Long-term video strategy helps you plan and create content that will really serve your business. How you prioritise the video content you create should be driven by where you need to make the most progress. Is it increasing company awareness? Is it explaining your product or service? Is it demonstrating your uniqueness over your competitor? Or is it about customer retention?
Whatever your challenge, video can often provide the solution. And, with social media becoming more and more important to increasing client engagement, here are some simple ways for you to start using video for your business.
1. PROMOTIONAL VIDEO
A promotional video tells the viewer exactly what your business or organisation is all about and beautifully frames your skills and experience to add impact and emotion to your website and social media platforms.
These videos should be as short as possible, have a wide appeal, and use a quick and focused theme. See the video example for International Values-based Education.
Search engines love video! Featuring video on your landing pages is not only the quickest way to engage an audience but, websites with video are 50 times more likely to rank on Google’s first page and can increase conversions by 86%!
When and how should you use them?
Having your own promotional video gives you a versatile and powerful marketing tool that can be used in a variety of ways to promote your business and services, with the potential to reach a vast amount of people through social network sites such as Facebook, YouTube or Twitter. According to Wyzowl market research, 70% of users say they have shared a brand’s video with a friend, or on their social media channels.
How much do they cost?
Depending on the style, these can start from as little as £1500.
How long do they take?
4-6 weeks
2. EDUCATIONAL CONTENT VIDEOS
An educational short is a bite-sized, insightful piece of content (2 minutes or less) leveraging your team and their industry knowledge. Take a look at a video demonstrating the benefits of Clinical Pilates for conditions, such as Osteoarthritis.
When and how should you use it?
Educational shorts should be used to attract new customers, or to raise brand awareness. They can be promoted as content marketing on your blog, FAQ page, social media channels, and more.
How much do they cost?
Dependent on style, a short series of 60 second clips can start from £2,500
How long do they take?
4-6 weeks
3. ANIMATED EXPLAINER VIDEOS
With animation, you can do just about anything. It works well for service companies, and it’s a great way of demonstrating something conceptual. Animation makes it easy to brand your video and by using similar colours, styles, and themes, your video can fit in seamlessly with your website and marketing materials. See our ‘how to’ guide to animation video.
When and how should I use them?
These videos are typically used to help during the consideration phase of the purchasing funnel, and should be placed on your website’s homepage, and across your social media network.
What do they cost?
Start from £500
How long do they take?
6-8 weeks
4. MINI DOCUMENTARY VIDEOS
We humans have been communicating through stories for over 20,000 years, back when our flat screens were cave walls! Have you considered producing a ‘Day in the Life’ documentary about your business? Or thought about a series of 3-5 minute Webisodes for your YouTube Channel or Facebook page?
Mini documentaries are a good way to demonstrate a tangible product or service and a great tool for connecting with your audience. People are attracted to stories because we are social creatures and we relate to other people.
Spark the emotional side of your audience’s brain – what emotion do you want to create? Stories are a great way to connect emotionally. See the documentary we produced for Nokia India’s Create To Inspire campaign.
When and how should I use it?
These videos are typically used to help during the consideration phase of the purchasing funnel, and should be placed on your website’s homepage and across your social network.
What do they cost?
From £15,000 for a series of strategic mini documentary films
How long do they take?
8-12 weeks
5. BRANDED CONTENT
Branded content is often thought of as a blend of advertising and editorial. This can be a fun animation to communicate via your social media network or real life actuality where we delve deeper into your brand products or service.
These videos should be under 60 seconds, target your core audience, and barely mention your company, product, or service. See one of our brand values examples.
When and how should you use them?
These videos are great for building awareness for your company. Consider using branding videos on social media, as their own YouTube channel, or on television.
How much do they cost?
Depending on the style, typically starts between £1000 – £2,000
How long do they take?
6-12 weeks
6. COMPANY STORY VIDEOS
A company video is a great way to introduce your team, culture, and company philosophy in 2-3 minutes. Founders, employees, and executives are used as in-house talent to talk about where you’ve been, and where you’re going, allowing you to communicate your key messages in an inspiring and engaging manner.
Using film to get your message across results in greater engagement and impact, retaining information at a much higher rate than traditional communication via text and images. You will know yourself that as a viewer you will remember 58% of what you see but only 10% of what you read.
When and how should you use them?
These videos should be used at the consideration phase of the purchasing funnel, as well as to create loyalty and a feeling of personal connection with existing clients. Try sending your story out in email newsletters, and include it on the About Us section of your website.
How much do they cost?
Starts at £1,500, including animated logo and infographics, or 3 x 60s shot in one location
How long do they take?
4-8 weeks
7. CASE STUDY VIDEOS
A customer case study, or testimonial video, uses real clients and customers to endorse your product or service. A case study video might talk about a project you worked on for a client, the challenge you were up against, and the results it led to.
When and how should you use them?
Case study videos should be used during the consideration and decision phases of the purchasing funnel. Send these videos out in email newsletters, place them on social media as well as your blog, and include them in an About Us or Testimonial section of your website.
What do they cost?
Single testimonial: £1500 or 3 x 60s filmed in one location
How long do they take?
2-3 weeks
In many industries, retaining customers can be just as hard as winning them in the first place. Video can often be a quick and easy way to connect with your existing customers on an on-going basis.
Start by looking internally at your customer interactions. Do you get a lot customer service calls? Hits to your FAQ page? Social media interaction? Video can be a great replacement for emails, or a way to quickly connect with people when your team is physically unavailable.
Examples:
• Investor pitch video
• Social media video snippets
• Video voicemails
• Webinars
• Event videos
• Press release video
• Product launch video
• Company policy videos
You should now have a good starting point to start prioritising and budgeting video content into your marketing strategy. Of course, if you need help, we’d love to find out more about your organisation and discuss how video may be able to help your business. Drop us a line and let’s chat!