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When it comes to a successful business strategy, utilizing video is absolutely essential. Video is everywhere we look in today’s online-driven world. Video has gone beyond the world of TVs and computers. It’s now directly in the hands of the people. Most people have a smartphone right at their fingertips.
On these smartphones, people view video content across almost every major social media platform: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and beyond. This is where the current marketing landscape lies. Marketing your business on these platforms using video is a surefire way to increase your reach and success.
From choosing the right strategy to picking suitable video gear, there are many factors to consider when implementing video into your business’ marketing strategy.
The journey of online marketing and its shift towards video
When the internet first came to be, a window of immense opportunity opened itself for businesses worldwide. You could reach someone across the world in a matter of minutes — or as fast as the internet connection would allow. Companies all over began creating websites for their brands and products. From there, search engines quickly became an essential tool for internet users.
Google, for example, grew in popularity in the early 2000s. If users needed to know where to buy something, they could rely on the search engine. We still see this today. So, how were companies going to get their website on that first page of results on Google? Well, the initial strategy for most companies and businesses was to drive traffic to their websites through digital advertising. The hope was to increase traffic this way, and in turn, climb the search engine rankings.
However, digital ads proved pesky to most internet users. Not only that, it became increasingly difficult for ads to stand out, as web ads bombarded most web pages. Eventually, ad-blocking software became a popular tool. Ads began to do more harm than good at that point.
Google then shifted its focus from aggressive ad marketing to meaningful and authentic content that provided people with some sort of value. With this, businesses began creating content such as blogs and e-books to advertise their products and services.
In the current marketing landscape, video dominates and it is everywhere we look. Today, consumers gravitate more towards video-focused content. According to HubSpot, 94% of people who watched a video on a particular product allowed them to learn more about it. Consumers want to see video content from the brands and businesses they support.
Video is just more engaging to most people. The combination of visuals and audio makes it easier for people to digest compared to reading.
Why video is necessary for a successful marketing strategy
Video is critical to a successful marketing strategy for many reasons.
Google rankings and SEO
Currently, Google favors content that features video, which boosts a page’s ranking in a Google search. In terms of SEO ranking, implementing videos with the appropriate keywords is a surefire way to boost the SEO of that page. If your SEO score for a page goes up, it ranks higher in the searches. Videos also result in people spending more time on your website, which also increases your SEO.
Ultimately, more time spent on your website tells Google that your content is engaging and worth people’s time.
Increased brand awareness
Video is a highly effective way to increase brand awareness. People primarily consume video content on various social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Social media-focused marketing is attractive for many reasons and highly beneficial if done right. Social video is so easily shareable and has a greater chance of high engagement from consumers.
Another great benefit of using video is that it clearly communicates your products and services to your viewers. It is easier for viewers to familiarize themselves with your brand. According to HubSpot, a majority of marketers say that videos have helped them improve their user’s understanding of their service or product.
More people are likely to stick around a website that features video content. HubSpot states that landing pages that feature video can increase conversion rates by over 80%. Also, emails that mention “video” in the subject line increase open rates by 19%.
If you send out newsletters, include a video near the top of the email. People are more likely to click and watch a video than scroll through an entire newsletter.
Video advertising increases the bottom line
It’s no shock that video plays a major role in the buying decisions of consumers. Ads are seen all over social media platforms. They pop up on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and make their way to millions of consumers’ eyes daily. Channeling video advertising through social media is a no-brainer.
According to HubSpot, a whopping 84% of viewers that watch a video ad on a product are influenced to buy it or at least encoder purchasing, with 65% actually purchasing the product or good.
Today, many marketers claim that video marketing improves their bottom line. Creating video content for online advertising is cost-effective. Creating quality, professional video is much easier than you may think. It doesn’t take an entire film crew to achieve high-quality video advertising.
Video adverts can be done with a few affordable digital cameras. There are plenty of cost-effective cameras available on the market that can shoot in high-resolutions.
Really, video ads seen on social media are short and quick, so overhead should be low. Because of the short and quick nature of social media ads, less time is needed for editing and production.
How to use video to promote your business
There are a few different ways you can use video to promote and market your business. You can use video to advertise, but you can also use it to create great content that will help you better connect to viewers.
Social media marketing is the way to go
Social media and video are a harmonious duo when it comes to advertising. Social media is your new best friend if you want to reach success with your business. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok are great tools that can help leverage more reach and engagement among consumers.
First, it is important to understand which platform(s) will be best for your brand/business. If your brand appeals to a younger audience, channel your social media marketing through platforms like Instagram and TikTok. If your brand appeals to older audiences, Facebook is probably your best bet.
With that said, spreading brand awareness and advertising across various platforms isn’t a bad idea either. The more you put your business out there, the more potential consumers you will reach. More content avenues equal more viewership and engagement.
Once you decide where you’re going to post, it’s most effective to post consistently and regularly. This will give you more opportunities to be seen. This can also help you build a larger following.
If you have the budget to spend some money on advertising, most social media platforms offer paid features to boost your ads and content. Typically, you can choose your target audience when you do this. Putting a little bit of money into video advertising can significantly help your business.
Using video to demonstrate your products and services
There are various ways to use video to explain and promote your products and services. Creating video content that demonstrates what your products actually do or how your services work would greatly benefit you. You can achieve this through explainer videos or how-to videos.
Another great video strategy is to create videos that focus on consumer testimonials. This will also help boost your credibility to new potential consumers. People rely heavily on reviews and testimonials. If you can build a great rapport with consumers, this only makes your business more appealing.
Implementing live video is an additional way to bolster your online presence as a brand. Instagram Live, for example, helps your business reach viewers in real time. You can use Instagram Live to do a product demonstration or maybe host a Q&A session where your viewers can learn more about a particular product. Instagram Live is also a great option if you are looking for a more raw, authentic way to reach your audience.
Jumping off of that, you can also host live webinars that focus on a particular product or service you offer. You can host live webinars on Facebook and YouTube.
The bottom line is this: using video in your business strategy makes you and your brand more personable, understandable and relatable.
What do you need to start creating videos for your business?
You may think you need an expensive and fancy video setup to create the best marketing videos for your business. But that’s not the case at all. It is okay to start simple. According to HubSpot research, most viewers prefer authentic-looking videos that may or may not be lower in quality compared to highly staged videos. With that said, there are a few tools that will be useful to create a decent video.
The equipment essentials
The first thing to consider for creating an effective video is your lighting setup. If you can, use natural lighting to your advantage. If you can, invest in a simple three-point lighting setup. There are some affordable lighting options that can help you achieve this.
The next important thing to consider for a good marketing video is your audio. Good audio is essential. You should invest in some type of external mic, as internal microphones on cameras are often poor quality. You want something that will be reliable. There are a few options to consider. Lavalier mics, wired or wireless, are excellent options. Another great option is a shotgun microphone.
When recording your audio, be sure to control your environment as much as possible. You don’t want to be in a room that has a lot of echo. Your recording environment should be as quiet as possible.
Lastly, the most important factor to consider for video marketing is the camera. When choosing a camera, you want something reliable and within your budget. You’ll also want to consider the camera’s features.
The kind of camera you need will depend on what kinds of videos you want to create. In this case, you’ll want to look at the camera’s features, such as frame rate, shutter speed, aperture and ISO. You’ll at least want a camera that shoots in HD or 4K resolution.
If you want more action-packed video for your business, you may want to consider a lightweight camera and good for outdoor conditions. If you’re planning on shooting videos of yourself, you might want a vlogging camera with a flip screen.
Fujifilm features a good number of affordable, good-quality cameras that can help get the job done. You don’t need to be a camera wiz either, as they have some easy-to-use, low-maintenance options that take cinematic-quality footage.
Video marketing isn’t going anywhere
Video is the future of digital marketing. As the world consumes more and more video content, businesses must adapt their strategies to cater to these changes. Consumers continue to respond to video the most, and their purchasing decisions are impacted more greatly with video.
Video allows businesses to connect with consumers and audiences in ways they never did before. Utilizing video in various ways creates more relatability and credibility with viewers. Video is also a cost-effective way for businesses to increase their bottom line. Really, there are no downsides to video marketing.
Adapting these tips into your marketing strategy is sure to bolster the success of your business.
You can get started making videos for your business by checking out Fujifilm’s camera catalog. If you want to learn more about Fujifilm, head to fujifilm.com.
FujifilmAt Fujifilm, we are continuously innovating — creating new technologies, products and services that inspire and excite people everywhere. Our goal is to empower the potential and expand the horizons of tomorrow’s businesses and lifestyles.
* This article was originally published here