TWO SIMPLE WAYS to implement videos into your marketing  

It’s true: Video is the new kid on the block and she’s here to stay!

Sure, she may have changed a lot over the years – moving from a clunky black box whose insides would regularly tangle and crinkle – to a digital file that now lives in a slick, curvy smartphone or a hip SLR Camera – but she’s still as appealing as ever.

Over the years we’ve witnessed the almighty power of video content on platforms such as Youtube, which can promote anyone from “Vloggers” and comedians, to performers, businesses and everyday people doing everyday things.

For example, the highest earning Youtuber of 2015 was revealed to be a 25 year old Swedish guy named ‘PewDiePie’; who earns around $12million a year just for his highly emotional commentary as he plays video games!

It may be hard to imagine someone making this sort of money just from playing games to an online audience, but a lot of companies are paying him big dollars to promote their products. Essentially, he knows his market audience, and with the visual element of video, he keeps them coming back for more.

But video content isn’t just for the hippest of Youtube stars or major media networks; it’s available to everyone – including your business. And what’s more, it could be the missing key to all those extra customers.

For example, according to Mist Media, the average user spends 88% more time on a website with video. And when it comes to smartphones, 69% of users look to videos to help them grasp information more quickly while on their device (according to Syndacast).

There are lots of ways you can harness the power of video to promote your business. For example you might put a video on your homepage, on Youtube, or another social network. Below, we take a look at two ways that businesses can use video to enhance their customer satisfaction and interaction.

#1 – Website videos

While you might think your website content is worthy of a read, the reality is, most customers have very short attention spans. What constitutes as a short attention span, you ask? Approximately 15 seconds (as research from Tony Haile of Chartbeat shows).

So how can you make sure those potential customers see your products/services, AND remember who you are before zoning off to the land of Monday-itis? Put simply, by adding an interesting and informative video to your website home page.

There are lots of businesses getting on board with website video content these days, but one of my favourites is Prana Chai. Based in Melbourne and founded by two Aussies named Vincent Conti and Mario Minichilli, Prana Chai have grown from servicing local cafes, to locking in eight national distributors and servicing 300 direct customers – all in the last six years!

While their website includes all the important information about their brand, story and products, they’ve also cleverly added a video to their home page along with a separate ‘Video Instructions’ link. By doing so, Prana Chai have done two important things.

Firstly, they create a sense of engagement and trust  by showing potential customers (and Chai lovers like myself) just how easy it is to use their products. And secondly, they’ve saved their customers time by putting all of this information into an easy-to-watch video, rather than relying on us to read text-heavy content.

#2 – FACEBOOK LIVE VIDEOS

Recently it was revealed that the most watched Facebook livestream video of all time had been achieved by an American woman named Candace Payne (or ‘The Laughing Chewbacca Mask Lady’, as you’ve probably heard her referred to). In late May, the video cracked a whopping 114 million views and is now famous all over the rest of the web.

With that hysterical laugh, a ridiculous Chewbacca mask and enough excitement to power a small city, the American mum proved that it’s not just the rich and famous who can utilise the live video service to reach a wide audience.

As of late, Facebook’s live video function has begun to grow in its appeal to everyday businesses and organisations, allowing audiences to stay up to date in real time. Personally, I find there’s something about the immediacy of seeing that little notification, ‘Business __ is now live!’ that makes me tune in; almost as though they are tempting me to see what they are up to.

In this way, Facebook live keeps audiences curious, and can also be an important reminder that your business is still around – something which is highly important considering Facebook’s newest algorithms are making it harder than ever for posts to have a high organic reach.

Just this week, the charity organisation ‘Orange Sky Laundry’ (who provide free laundry services to homeless persons around Australia) reached 17,000 viewers while doing a live Q & A session with ABC Open. That’s a lot of potential supporters for their work!

Another great thing about Facebook live videos, is that you can also download and save them for future use across other channels (such as Youtube or your website). It’s a fantastic tool, and it’s easy to see why people are loving it.

TIP: To download your live videos from your Facebook company page, simply click on the ‘Publishing Tools’ tab, followed by the ‘Videos’ link on the left hand side of the page. Select the video you want to download, and then click on the ‘edit post’ button, followed by the little gear icon in the right hand corner of the thumbnail. Voilà! You can now choose to download your video!

One thing is certain: audience preference for online video is not set to fade away anytime soon. As we discussed in our ‘Lights Camera Video’ blog last year, it has been estimated that by 2017 that 74 % of all internet traffic will be video (source: Syndacast) – so if you’re yet to start incorporating videos, now is the perfect time to start! 

To find out how the SponsoredLinX Video Solutions team can help your business
Contact us today on 1300 859 600!

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