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You probably know that video is an essential marketing element and will be even more critical in the coming years but do you know how important it is?

Why video content matters

1. Video increases engagement significantly. Social video generates 1,200% more shares that text and image combined. Video matters. A lot.
2. There are a billion YouTube users, and they consume more than 500 million hours of video content every day. YouTube is the 2^nd largest search engine, behind Google. Think about that for a moment.
3. And finally, 87% of marketers use video content. If you’re not using video, you’re missing out, and your customers are realistically watching someone else’s videos.

So, you understand the importance of video but are you producing video content yet? If you aren’t, why? What’s stopping you?

For the big marketers, it may be a resource issue. Do you not have the bandwidth or budget to introduce video content? It doesn’t have to cost a fortune or be super time-consuming. You don’t have to hire a professional crew to create every video for your website.

Creating video content on your phone

Video content doesn’t have to be overly slick or professionally produced to work well and generate engagement. For example, the video below was shot on my iPhone and is a behind the scenes look at a professional video shoot we did for Etched’s Marketing Academy. There’s no audio because it true b-roll (the supplemental footage that helps tell the story) fashion, we were talking in the background, so the audio track had to be muted. We added titles to the video because 85% of videos on Facebook are played without audio. The entire project took less than 15 minutes to film, add titles, and edit. And it generated user engagement on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

That’s right that little clip, less than 15 seconds of video generates engagement for Etched’s Marketing Academy. People like to see something different and a behind the scenes shot of a professional video shoot helps them feel more connected to the brand.

What works in video content might surprise you

Clients often wonder what type video they need to produce. There are so many types of video that work. I’ve seen videos you’d never believe would spark engagement work exceptionally well. If you know your audience and know what they’re interested in, you can figure out your video content strategy.

For example, I worked with a large outdoor retailer a few years back, and they were just starting to use video content and Facebook Live in particular. One of their first live videos was the unboxing of a new pair of hiking boots. And they got fantastic interaction. For unboxing a pair of new hiking boots and showing them to their fan base. It worked so well that they now include new product videos in most significant categories. Some of those product intro videos have 30,000+ views on a page with 5,000 followers. That’s six views per fan, which means a lot of people who aren’t yet fans of the page see the videos. The viral nature of video content is what helps grow your brand’s fan base.

How does video content support your marketing strategy?

If you have a new product you’re introducing a video intro can be a great idea. As an example, this is the professional video we created to launch Etched’s Marketing Academy recently. Behind the scenes footage, you saw above was taken during this video shoot. An intro video can be shared on your blog, social media, and in an email. It helps humanize a brand and connect with viewers.

If your product is one that requires assembly and can be confusing, a video that walks you through the set-up process step-by-step will be appreciated by your customer base. When you make it easier for them to use your product you help both yourself and your customers.

Review videos are great when someone is trying to decide between your product and a competing product. I recently invested in a high-quality microphone for my DSLR camera for video production, and in the research phase, I watched a lot of consumer review videos on Amazon and other websites. Having a video that was shot with the microphone helped better understand the audio quality and make a more informed decision.

Next Steps for your video content

If you’ve been thinking about adding video content to your overall marketing plan, you need to create your project and start. Video consumption is steadily growing, and it’s a marketing channel that will help you take your marketing program to the next level. You can leverage video to expand your audience, build your traffic, and increase engagement. And an engaged following is much more important than a huge following. Give your followers and fans a reason to engage with you.

We’re going to talk a lot about video marketing in the future because it’s essential and there are some hurdles you have to overcome – they may be mental, technological, or strategic but almost everyone deals with at least one of the obstacles. We’ll talk about them further, along with ways to build a video production system without breaking the bank, and even how to take it up another level by optimizing your videos for search. Stay tuned and subscribe to Etched’s Marketing Academy’s YouTube channel or follow us on Instagram or Facebook (or all of the above!). We’ll be adding video content regularly – sharing tips and tricks that will help you grow your business.

If you need help with your video content strategy, we’d love to chat with you. We can design a content strategy that incorporates the important video, image, blog, and social elements to grow your business and increase engagement with your brand. If bandwidth or skill sets are the issue, let our team do the work for you.

Register for our FREE Marketing Training Workshop program and join thousands of other small business owners who have learned how to create their marketing plan with our help! Click here to register today.