If you have been paying any attention lately to online trends, you will know that video marketing is absolutely the way to go if you want your business to effectively reach all your consumers online. Why? Because today, more than ever people are preferring video over all other types of content. Not only that, they are preferring to learn about a product or service through video marketing.
Gone are the days where video marketing was expensive and cumbersome. It has come a long way in the past few years. To the point where you can now put together marketing videos without actors and high expenses.
To help you stay well informed, let’s reveal some of the most common video marketing myths.
- Video marketing has high overheads
People often equate good videos with high production value. But this is fast becoming less and less true. Consumers are actually preferring authenticity over production value these days. Even saying that they prefer brands to serve as connectors. Consumers appreciate it when a brand fosters connections with their customers. With nearly two thirds (64%) of consumers saying that they want brands to connect with them, while just under half (49%) expect brands to bring people together toward a common goal.
This need for authenticity explains why micro-influencers are thriving in the current marketing climate. Not to mention, UGC (user-generated content). Consumers love UGC because it’s real which in turn, makes it relatable. It really is a win-win for consumers and brands because UGC relies on fans to create engaging content for brands.
- Video marketing requires a lot of effort and equipment
When people picture video production and marketing, they tend to think of a largely time-consuming process that involves scripts, storyboards, actors and heavy, cumbersome equipment. But this doesn’t have to be the case nowadays days. Modern video production and marketing requires a lot less than one might expect.
The only thing really, that is non-negotiable for making modern videos is a good camera. Most modern iPhone cameras will suffice and are great substitutes for the top of the line DSLR cameras. You can easily capture videos of yourself, office, events and customers giving great testimonials to create a sense of trust and build credibility for your brand.
Not every piece of content needs to be scripted to be great, a lot of it can be created with little to no planning or forethought. Customers appreciate it when people act naturally in front of the camera. A great example of someone who leverages these types of videos is Gary Vaynerchuk. He is an entrepreneur who seeks to answer aspiring, young entrepreneur’s questions via video. This guy used these types of videos so well that he managed to build a media empire from just selfie videos that were recorded on his phone!
- Our brand’s industry doesn’t use video
This one really doesn’t make any sense. If you want to be successful in marketing these days, it needs to be incredibly engaging and often highly visual. Video marketing is not seen as new and innovative anymore, rather it’s something that is expected. Not to mention, any industry can use video to communicate their offering effectively to customers, so why wouldn’t you? It’s like saying I would rather choose to ride a horse instead of driving a car. And the ironic thing is, that the industries with these opportunities are those where video has classically been underused.
- Video doesn’t provide accurate metrics
Not true. Video possesses characteristics that make it highly trackable. It’s linear and people viewing the video typically watch it from end to end. A tool like Youtube analytics can tell you which parts viewers watched and where they skipped. It can also tell you if people revisited your video. Using this info, you can make justifiable assumptions about an individual’s interest in either the value proposition or the product or service that you provide.
The bottom line is that video marketing is easier to do than most people think. And once you realise that not all videos need to be high production in order to be desirable to consumers and highly trackable, you will also realise that video can be used for much more than marketing and sales!