Video content can help businesses achieve many things, from website conversions and social chatter to viral and worldwide recognition, but Unruly notes there is a science behind content creation. Brafton has reported on data showing that approximately 25 percent of a video’s total social shares occur within three days of publication. Brands focusing on video marketing must develop strategies to promote these content types heavily in the first 72-hour span, or else key performance metrics won’t look as bright.
While Unruly does note video content has a shelf life – after three months, a video will have had 66 percent of its total shares – businesses can create ongoing campaigns that drive new and existing site visitors back to past visual clips. According to the same Unruly study, entertainment and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands made strides in the first quarter of 2013 with video content creation. In fact, these two industries increased their social video shares by 78.2 percent over Q4 2012.
It should come as no surprise that entertaining videos drive the most engagement, but companies across other industries can learn from what these brands and FMCG businesses do to generate buzz online. Take, for example, Oreo, which recently revamped its marketing strategy to embrace online media. During the Super Bowl, Oreo aired a commercial that promoted its core offering and entertained audiences. Not to mention, the cookie brand has found its niche in social media, driving engagement through the roof with each new post.
Video marketing virality starts and ends with high-quality storytelling – how are you getting your story across?
But how can an FMCG product like a cookie sustain such dramatic online buzz? It starts and ends with high-quality storytelling. Oreo understands that in order to retain the attention of its distracted audience, it needs to produce media that gets a certain message across and causes people to turn to their friends and talk about what they just saw on TV and on YouTube.
A December 2012 NetBase study found that video sharing was the top web activity among adolescents, No. 2 among Millennials and even higher among older audiences. Brands must produce videos that don’t sound drab and corporate – they’re likely to generate more returns on their investments from quality storytelling and creativity than linear and generic clips.
