Getting Started With Online Video Marketing
Introduction
If you’re not using video in your marketing, it’s time to start, because it’s increasingly what the ‘net is all about.
While the internet was originally all about text, and to a lesser extent images, it is now very much a multimedia environment in which video plays a key role.
Website users increasingly want and expect to see videos online and often prefer to receive information in this format.
You may view this trend with trepidation – either because you are nervous of appearing in front of a camera or because you see it as a more complicated and expensive way of advertising or delivering content.
But in actual fact, rather than being nervous, we should all be jumping for joy at the fantastic opportunities offered by video marketing.
In this post I’ll show how it’s actually relatively easy and inexpensive to take advantage of the video revolution in multiple ways…
Why use video marketing anyway?
So first of all, why should you use video marketing at all?
Here are just a few compelling reasons.
1. Videos are more engaging
Maybe it’s laziness or the more interesting combination of images and sound, but in general people often seem to prefer watching a video to reading lines of text – so they’re more likely to find out what you have to say.
2. You can communicate directly – and show your personality
People like buying from people – not faceless corporations.
With a video you or your spokesperson can speak to people directly and they can see who you really are, which instantly builds a connection and makes them more disposed to buying something from you.
3. It’s a chance to reach a whole new audience
So much of the internet, and social media in particular, is based around video content.
At time of writing, there are 5 billion video views on youTube every day and rising and YouTube is the largest search engine after Google (its owner).
It’s claimed that Facebook has 8 billion video views per say, though many of these are unrequested (videos showing as you scroll through the feed).
Even so, that’s an enormous audience of potential customers that you could be reaching through video – with organic content or paid ads - and because relatively few people and businesses are creating video, it can be an area where you obtain an advantage.
4. Video boosts conversions
While you should always test, various studies have found evidence that including a video on a landing page can create a significant increase in the conversion rate of the page.
According to Brightcove that’s an average conversion rate of 4.8% with, compared to 2.9% without.
And according to Wishpond, videos on landing pages increase conversion rates by 86% on average.
Why not test it for yourself?
5 types of marketing video you could use
1. Personal appeal
This is great to put on your website, perhaps on your homepage. It shows you’re a real person who hopefully comes across as genuine, knowledgeable and trustworthy. While the aim might not be specifically to drive sales directly, you should try to include a specific call to action, such as an email sign-up or application..
2. Sales video
Usually found on a specific landing page on your site or as a standalone ad on YouTube, this is a direct, to-the-point sales pitch. It needs to focus on the needs of your target audience and explain quickly (before they lose interest) the main benefit of your product and how exactly to get it.
3. Demonstration
For complicated or difficult-to-explain products, you may need to actually show how they work. This will need to be longer and less of a direct sell, but remember to clarify the benefits and provide a clear call to action at the end. You may be able to use this video (or variations of it) for both sales and customer service purposes, helping existing customers to get more out of the product.
4. Educational video
If you have a lot of useful knowledge to share about your industry then a short educational video, explaining a topic of interest could provide value to your potential customers while also getting them to your site and building your reputation and their trust of you. This is obviously more of a soft sell, but don’t forget to mention your product where relevant, and don’t be afraid to give it a plug at the end or direct the viewer to become a lead.
5. Testimonial
This is unique in that it’s not something produced by you – and that’s what makes it so important. Hearing how someone else actually benefited from your product or service is great social proof, which really adds credibility. What’s more, a video testimonial where you can actually see a real person is almost always much more memorable and effective than a written quote on a page.
6 good places to use your videos online
1. Homepage
No brainer. This high traffic page is the perfect place for a personal appeal to show you’re a real credible person and get a key message across immediately.
2. Landing pages
With studies showing that videos on landing pages can lead to higher conversion rates, it’s well worth putting some effort into testing a compelling, brief sales video here. Testimonials can also work well, particularly on a longer page where you have to do more selling in order to get a conversion.
3. Thank you pages
Thank you pages (i.e. the pages your customers see after buying, registering, etc) are typically a huge missed opportunity.
Adding a video to them is ideal for creating more of a bond with your most engaged prospects or customers - and upsell. This is the very moment when they’re best disposed to you and most interested in buying from you – and a good video well really help make the most of that situation.
4. Lead magnet
If you want to offer some useful information as an incentive for someone to join your email list, for example, a downloadable PDF guide is the classic option. But in some cases this might be better delivered as a video, perhaps because you’re not a great writer, or the information in question can be better demonstrated in video form.
5. Your YouTube channel
If you upload your videos to your YouTube channel they can be viewed, and searched for, by anyone around the world, thereby widening the chances of potential customers coming across your business.
6. YouTube ads
If you’re looking to get more traffic, or target a specific audience based on search terms and/or demographics, YouTube ads offer a great opportunity to do this.
How to write a good video script
Some marketing videos may be completely unscripted – for example, an off-the-cuff testimonial from a client. But in most cases you should use a good script, even if you don’t actually follow it to the letter.
What exactly you write and include will depend to some extent on your product, as well as the type of video, but here are some general tips to make things easier.
1. Keep it short (probably!)
‘Length implies strength’ is a classic truism known to any professional direct response copywriter. Is it any different when it comes to video?
On the one hand, the highest-grossing ‘sales videos’ in existence are infomercials or sales webinar - which may be to to 2 hours long if not more.
On the other hand, your own aims for video will typically be more modest - like generating a lead.
In this case, a short video will often work better because the goal is usually to get someone to take a quick action, and because there’s little risk in registering as a lead, simply piquing interest can be enough to prompt action.
This is particularly the case with a YouTube ad, where views drop off dramatically after about 45 seconds. Not only that but you only have 5 seconds before people can click the ‘Skip’ button, so you need to get a compelling point in, F.A.S.T.
2. Keep it simple
It’s easy to miss something in a video, and not as easy to go over something again as with text. Sure, you can rewind, but few people will bother. So make sure your message is delivered in a simple, easy-to-understand way – and don’t be afraid to repeat particularly important points.
3. Include a clear call to action
Don’t be confused by the approach of big, bloated companies and their equally bloated ad agencies - if you have a limited budget, you must think like a direct response marketer and never a brand advertiser.
The purpose of your videos is very simple: to get the right prospects to DO SOMETHING that MOVES THE SALE FORWARD!
Tell them what to do; tell them where to click. On YouTube you can usually click anywhere inside the video, but giving people a nice obvious click here button won’t hurt. And make sure to repeat the call to action in case they’ve missed it.
4. Remember your target audience
You can’t hope to impress or win over everybody, so keep it relevant to those you’re specifically targeting. What are their expectations, desires, fears and objections? Try to bring these into your video to resonate with your audience.
Example video script structure
This is most suitable for YouTube ads but actually works well as a guide for most types of video - they’re all ‘adverts’ after all!
You may need to vary the format a bit depending on the nature of your business and product (for example, financial services may require more explanation and compliance information) but it should at least be a good starting point.
• First 5 seconds – Grab attention
You need to make a strong start to make sure people keep watching, especially with YouTube ads where you have 5 seconds before the viewer can skip the ad. Get right to the heart of the problem that’s bothering your audience and address it with a question or brief offer they can’t ignore.
• Next 10 seconds – Describe your main benefit
You don’t have time to describe all the ins and outs of your product here – so don’t try. Focus on the main point of your offer and the main benefit to your target audience, explaining how it will solve their problems or make them feel better.
• Next 10 seconds – Create a sense of urgency or scarcity
Your viewers need a reason to act now – rather than moving on to the next video of vaguely amusing cats and forgetting about you. Is there a deadline? Limited stock? Lower price before a certain date?
Whatever is that’s going to get them acting now (and you should always try to structure your promotions so as to include some natural scarcity) mention it.
• Last 10 seconds – Clear call to action (and repeat)
Make sure you tell viewers exactly what they need to do, including where to click, and don’t be afraid to repeat it in case they miss it first time.
That goes for your main benefit as well. It’s worth reiterating that (very briefly) here as well before repeating the call to action – so the viewer is in no doubt as to what to do, and why.
How to create your own marketing videos: 3 low-cost options
Many businesses get put off using video because they imagine it’s a complicated and expensive business, where you have to pay a specialist agency thousands of pounds to put something together for you with high production values.
Well that’s one option, and if you’re a big corporation with a huge budget and rigorously enforced brand guidelines then that’s probably the route you’ll take.
But luckily, the rest of us still have three good options, all of which can work well but don’t require a Hollywood budget.
Option 1: Record yourself on camera
If you think this will look ‘unprofessional,’ consider that most of the video content on sites like Facebook and Youtube is ‘user generated content,’ so it’s a perfect fit with the content viewers are used to seeing on these platforms.
Seeing you delivering your message in person brings immediate authenticity and builds a connection with your audience.
It’s also the cheapest way of putting together a video – if you already have the right equipment, such as a video camera. Most modern mobile phones have an adequately good video camera these days so in most cases your iPhone or similar should be fine for recording your video and the sound that goes along with it.
However, it is worth investing in a tripod, to hold the camera still and in the right position (holding it yourself while filming looks odd and unprofessional, while it also restricts your movement). You can pick one of these up online for around £10, so it’s not a huge investment but will really make a difference to your recording.
Many people get nervous about appearing on camera, but you just have to get over that. Unless you’re doing a live recording, you can take your time, rerecord and edit the video until you get it just right, so there’s no need to worry about fluffing your lines or not looking right.
Of course, it’s good to practise a few times before you start recording, but don’t worry if you can’t remember all your lines. You can stick up notes, or even your full script, in front of you. Or there’s some inexpensive video prompting software called Easy Prompter (http://www.easyprompter.com/) you can download to help you.
Don’t worry too much about how you look either. Try to dress reasonably smart though, unless you’re deliberately going for a very casual feel.
And think about the background of your video. It shouldn’t feature anything too distracting. So a plain wall is often a good idea, although many people also choose an office scene.
Experiment with lighting - you’ll find the more, the better, generally.
Once you’ve recorded it, you’ll need to edit your raw video file a little bit. Free tools like Windows Movie Maker (PC) or iMovie (Mac) are fine for doing things like:
Trimming the video so it starts and ends in the right place
Adding images, for example putting your logo at the start/end
Adding captions, basic effects and transitions
Adjusting the sound
Adding music
YouTube also now includes a very basic editing facility, built-in.
Option 2: Hire a presenter
If you’re really not keen on appearing in a video yourself then getting a presenter to read your script could be a good option.
You can find a good quality presenter, who’ll also take care of the recording and editing on freelancer websites like Fiverr (https://www.fiverr.com).
Here you’ll find a wide range of small services being offered and the idea behind the name is that everything costs from US$5 (plus a $0.50 fee).
In reality it can end up being a bit more than this, as the $5 version is sometimes for a very basic package, with a strict word limit, for example. But it still provides a low-cost, low-hassle option for creating a good video.
You can search through various providers to find the most suitable. Not all providers are equal, so it pays to check some key points.
Checklist for finding a presenter on Fiverr.com
• Does their example video look good?
• What is their overall rating?
• Is there anything worrying in the buyer comments?
• What’s the turnaround time?
• What is the word or time limit?
• How much does it cost to record more words/time?
• Any other extra costs?
By checking all of these things you should ensure you get the video you want at the best possible price. But if you’re still unsure of anything, don’t hesitate to contact the seller and ask questions. Not only will this clarify exactly what you can expect, you’ll also get a good idea of how communicative and easy to work with they are.
Option 3: Use animation
The other option you can also find on Fiverr is to get someone to create an animation or storyboard video. In this case, there’s no presenter but you can use images and text to present your ideas instead, along with music and/or a voiceover.
There are all sorts of options available – as a quick look through Fiverr will demonstrate – but one of the most popular is a storyboard or whiteboard animation.
It puts across your message quite clearly, it’s easy to create and lots of people offer it as a service on Fiverr.com, keeping the cost low.
But there are various other options, often involving cartoon characters.
Be aware that many of these animated videos may just be templates – so you can put in your text and logo but otherwise have to use a standard video.
If you find one that fits your business then this is a good, low-cost option and should come in at, or not far off, the $5 price.
If you opt instead for something more customised then be prepared to pay more: even though the standard advertised price may be $5, you'll most likely have to add on some extras.
With more variations than a presented video, it’s even more important to check what’s included with. Here’s a basic checklist for animation jobs on Fiverr.com, though you should of course ask the seller if you’re unsure about anything.
Animated video checklist
Presenter checklist (see above) plus:
• Is it a template or custom-made video?
• Is there a word limit on the text I can include?
• Will they supply images or do I need to?
• Can I make edits without being charged again? How many?
• Is music or a voiceover included?
What type of video works best?
So as you can see, you have a few inexpensive options for creating a good video ad. But which is best?
It may depend on what exactly you’re offering and what industry you’re in, and you should always test.
But as a starting point we’ve seen evidence that presenter-led videos tend to outperform animation.
Video marketing agency Viewability analysed data across 250 client campaigns and found that videos with a presenter were 64% more likely to get a click back to your website.
Need help with video marketing?
If you’d like to explore how you can generate new leads and clients with simple video marketing, we should talk.
We’ve been specializing in marketing for the financial sector since 2007 with clients and experience encompassing Experian, Hargreaves Lansdown, Societe Generale, Direct Line, Legal & General, as well as dozens of smaller businesses.
So if you’d like us to organise a sales-driving video marketing campaign for you…