Video is now the principle manner individuals devour content material on-line. A lot of that video content material is pure leisure, however shoppers are itching for branded movies. Actually, 91% of individuals say they’d prefer to see extra movies from firms they help.
In response, manufacturers are investing extra in video advertising and marketing content material than ever to fulfill such robust engagement and potential ROI. Of the entrepreneurs who responded to Wyzowl’s State of Video Advertising and marketing 2023 report, 92% say video provides them return on their funding.
But entrepreneurs are nonetheless challenged by new, fast-moving video codecs that proceed to redefine the panorama.
Let’s discover three rising video codecs and the way manufacturers can combine them into model consciousness and lead-generation campaigns.
Prime 3 video codecs and the way they drive engagement
Model movies could be lighthearted, however there’s a hazard in pondering of video as solely a top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) asset. If executed properly, video codecs reminiscent of short-form, dwell streaming, and user-generated content material can serve all phases of the advertising and marketing funnel.
As you execute your video advertising and marketing technique this yr, maintain these traits in thoughts.
1. Person-generated movies
Person-generated content material (UGC) movies, from unboxings to tutorials to critiques, can assist construct belief in a model as a result of they arrive from common individuals who merely benefit from the merchandise they’re posting about.
However UGC may also meet center and backside funnel targets reminiscent of leads and gross sales. Practically eight out of 10 shoppers say user-generated content material extremely impacts their buying selections. As any shopper can let you know: a thumbs up from a fellow shopper is commonly the ultimate push to click on the purchase button.
The advantages of user-generated movies are clear, however that doesn’t imply entrepreneurs ought to throw out branded content material. Combining user-generated movies with extra polished, professionally generated movies is the candy spot for many manufacturers.
To get your model followers to submit UGC movies, it is best to:
- Ask followers who’re energetic in your model’s social channels to shoot quick movies utilizing your product. In return, you’ll function them on these channels. (Ask customers to maintain it quick and easy. You’re not searching for a documentary!)
- Run contests that encourage clients to create quick movies. Incentivize them with present playing cards and different rewards. Good examples are shoe model DSW’s #DSWCutLoose marketing campaign on TikTok and GoPro’s #MillionDollarChallenge on Instagram)
- Create Google Alerts to seize any mentions of your model on-line. This can be a nice technique to uncover current person movies. You’ll want to all the time ask customers for permission earlier than reposting their movies.
2. Stay streaming
Stay streaming — outlined as video streamed in real-time the place viewers can work together by liking and commenting — delivers quite a few advantages, together with humanizing your model, producing income, and increasing your audience. Livestreams are additionally inexpensive to provide in case you have a smartphone, fundamental lighting gear and microphones, and respectable on-camera expertise.
It helps that buyers strongly desire dwell video, too. Fb Stay movies drive thrice extra engagement and 10 occasions the quantity of feedback than conventional movies.
Livestreams can tackle many varieties. Large, elaborate occasions reminiscent of conferences switched to a livestream mannequin throughout the pandemic. However tech giants like Google (Google I/O), Microsoft (Microsoft Construct), IBM (IBM Assume), and Apple (WWDC) have continued to stream their conferences as a result of they’ve skilled firsthand how dwell streaming can improve a convention’s attain past in-person boundaries.
As for extra particular examples of dwell streaming, Q&A periods are gaining popularity. Sometimes, a bunch will reply viewer questions or do a fireplace chat-type interview with an trade influencer or buyer. Enterprise software program supplier SAP dwell streams conversations with its high-profile clients every month in a collection referred to as “Higher Collectively: Buyer Conversations.” In 2021, Salesforce dwell streamed a collection of Q&As with trade influencers on LinkedIn Stay as 600,000 natural viewers watched.
Some manufacturers have taken to dwell streaming to show new expertise. Adobe, as an example, dwell streams lessons for illustration, pictures, and graphic design taught by influencers within the artistic house.
On the buyer aspect, one of many hottest ecommerce dwell streaming traits is dwell buying, the place an influencer promotes model merchandise in real-time. Customers tune in to study, chat, and buy merchandise instantly from contained in the dwell video.
To dwell stream successfully, contemplate the next.
- Have a plan. What are you attempting to perform? What are the matters you need to cowl? What’s the construction of the dwell occasion? What’s the takeaway for viewers?
- Stay stream the place your audiences dwell. That may very well be Instagram, Fb, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, or LinkedIn. To advertise your livestream, begin promoting it two weeks upfront, after which ship out a reminder every week earlier than the livestream, after which a day earlier than, after which two hours earlier than. Advertise through emails, newsletters, and weblog posts, in addition to on all social channels the place your model is energetic.
- File
the livestream and repurpose it in weblog posts, embed it e mail newsletters, and
flip excerpts into Instagram Tales or TikTok movies. Livestreams can generate curiosity lengthy after the precise stream occurs.
3. Quick-form video content material
Influenced by TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, short-form movies that use humor, music, and on-screen textual content have been the hottest sort of content on social media in 2022.
And types seen. Ninety p.c of entrepreneurs who leveraged short-form video in 2022 plan to maintain doing it this yr. It additionally has the very best ROI of all social media advertising and marketing methods.
Whether or not your model serves up short-form video on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube, the most effective practices are related.
4. Be genuine and casual
With short-form video, your job is to rapidly entertain and inform shoppers utilizing a conversational type, on-screen captions, polls and quizzes, and naturally, music. On-camera expertise issues, so faucet your model’s subject material consultants — or influencers, if potential — to offer your short-form movies authority and persona.
Don’t use short-form video as a gross sales car, although. Comfortable promoting is OK if the video is concerning the life-style round a model somewhat than the product itself, as L.L. Bean does brilliantly on this Instagram Reel.
5. Get to the purpose instantly
Based on Fb knowledge, 45 p.c of people that watch the primary three seconds of a video will look ahead to 30 seconds.
Each second counts, so begin speaking or providing on-screen captions the millisecond your video begins. This TikTok video from Levi’s about stain removing will get your consideration immediately and holds it (with none spoken phrases!).
6. Keep on a publishing schedule
Your model ought to publish short-form movies constantly throughout the week. The variety of movies per week varies by platform — the rule of thumb for TikTok is at the very least as soon as a day, however for Instagram, social consultants advocate 4 to seven Reels per week.
Manufacturers ought to experiment with video publish quantity and monitor viewers suggestions. The secret’s to be constant. Algorithms favor commonly scheduled content material, and your viewers will stay up for your movies in the event that they know they’re coming.
Posting constantly additionally gives extra correct knowledge on what works to your audience and what time of day they’re prone to interact along with your movies.
An opportunity to refocus methods round video content material
Customers have spoken: They like video content material over written content material.
However for those who’re caught prior to now creating long-winded movies targeted in your product and never your viewers, you received’t interact with the tens of millions of shoppers craving quick bursts of full of life, visible data.
And that viewers consists of two key demographics for many manufacturers: Gen Zers and millennials, who now checklist short-form video as their most popular format to find out about new merchandise. To maintain up with the demand, entrepreneurs will make investments extra in short-form movies in 2023 than another social media pattern. Why? As a result of they’re seeing constant engagement and ROI.
In case your model just isn’t but a believer in video content material, 2023 could also be your wake-up name. Let this be the yr you cease treating TikTok as a punchline and prioritize UGC, dwell streaming, and short-form video inside your advertising and marketing technique.
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Picture by
Semih Akgul
