Three Video Strategies to Engage and Convert Prospects
Video has become increasingly important to online marketers. It serves many applications in content marketing, customer service, and other areas. Today you have many video forms, formats, and strategies available to you. Those are what we’re going to look at here.
These are the two big categories of videos you need to consider in your digital marketing strategy:
- Recorded videos
- Live videos
After briefly discussing these two “meta” categories, we’ll look at three basic strategies. Including formats, tools, and techniques – that can be used within each category.
Recorded Videos in Digital Marketing
Watching recorded video has been a part of the average person’s life since the introduction of the Betamax and VHS tape formats. The media have changed dramatically since then, but the overall systems are the same. Users have play, pause, rewind, and fast forward buttons they push. Even if the controls are on a computer screen or on a remote control at home.
For the digital marketer the important questions to consider are what kind of content should be recorded and where should the content be posted – the website, YouTube, Vimeo, or all of the above.
Live Videos in Digital Marketing
The world of live-streaming online video has exploded recently and I expect we’ll new players, consolidation, and other changes happening at a rapid pace. Real-time streaming is being made popular by social media platforms and apps such as Meerkat, Periscope, Blab and Google’s Hangouts. Meerkat and Periscope are mobile broadcasting apps. Blab and Hangouts seem to be more suitable for use in the traditional computer setting.
There is crossover between these live streaming video sessions and recorded video. You can record and save your live sessions and post them on your website, your YouTube channel, or both.
With this overview out of the way, let’s circle back around and outline some good systems to create video. We’ve already talked about live streaming, so from here on we’ll generally be discussing video content that you plan, create, and record.
Screen Captures
One of the best ways to create very useful and professional-looking content on a budget is with screen capture software. If your business has almost any element that takes your customers to their computers, there is probably something you could demonstrate and explain through a screen capture session. This could be as simple as a tour of your website.
There is both free and paid screen capture software available and the commercial packages give you more tools to create more sophisticated presentations. But more important than the software you use is your presentation. Don’t think you can sit down and fake your way through it. Plan what you want to say and how you’re going to navigate your computer screen. If you post a very amateurish video, you’ll turn people off.
Animations
Many successful websites today are posting short, engaging animations on their homepages to introduce visitors to their products or services. These may take the form of a narrative that features animated characters, an animated “white board” presentation, or a clever animation that uses the company name or logo.
Although there is animation software available for every computer operating system, if you’re serious about posting an impressive animation, you’ll probably outsource the work. You’ll find excellent animators on the various freelance sites and you can even get short animations done through Fiverr.com.
Video Shoots
You can record great looking video from your smart phone, stand-alone video cameras, and most digital cameras. Although it’s easy to record video with these devices, your output will usually also require some good video editing to produce a high quality finished presentation.
For many uses recording and editing video is the way you have to go. Such as how-to videos, product or service introductions, or behind-the-scenes views of your business. If you’re merely recording a short video to post on social media, you’ll probably be able to pull it off without many problems.
But if you want to create something that you’ll be showing to customers and prospects for months or years, consider increasing your investment. It’s probably a good idea to find a good local videographer to work with.
As I said at the opening, the use of video in marketing has been growing significantly and the trend will continue. We know that website visitors will spend hardly any time reading text on pages. So, if you offer an engaging video, you should be able to increase your conversions and gain more loyal followers.