It’s Oscar season, and excitement is in the air. When you reflect on all the great films you've seen over the past year, you are suddenly struck with an idea to add a video to your firm’s marketing repertoire. If you haven’t taken the video plunge, it is time to get off the sidelines and into the game.
Video does not have to be complex or time-consuming. If you approach it right, a video can be made quickly and easily. The video will stimulate engagement when thoughtfully incorporated into your inbound marketing campaign. Scripting is quite simple when you let your personality shine through. Provoke a response from your audiences with a smile or laugh, and they will be compelled to share your message and return for more. Video marketing offers unique advantages, many attributable to good old human nature.
Here are a few reasons to get over your fear and get the film rolling!
- Video is easier than ever to make. Most smartphones are capable of recording a bit of video. There are also many content creation and content marketing firms to help out with a script.
- Production values aren't unreachable high. Video clips these days, like other web and mobile content, are getting shorter (just six seconds on Vine) which is in line with shrinking attention spans. Casual and imperfect works fine for most clips, since much of your content should be geared toward humanizing your brand or bringing your audience behind the scenes.
- Distribution opportunities abound. All social media are in the video distribution biz these days: Instagram/Facebook, Vine/Twitter, Pinterest, tried-and-true YouTube, and more. Embed clips in your own website or blog, too. It’s even getting easier to include video in email, although it’s currently safest to use a still image linked to the video on your landing page, for example.
- A video containing faces grabs attention. People are wired to notice video, especially with human faces. (Okay, puppies and kitties do well too.) Faces are relatable. For instance, seeing a video testimonial, endorsement or explanation is more credible to the average person than just reading the same info.
- Video stimulates more than one sense. Since videos generally have sound or captioning, your audience has a couple of senses involved in receiving your message. This increases the chance the message will be remembered.
- Conveys emotions well. People viewing a clip pick up on visual cues and body language from those in the video. The excitement (or sadness or other emotion) shown in the video can be contagious, with the audience picking it up and reflecting on it.
- Moves. Motion gets attention, awakening our natural tendency to wonder "what’s gonna happen?" Many will stick around to find out.
- CTAs are powerful. In written communication, CTAs increase effectiveness, but when incorporated into the video the effect and response can be multiplied.
Did you like this article on video marketing? You may want to check out Professional Services Content Marketing: Let Video Tell Your Story to learn how video can enhance your firm’s brand.
Hopefully, you are firmly convinced that you need to create a video. Are you still trying to figure out where to start? Perhaps you can start by telling your firm’s story. Your story is part of the firm’s cultural heritage and explains why the firm exists. In a lot of ways, your firm’s story engages and connects with people on an emotional level. If this idea interests you, read Deliver the Magic of Digital Storytelling to Your Audiences.
For information on video marketing, contact Colosi Marketing.
Image via Shutterstock.com
