It’s likely you’ve heard by now that video marketing is the new sensation that’s sweeping the…well, globe!
Recent data from Cisco anticipates that roughly 80% of all global Internet traffic will come from video content. In our current marketing environment, video content has become a necessity for many businesses attempting to reach their audience.
What is equally valid, however, is that most business owners have continued to shrug off the importance of video for marketing their brand. The reason for this could be the misconception that “video” is synonymous with “expensive.” While this may have been true in the past, the democratization of video through numerous options and platforms (those that aren’t TV) has helped to level the playing field.
Even so, the harsh reality is that your business will live and die by its ability (or inability) to attract new customers and retain old ones. And while this may not be the revelation you hoped for, it certainly makes a strong case for the use of video in your marketing strategy. So if you’d like to hop on the fast track to success and tap into a portion of that massive Internet traffic, follow along for our three cost-effective methods to kick off your video marketing efforts.
#1 Live Video
Depending on your business, live video such as Facebook Live, Periscope, Twitch, YouTube Live, etc., acts as a direct conduit to your consumers. It’s also worth noting that live video comes with a lower expectation for quality. As a result of the leniency afforded by viewers consuming live content, small businesses can spend less time worrying about high production costs and focus more on their creative ideas.
Don’t be afraid to try new, creative things to engage with your audience. Don’t worry about making mistakes. If your local police department can host an interactive ride-a-long via Periscope to engage with the community, there is no reason you can’t give your audience an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at your process.
In addition to the engagement uptick, your business will seem more sincere and genuine. Mistakes and bloopers that go unedited resonate with viewers. These “mishaps” can make your brand seem more authentic and honest, which could lead to higher brand affinity – the coveted level of mutual interest between your business and its customer.
#2 DIY Animation & Presentation Screen Capture
Have a lot of boring, lackluster presentations lying around from internal meetings? These could serve as yet another excellent tool for video production! By merely repurposing this content as an interactive webinar, a bite-sized social clip and so much more, you could generate videos in little time with no added cost. Even if the initial purpose of these presentations doesn’t quite gel with your new marketing goals, a few small tweaks could help to leverage that same content for video.
For example, let’s say that you’ve just created a new blog post. Perhaps you’d like to follow-up on this milestone with some posts to social media to help spread the word? You may begin by choosing your platforms, and maybe gathering ideas from other businesses. It’s around this time you quickly realize that other companies employ the use of highly engaging videos that seem, by comparison, an impossible undertaking given your limited resources. Well, why not take the most profound and easily understood excerpt from the blog you’ve just written, and transform it into a shareable video?
All you need are the right tools (like this one from Canva), a little effort, and some of the copy you’ve already written and voila…
#3 HIT THE PANIC BUTTON
Okay, so maybe panicking is a bit extreme, but if you genuinely feel overwhelmed by the thought of producing a video for social marketing there is another option: hire someone else to do it for you! While this may seem like the opposite approach to saving money, there are low-cost content creators, freelancers, and digital marketing agencies eager to help you.
An agency such as Design the Planet can often be a more cost and time effective approach depending on the size and scale of your project. The skills, resources and overall experience of an agency could lead to BIG savings! Check out the full array of video services from Design the Planet for more insight into successful video marketing.
