  12. Consider what the viewers should do at the end of the video. Encourage them with a call to action.
  13. Be brief.
  14. Find the ideal voice-over. They could be from within the company or a professional voice-over artist.
  15. Don’t overdo it with production quality. It should be high, but your film doesn’t have to win any Oscars.
  16. Announce the launch of your video on all social media channels.
 

Best practice: how brands use videos perfectly

To finish, we have two examples for you that have worked and are part of a clear content-marketing strategy. However, there is also an example of poor marketing.

Example 1: Zendesk

This company operates a cloud-based customer support platform. Zendesk recognised the great potential of videos early on and developed a strong creative concept. Integration into the content-marketing strategy gave the company life, personality and proximity to people. ‘I like it when he gives me the business’

Example 2: American Greetings

American Greetings is a manufacturer of greetings cards and party products from the USA. The company had success with a marketing idea that put less focus on the products and more on the people who receive them: ‘World’s toughest job

Worst practice: not like this

Example 3: Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill is an American fast-food restaurant chain that sells Mexican food like burritos and tacos. A corporate film that reached almost Hollywood-like dimensions in terms of costs, effort and implementation generated countless clicks and lots of recognition. Unfortunately, for the wrong reasons. Bigger is not always better in the marketing world. An internal study showed: it was the wrong content. ‘The Scarecrow’
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