Video Marketing Tips: Harnessing the Power of Visual Storytelling [VIDEO]

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, businesses must adapt their marketing strategies to stay relevant. One such shift we’ve seen is the rise of video content. According to a Cisco study, online videos make up 83% of all web traffic, making it the most popular type of content on the internet. In this article we will provide tips on creating engaging videos and optimizing them for different platforms.

The Importance of Video Marketing

Video is a versatile and engaging content format that not only provides a real-life picture of what’s going on, but it’s also easy to share across multiple platforms.  The compelling nature of video content helps businesses in various ways:

• Increased Reach: Video content is one of the most shared forms of media across digital platforms, especially on social networks. By creating compelling video content, businesses can exponentially increase their reach as these videos are shared among users. These shares can lead to a viral effect, exposing the brand to new audiences that might not have been reached through traditional marketing channels. Additionally, people are more likely to engage with and share video content that evokes strong emotional responses or offers valuable information, which further contributes to its potential for increased reach.
• Better Engagement: The combination of visual imagery, sound, and movement in video content makes it a highly engaging medium. It’s capable of conveying complex ideas in an easily digestible, entertaining, and memorable way, making it more engaging than plain text or static images. A well-crafted video can tell a compelling story about a business, its products, or services, helping to establish a stronger connection and foster trust with viewers. Moreover, the interactive nature of video, with features such as clickable links and embedded forms, can significantly enhance user engagement, leading to higher conversion rates.
• Improved SEO: Video content is a powerful tool for improving a brand’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Search engines like Google prioritize websites that feature diverse content, including videos, in their search results, thereby improving your site’s visibility. Moreover, when videos are properly optimized – by including relevant keywords in the title, description, and tags, and providing transcripts – they can significantly improve a site’s SEO ranking. Besides, video content also tends to keep visitors on the site for longer periods, which is a key metric that search engines consider when ranking sites. Video sharing on platforms like YouTube, the second-largest search engine after Google, further enhances this effect, driving traffic to your website and boosting your search engine ranking. 

Tips for Creating Engaging Videos

Creating an engaging video isn’t just about having high-quality visuals or sound. Here’s what you need to consider:

• Have a Clear Goal: Whether it’s educating the audience, brand awareness, or promoting a product, having a clear goal will guide your video creation process.
• Tell a Story: People love stories. Frame your content in a narrative form to keep your audience engaged.
• Keep It Short and Concise: Attention spans are short. Get to the point quickly, especially for platforms like Instagram and Twitter.
• Ensure High Quality: Poor audio or video quality can turn viewers away. Invest in decent equipment or hire professionals.
• Include a Call-to-Action: Encourage your viewers to take an action, such as visiting your website, subscribing to your channel, or purchasing a product.

Optimizing Videos for Different Platforms

Different platforms cater to different audience behaviors, so it’s crucial to optimize your videos accordingly:

• YouTube: This platform is perfect for longer, informative videos. Consider tutorials, webinars, or product reviews.
• Facebook: Shorter videos tend to perform better on Facebook. Facebook is also a great place for live videos.
• Instagram: Use Instagram for short, visually appealing videos. Instagram Stories and Reels are perfect for behind-the-scenes content.
• LinkedIn: Business-oriented content works best here. Share company updates, industry news, or professional tips.
• TikTok: This platform is all about short, entertaining videos. It’s perfect for creative, trend-based content.

Insights and Analytics

One of the most powerful tools at the disposal of video marketers is the wealth of insights and analytics provided by platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and others. These metrics go beyond mere view counts, diving deep into viewer behavior, engagement patterns, and content performance. By understanding and leveraging these insights, you can tailor your video content strategy more effectively and achieve your goals.

• Understanding Viewer Behavior: Platforms like YouTube offer insights into where viewers come from, what parts of your video they watch most, and at what points they drop off. By identifying these drop-off points, you can adjust your content or its pacing to retain viewer attention better.
• Engagement Metrics: Likes, shares, comments, and watch time are all critical indicators of how engaged your audience is with your content. A video with a high view count but low engagement might indicate that while the title or thumbnail attracts viewers, the content isn’t resonating.
• A/B Testing: Use insights to experiment with different content styles, video lengths, or posting schedules. For example, you might try two different thumbnails for the same video and gauge which one draws more clicks, or test different call-to-actions to see which drives more engagement.
• Platform-Specific Insights: Different platforms offer unique metrics. For instance, Instagram provides insights on story exits and replies, while YouTube offers a deep dive into audience demographics and playback locations.
• Using Data to Refine Strategy: The insights gained from these analytics should feed back into your content creation process. If you find that a particular type of video is performing exceptionally well on LinkedIn but not on Facebook, it might make sense to tailor your content more towards the LinkedIn audience.

While creating captivating content is essential, it’s equally crucial to understand how your audience interacts with that content. By harnessing the power of insights and analytics, you can ensure your video marketing efforts are data-driven, leading to better engagement and more effective achievement of your objectives.

Case Study

Now that we’ve covered the importance of video marketing and shared some tips and tricks for creating engaging videos, how does a 100% increase in sales sound?  Pretty exciting if you ask us.  Let’s learn more about how Purple, a company that sells mattresses, pillows, and other bedding products, leveraged video marketing to increase their revenue.

Purple is known for its quirky and humorous videos that explain the science behind its products in an engaging and easily understandable way. In other words, they tell stories with clear goals.  One of their videos, titled “The Raw Egg Test,” has accumulated 194 millions of views on YouTube!  In this video, they drop raw eggs onto their mattress, that’s covered with glass, to demonstrate the pressure-absorbing capabilities of their products. The visual demonstration provides potential customers a clear understanding of the product’s benefit.

Following the success of their video marketing efforts, Purple reported a significant growth in sales. Their revenues grew from $196 million in 2017 to $428 million in 2018, representing a more than 100% increase in sales year over year!  Utilizing video marketing with a mix of other marketing strategies, demonstrates their high-viewership videos certainly played a crucial role in increasing brand awareness and persuading customers.

Final Thoughts

There’s no denying the power of video in today’s digital landscape. It’s an essential part of any marketing strategy, thanks to its ability to reach and engage audiences like no other medium can. As with any marketing effort, consistency, quality, and relevance are key to successful video marketing. Keep experimenting, analyzing, and refining your video content to see what works best for your brand.