You’re behind the times if you only think about video content in terms of traditional television commercials. Marketers are finding good ways to convey brand messages with streaming media on the web, and consumers are responding. Brafton previously reported that brands are behind 40 percent of all the video clips shared on Instagram. But the competition’s heating up, and around 93 percent of the 600 marketing professionals surveyed by the Web Video Marketing Council said they are creating their own video content in 2013.
Video marketing has steam
It seems brands have quickly picked up the pace with video upon recognizing its immense potential for reaching target audiences. Just last year, only 81 percent of survey respondents said video was in the pipeline for communications, internet marketing and/or sales campaigns.
The fuel behind the video marketing fire is straightforward results. Around 82 percent of survey respondents report their video campaigns have positively impacted their larger web marketing efforts. Even still, Brafton has challenged marketers to hold their video campaigns to even higher standards (as outlined in a recent webinar) to invest smarter and justify the format.
Around 82 percent of respondents say their video campaigns have positively impacted their larger web marketing efforts.
Another factor making video marketing more popular is that it’s within reach for some businesses for the first time. While it was once cost-prohibitive for smaller companies to hire professional production teams and purchase ad space on broadcast networks, the democracy of the internet allows brands to generate and distribute videos affordably.
There is more evidence that online video success is more dependent on the content quality and distribution strategy than amount spent on production or promotion. The latest Touchstorm Video Index found smaller brands like Little Tykes and Ford Models outpace larger brands like Apple and Coca-Col as top YouTube channels, proving deep pockets only go so far on the organic web.
Smart distribution key to exposure
Most marketers are taking advantage of the online landscape and the access it provides to individual audiences. The survey found businesses are using their videos to support their campaigns across channels. Around 84 percent embed videos on websites, 62 percent share clips of social networks, 60 percent deliver them through email newsletters and 49 percent use them to hook sales leads.
As brands go full steam ahead with video content, marketers must be willing to yell “Cut” if strategies derail.
As brands go full steam ahead with video content, marketers must be willing to yell “Cut” if strategies derail. Cross-channel promotion is smart, but it’s not effective if the types of videos they share on certain networks are incongruous with the expectations for that given platform.
For instance, internet users go to YouTube for how-to videos and entertaining clips, whereas they might be more interested in a product demo on a company’s website. And social media channels with their fast-churning news feeds might be the best place to share timely video blogs.
Marketers must find the proper balance for their own brands and consider their audiences in order to be effective and drive impressive results, but it’s clear most are ready to dive into video marketing.
