If video wasn’t part of your marketing plan this past year, it’s time to get on board. Video, unlike most other media marketing platforms, gives your brand the opportunity to connect with people on a more personal level. And, it’s not showing any signs of slowing down in terms of growth and engagement. In fact, Snapchat recently announced that its users consume 10 billion video views per day. Yes, that’s billion with a b. Staggering, right? Just think of all those potential customers your brand could be missing by not adding video to your marketing mix. Before you finalize your advertising efforts for next year, look at these reasons why you need a video marketing plan in 2018.
Did you know that we spend a billion hours a day on YouTube? That’s more than Netflix and Facebook combined, and it’s getting very close to matching television viewing statistics. YouTube is also the 2nd largest search engine in the world. In other words, your brand needs to have a presence on this platform ASAP! This not only includes pre-roll and other video advertising, but also informational videos that help connect people with your brand and your mission. In fact, it’s the longer videos that tend to help you rank better on search engine results pages (SERPs) and increase viewer engagement.
Mark Zuckerberg predicts that Facebook will be mostly video by 2020. That’s not a stretch when you consider just how popular Facebook Live has been with users. On average, Facebook receives close to 8 billion video views per day. But, here’s a more interesting fact – nearly 85 percent of Facebook video is watched withoutsound. That means videos need to be entertaining, include captions and subtitles. Live video, as we mentioned previously, also opens the door for brands to actively engage with potential customers in real-time through Q & A sessions, behind-the-scenes snippets and other fun ways. An easy way to infuse some video marketing in your Facebook efforts is to add a video cover to your brand page. This one from 3D Digital gives viewers everything they need to know about the brand in just a few seconds.
Do current and future customers know who you are as a brand? It’s easy enough to make sure you have brand consistency throughout your print and digital marketing efforts by following established guidelines for fonts, colors and style, but none of those can come close to the ‘personality’ that shines through on video. Videos can turn your company into a living, breathing entity that people connect with on a personal level. It’s also one of the best mediums for sharing your story, vision and mission.
Video marketing is literally exploding off the screen this year. New advances have made it more entertaining, more engaging and more eye-catching. Some of the things to look out for in 2018 include:
Videos shot in the 360-degree format allow viewers to feel as though they are in the center of all the action. From virtual tours to product demonstrations, it’s a great way to get people to not only engage with the video, but also take action.
Video mapping basically involves projecting video onto 3D objects, such as boxes, walls and even trees. The results, however, are anything but basic. Check out this Chevy video to see how video mapping can transform an ordinary product launch:
Virtual Reality (VR) has finally gained an audience and brands are taking full advantage of it. Imagine the impact a VR video could make on a donation campaign if people could step into the shoes of a sick child’s family or spend time at a small village across the globe. For house hunters, the need to physically drive to a location would be non-existent with a VR tour of the property. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but nothing compares to the experience of being there without actually being there.
We know that dipping your toes into uncharted territory can be intimidating, but’s it’s time to take the plunge. Be sure that you have a video marketing plan for 2018 that not only complements, but also accelerates your other marketing efforts.
