strategicThe good old moving picture, aka video, is a popular tool for all companies that have something to show or to explain, making it interesting for marketing. Besides the fact that almost 90% of Internet users between the ages of 14 and 29 watch videos online every week, meaning that the most potent buyer group is undoubtedly video affine. Much of the consumption time of online videos is by no means attributable to new-modern social phenomena, such as binge-watching on large series and film platforms, but company’s advertising videos are often as well consumed on social media channels. In addition, the increased use of the internet via smartphone is boosting the need for new video marketing measures. If you manage to get into the microcosm of a potential buyer, advertising on video content can actually be lucrative.

Not all videos are created equal, depending on what content is worthwhile and for whom

Each individual situation decides which type of video should be chosen: If you want to market your company e.g. as a brand, an image video is the way to go. If you recognize the need to inform your customers about products / services or the ordering process, tutorials or explanatory videos are recommended. For trade show appearances or other information, such as discount promotions, informational videos prove appropriate. Information about products or ingredients used is best presented in interviews with leading product developers. Furthermore, you could improve the application process for better personalization: For example, show insights from the day-to-day work of your current employees.

No matter which video is ultimately the right one for the respective situation, the secret of success can be already recognized behind often clicked and liked videos, the confrontation with the target audience and the message of the video. At the same time, always incorporate the impressions from any kind of customer feedback.

Golden rules of video creation

As so often in life, less is more – so, the optimal video shouldn’t be longer than five minutes. Youtubers probably smile about this advice, as advertising on YouTube is only an option for over ten minutes of running time. Hence, it should be practice for companies to meet the users' attention span. Besides that, try to score with transparency and credibility and shine with high visual quality.

Another important point is the placement on the website. Well-proven methods provide separate areas for videos in which you can categorize them in an appropriate way or integrate them on the respective product pages – and if possible position them most prominently in the upper part of the page.

The seeding of the videos is analogous to articles. Share your videos wherever you are given the opportunity and the videos fit topically: For example, business search engines are very suitable for products that are traded in the B2B sector. Of course, your videos can also be SEO-optimized and should therefore be provided with relevant keywords in the video settings and descriptions. If you operate your own company’s Youtube account, make sure that the linking on your website does not violate the DSGVO guidelines.

By Daniela La Marca