A lot of my clients tell me they chose a content marketing agency because they need help with bottom-funnel goals like lead generation and conversions. While this is something we can definitely focus on, I like to remind them that content that supports these goals, like case studies and white papers, aren’t what’s going to get someone’s foot through the door.
In order to get achieve the bottom-funnel goals, we need to have top of the funnel content that starts the buyer’s journey. That’s where video blogs enter.
Before I joined Brafton, I was working in television production, and I’ve always been a huge proponent of video. This isn’t just because videos are my internet preference, but because I’ve seen time and time again the results they produce.
Not sure what a video blog is? I encourage you to take a look at the video above – because I’m starring in one! A video blog is a 60-second video that compliments a written post. It’s a short, bite-sized amount of information that supports the overall theme of the accompanying text article.
Here are four reasons why I always recommend video blogs to my clients:
- Faster results: Written content strategies that feature blogs and news articles typically start to generate results like increased traffic, lower bounce rates, etc. over the first three to four months. With video blogs, however, my clients see faster results – closer to the two month mark in their strategies.
WATCH: Our video director Perry discusses how to get quick wins with video in this exclusive interview.
- A comprehensive strategy is key: I’ve had clients tell me that their audience isn’t interested in video – and while that might be the case for the minority of them – I don’t think that’s always the case. Most of the time, it’s fear of the unknown.
Even if the decision maker you’re trying to sell services to doesn’t watch videos – what about the Millennial marketing coordinator who has been tasked with coming up with a list of possible vendors to work with? You need a comprehensive strategy that has different types of content for your entire audience. The Millennial marketer might be hooked by the video, but it might be the white papers that sell the decision maker in the end. A variety of assets will attract personalities at different job levels.
- Your audience is embracing it:. Using direct mail and print strategies shouldn’t be a reason to avoid video. We’re not saying to abandon an old-school marketing strategy, especially if it’s working, but instead to use them in tandem.
If it does come down to a matter of choosing, it might be more effective to take that spend and use it toward something that provides real results. Nowadays, people are Googling things. They’re not pulling out the Yellow Book in their kitchens.
- It’s engaging and fast-paced: It takes several minutes to read an article – but a video blog is a guaranteed 60-second informative message. Even if the viewer only watches your video and doesn’t go on to read the entire article, they’re still getting the overarching message of the post.
But, chances are the person will continue watching. In fact – we’ve had several success stories where clients have seen video posts lower bounce rates 34 percent and increase engagement two-fold.
Video marketing can help you generate stronger results, sooner. If you’re making excuses to avoid investing in video, you’re making a mistake. Video blogs might be the content format that will help you push the bounds with your marketing and reach the customers you’ve been missing out on – so you can get them to engage with your brand sooner and create more of those bottom-funnel opportunities for your business.
