Online video provides a whole new way to advertise. In this digital age, old avenues like mailers, newspapers, and billboards are dead and buried.
Customers are spending their time online. And they’ve been there for a while.
Video tells a story. With it, brands can engage viewers, keep their attention, and turn their audience into brand advocates.
When beginning video, it’s best to consider two options: YouTube and embedded videos.
LEVERAGING VIDEO FOR
BUSINESS
When most people think online video, they think YouTube. And with good reason. YouTube is now the second most commonly used search engine.
A site once used for adorable cat videos is now used for everything. News. Reviews. Sports. Fashion.
In short, YouTube is where customers are. Follow them.
The statistics alone demand attention: Over 1 billion hours of video are watched each day 1.5 billion logged in users each month.
TRUE VIEW
With traditional advertising, too often a brand’s message is seen by irrelevant people. Elderly woman don’t want motorcycles. Kids don’t care about IRA options. YouTube doesn’t waste money, time, or eyeballs. Brands can target their customers with extreme
segmentation: Location
Age
Gender
Search Queries
Topics
Interests
For example, you have the ability to only target women living in
Chicago, aged 25-34, who have an interest in photography.
OPTIONS
YouTube also allows a company to choose
where their ads appear. They can be seen
as a pre-roll before another video
(in-stream), along the side as a
recommended video (in-display), and at the top of the search results page (in-stream.)
EMBEDDED
VIDEO
YouTube is great, but don’t forget about the visitors bouncing around the site. Well done video on a site engages customers, sets the tone, explains products/services, and adds that much-needed human element to the company. The types of video put on a site are as limitless as each brand’s
creativity, but these are a few tried and true varieties:
Explainer - what a company does...
Origin - who a company is...
Products - what a company offers and how it works...
Testimonials - why customers should choose the company...
PUTTING IT ALL
TOGETHER
Imagine venturing into the world of video. Wise decision. It may
be a new intimidating place, but stick with it. Budgets are
already pulled in numerous directions, leaving little to get
started. No problem. Great cameras come in smartphone and
tablet varieties.
After some brainstorming, the videos get shot. They are
strategic, each one having a specific purpose. One welcomes
visitors to the site and explains what they can do there. Others
highlight individual products. Great. Now sit back and watch
online metrics climb.
Visitors spend more time on the site and new people find the
site through the videos. Word spreads. And before long, the
results are in: more sales. The only problem is that one of the
videos isn’t performing well. Again, no problem. With the speed
and ease of modern technology, replacing the bad video with a
new one in no time is simple.
Business continues to grow. Now another new frontier is ready to
be ventured into: YouTube. Shoot a new video, one strategically
designed to catch and hold the attention of people unfamiliar
with the company.
TO SUMMARIZE…
Online video is already transitioning from luxury to necessity. YouTube advertising and embedded videos are the two avenues that would likely deliver the best and quickest results. YouTube can specifically target a brand’s ideal customers. Embedded videos deliver your message in unique, engaging ways as visitors browse a brand’s site. It doesn’t go viral, but don’t worry. It doesn’t need to. Instead of casting a needlessly wide net, the video targets the exact audience who buys the product. No more wasted, expensive. exposure. Soon, people searching for relevant terms will see the video. The best part is, a company only pays when someone expresses an interest by clicking. Users like videos that feel more like entertainment than a commercial. More clicks come in and brand recognition continues to grow as more and more people come to the site. That’s the power of video.