The overlooked power of video marketing

The shift, however, is slow. Marketers trudge while making the move; we all seem to have grown comfortable with the convenience of photos and graphics, and dread the added layers of complexity and production that lay ahead with the new medium. Plus, technologies are as yet scarce that we’re able to test our content. At this point, there’s no telling whether our video materials will make or break ROI — and for any marketer that’s sound of mind, that isn’t going to cut it.

Here’s why I think that is:

• Video is a significantly more accessible medium. It’s easier to watch a 90-second video than perusing three pages’ worth of text. Being that content is more easily consumed in video, the content’s message is, similarly, more easily absorbed.
• Audiences prefer it to reading.
• It humanizes the brand; gives it a face and a voice — an immediate visual identity.

Of course, any sane marketer is bound to fail. We all come in various degrees of derangement. And it isn’t surprising that those who give video a shot get tremendous result.

Start getting education on what many pundits are calling “the next big thing”.

This isn’t to dictate, of course, when you should jump on the shift — and to say that there should be a shift is barely accurate: text and photo will live through, I believe — but merely an invitation to start getting education on what many pundits are calling “the next big thing”.

Those who were smart to invest some effort on video often turn to the “explainer” video, which does just what you think it does. It’s an incredible convenience, to have the ability to present your product, value prop, and brand identity in the space of less than two minutes. A terrific example is one for Pinterest, take a look:

It’s not like Pinterest needs any more introduction, right? Still, thinking of the uninitiated, the social networking site had to produce a minute-and-a-half video to help first-time users better understand the brand. And the video says it — literally, even. It’s fun and simple.

Of course, explainers are beyond being “fun” and “simple” enough to have their brand get shrunk to a 90-minute video. In the same explainer, Pinterest successfully carries across the idea behind their product, how one can use it, and its value prop for all sorts of its users. (Take note of what seems to sound like a deliberate pause at the end where the narrator says, “…and promote stuff.” Pinterest knows what they’re doing here.)

B2B SaaS companies benefit greatly from video. Slack’s sales video, for example, is a cheeky, little testimonial from the video production who created the video itself. Take a look:

The video does what Pinterest’s video does: it exhibits the brand and the product in a manner that’s fun, simple, and to-the-point. In it, the staff of Sandwich Video, the production company who’s working on the same video, lays down the basics of Slack (which, if you still don’t use, by the way, you’re missing out). And here lies the key difference between Pinterest’s video and Slack’s; the latter has hook, a characteristic for which it stands out. Both explainers have done their jobs well, regardless.

An effective video explainer exhibits the brand and the product in a manner that’s fun, simple, and to-the-point.

Those whose language is metrics are yet to be convinced; of course, how can this help . This next one, might do it for you.

Hootsuite had been extremely strategic with their Game Of Thrones-themed explainer video. Timing it perfectly with the show’s season premiere, Hootsuite has grained massive traction online, making the heads of G.O.T.-fans turn, with some even moving, with much rebuff to rival social media management services (oh, look at that burn!), to Hootsuite’s service — all at a relatively low C.A.C. (customer acquisition cost).

Speaking of which, it’s understandable how companies feel some hesitation with jumping in on video. It simply costs much. And takes much processes. In short, it’s too much work.

But the thing, you see, is that it doesn’t have to be “too much work”. I’ll brush on these pretty quickly, as I feel I’ve given you quite enough with the possibilities that lay ahead with video marketing, which is the very point of this post. Anyway, here are a few solutions.

You can…

• Outsource. If you can’t do it, hire someone who can. Sites like Upwork help companies outsource just about anything, from Project Spearheads to Videographers and Editors who will help create the video. There’s also Videopixie, which is essentially just like Upwork, with a strong focus on video production.
• Do-it-yourself. You will not believe how much information and technology is out there to help you do things on your own. There’s no one more fit to realize the vision for your video than you. If you’re diving in to making your own, there are a whole library of lessons you can take on Skillshare, which will help you make an incredible-looking video. There are also software solutions like Shakr, which offers its users a drag-and-drop interface capable of producing you your own video in a matter of minutes. Think of it like a video counterpart of Canva.

Video marketing, while for certain powerful, is very much in its infantile stages. There’s plenty more to develop beyond, say, making a D.I.Y. software. Developers will have to look far into the future of video marketing — some form of A/B testing in-video, smart call-to-actions, and even smarter integrations. Most of these, Wistia already does; however, it leaves a lot of room still for other companies to make their turf.

We’ll get there, of course, but unless more marketers cash in on what’s called the “next big thing in digital marketing,” success with video is going to be more a rarity than a standard.