Small businesses often must contend with smaller budgets. The good news is that excellent marketing doesn’t hinge on massive budgets!
One of the most effective (and often inexpensive) ways to boost your overall marketing plan is to incorporate social videos into your campaign.
This suggestion isn’t based on an opinion of someone who simply loves videos. Studies have found that including or linking to video on landing pages can increase conversion by 80%. The research also found that Google is 53 times more likely to feature your content on the first page of search results when you use videos. So, what’s holding you back?
Of course, creating videos can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! Determining the right type of video for your goals and understanding the requirements of social platforms can be easy to navigate with a few simple guidelines.
First, it’s important to recognize the four common types of marketing videos:
- Explainer: an overview to help your audience understand your product/services by breaking down terminology, features, and more.
- Demonstration: an introduction to your product or service to show how it can benefit the user.
- Testimonial: honest opinions about your product/service from real customers.
- Personalization: a video for a specific person or group to get people engaged with your offerings.
Then, determine the best channel for this content based on how much information you want to share, the intended audience, and the way you’d like your audience to engage with the video. Below are some guidelines about different social platforms:
Facebook: Sharing videos on Facebook is great for brands that are looking to increase their reach, especially if they are sharing viral content or live videos. It’s also an excellent forum for engaging directly with your audience, and more activity prompts the videos to show up on more timelines. Marketers should be aware that due to Facebook algorithms, posts have a limited lifespan before being pushed to the bottom of the newsfeed.
Video time limit: None
YouTube: Owned by Google, YouTube videos are given higher rank than videos posted elsewhere. Brands who are hoping to better understand their audiences can utilize YouTube videos to build a community among users. However, YouTube is a crowded, user-generated space, making it difficult to stand out initially.
Video time limit: None
Instagram: Brands that want to have a more human interaction with their audience should rely on Instagram to quickly communicate thoughts and ideas. This can include quick how-to tips, short interviews, product launches, and brief demonstration videos. Unfortunately, Instagram is not long-form friendly, so turn to Facebook or YouTube if you have more to say.
Video time limit: 60 seconds / Live video time limit: None
Snapchat: Popular among millennials, Snapchat is the destination for brands that want to give their audiences a behind-the-scenes look. Unfortunately, the platform doesn’t use hashtags to gather your content for new users, and videos only last 24 hours.
Video time limit: up to six consecutive 10-second Snaps at once
Twitter: A platform dependent on engagement, Twitter is the best channel for marketers looking to frequently contact their customers. Unfortunately, Twitter content has a short shelf-life, and it can be difficult for email marketers to target specific demographics as the audience is self-selected.
Video time limit: 30 seconds
Once you get the hang of the various social media channels, figure out the messages you want to relay and the best way to capture that in a video. Working with a small budget? Fear not! Below are some easy, cost-effective video ideas:
- Do a live Q&A with an engaging spokesperson about your product/service
- Give a behind-the-scenes tour of your office, factory, shop, etc.
- Complete “man-on-the-street” interviews with customers to get their honest reactions to your product/services
Strengthen your general marketing strategy by incorporating videos into your campaign by linking them within your emails, adding them to your landing page, or using hashtags to drive users directly to your social media pages. Find a video producer or educate yourself (you can even use YouTube!) to start pulling together videos for an audience hungry for cinematic content. Let ResponseGenius help take your email marketing to the next level – hello@responsegenius.com
