There’s no doubt that video has revolutionised the way we consume content and learn new things, especially on the web. Video as a medium allows the creator to explain concepts and deliver information in a more visually appealing and interactive way than is possible with written content.
In this blog post we’re going to share 5 ideas for using video in your content marketing strategy, otherwise known as video marketing.
But before that, you might be wondering…
What is video marketing and why do I need it?
Using video marketing is the process of creating and sharing video content as a business to promote your product or service, increase social media engagement, educate your customers, and more.
When used correctly, video can provide all the information a potential customer needs to make a purchase in one neat little package. Investing time and effort into creating quality video content not only makes your business seem like an authority on the topic, but also provides your customers with a sense of commitment to them and the product or service they’re purchasing from you.
Now you’re all caught up, without further ado…
5 ideas for using video in your marketing strategy
1. Announce a new product or service
One of the most popular and common ways for businesses and brands to use video is to announce and launch new products and services.
At their core, marketing launch videos are designed to identify a need or problem the viewer has, and then present a solution in the form of your product or service. Utilising these types of videos on social media is a great way to raise awareness of your product and brand.
2. Share customer reviews and testimonials
If your business relies on word of mouth and customer reviews, you may already share these on your social media and website as testimonials for others to see the great work you do. For added exposure with video, you could also consider using the best testimonials and reviews you’ve received and create a video to round up all the best ones, which you could then share as a social media video.
If you work in an industry where the customer is willing to provide photographic evidence of your handywork, then you could also consider creating a video case study utilising these. For a case study video you may wish to include a few words of your own to explain the needs of the project and the outcome, followed by the customers testimonial.
3. Repurpose into short form content
Short form video content is one of the newer trends social media companies are adopting, and Instagram Reels is one of the new features the company has launched to help their users share more short videos.
What are reels?
Instagram reels are portrait videos which can be up to a minute long in length, intended to be viewed via the Instagram app on your phone. Much like Instagram stories, the portrait nature of these videos makes them different to any other type of video content, which is usually created to be landscape, for the wide screens of laptops, computer screens and televisions. Nowadays, with the smartphone being the primary way social media is accessed, the recommended formats for video are portrait for reels and stories, and square for everything else.
Why should you use Reels?
Firstly, it’s typically the case that when a new feature such as this launches, the company (in this case Instagram) will make changes to their algorithm (their system for deciding which posts appear on the feed) to favour content posted using the newest features. This is so they can encourage other users to adopt the new features too.
By being an early adopter of these new features as soon as they are launched, you are increasing your chances to be seen because there is less content being posted using that new feature. This is compared to regular posts for instance, which are the main ones you see on the feed, and have been around far longer than Reels, and even Stories.
What should I post as a reel?
Reels are perfect for sharing less formal and unusual video content which can be filmed and edited all within the app. This versatility makes it great for capturing the moment and creating timely content on the go with just your phone. This makes it popular for businesses who want to show their authenticity, with content like behind-the-scenes videos to show a sneak peek at the next big thing they’re working on.
From a marketing perspective, when used correctly reels are a great tool to allow you to build momentum for an upcoming product launch.
4. Website headers
With the rise of video on social media, it makes sense that businesses would want to factor in video content as part of their website too. A popular trend for image led websites with a space at the top of each page for an image, is to use a video in this space to capture the attention of visitors as soon as they land on the page. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a very long or complex video, as even a simple video with some slow pan and tilt movement can prove effective at capturing people’s attention.
5. Help and support videos
If you have a product or service based business, a fantastic way of imparting your expertise knowledge about and increase your value proposition is to create help and support videos for your customers. While these will generally be focused towards new customers, after sales support is one of the areas we look at as consumers when comparing two similar products. If you’re going to the effort of producing these kinds of videos, having them easily accessible is a must. Not only does it help your customers get the help they need quickly and easily, but it also has the potential to sway customers at their research phase of the buying journey to choose your business over the competition.
Hopefully this blog post has helped to show that video doesn’t need to be scary or complicated, and yet you can make your content more engaging for your audience.
Need help producing creative video content for your business or brand?
Chris Connick Digital specialise in finding creative ways to market businesses using engaging and thoughtful video content. Whether you have an idea in mind or need help with the concept, we can work with you to storyboard, script, shoot and edit your video, in the right format, length and aspect ratio for your intended distribution channel. Find out more about our video production services here, or get in touch today to discuss your needs and get a free quote.
