Video is quickly becoming one of the most powerful sales tools there is. Video is quick and easy for people to access, it’s great for building brand awareness and trust and it’s equally important when it comes to sales. According to a recent report from Animoto, some 73% of U.S. adults say they’re more likely to buy something after watching a video that explains how it works. Well that’s pretty convincing, isn’t it?
Consider the classic “Will It Blend?” series from Blendtec, an early example that’s seen everything from an iPhone to an Elf on the Shelf spun into dust. After 131 episodes and hundreds of millions of views, viewers have been introduced to Tom Dickson, Blendtec’s CEO and founder, and had fun making their own suggestions.
Plus, there’s no question it can handle your morning smoothie.
In the past week alone, 94 percent of consumers watched a video online. Creating videos that help, motivate or inspire emotion is a great way to increase awareness of your brand.
More than half of consumers see companies that produce videos as more trustworthy than companies that don’t. Video can put a face on your business and be the beginning of a human-to-human connection; blenders don’t have personality, but Dickson does — and people respond to it. Making that connection helps bring a level of transparency to your brand that snazzy packaging or aggressive pricing won’t.
Consumers don’t trust advertising. They want to see what you’re selling in action so they know they’re making the right decision. Sharing expertise and information through video helps build trust and helps to develop a reputation for your brand as a leader in the industry. This can be an awesome competitive advantage, especially if you’re a small company.
What makes an awesome, shareable video?
People like to be moved, amused or informed — or all three! They don’t want to be obviously pitched or sold. If producing great video was easy, everyone would be doing it, but once you understand your customer’s buying process and where video can augment what you’re already doing, it can be awesome.. Whether you use it to build awareness or understanding, video is part of your sales funnel; it’s not the whole funnel.
How many 10-minute videos have you watched today? Long videos are a commitment that many of us don’t have the time or attention for — your customers included. Keep videos to five minutes or less (I prefer under two!) and use interesting visuals that will keep people engaged. Generic is boring – don’t waste time (or viewers’ time) creating content that you wouldn’t watch yourself — use that as your barometer.
Pay attention to what your customers want, then do something about it. Consumers see companies that have videos online as being more engaged. Don’t prove them wrong! Demand for video is on the rise in any number of consumer categories, including electronics, restaurants, events and conferences, exercise and fitness, automotive, and travel. When people see something worth talking about, they do; make sure you’re listening. This is where you can use monitoring and social insights to fuel your efforts and produce videos that people want to see.
Whether dropping someone from space or celebrating moms everywhere, brands are doing interesting things with video.
Here’s the infographic produced as a result of the Animoto study that does a nice job of laying out a convincing case for your business – large or small, to get busy with video as part of your integrated marketing mix today.
Other resources on this topic:
When to Shut Up and Let Video Do the Talking
The Future of Content: The Power of Video
The Power of Video Throughout the Customer Journey
photo credit: JeepersMedia via photopin cc
This post was brought to you by IBM for Midsize Business and opinions are my own. To read more on this topic, visit IBM’s Midsize Insider. Dedicated to providing businesses with expertise, solutions and tools that are specific to small and midsized companies, the Midsize Business program provides businesses with the materials and knowledge they need to become engines of a smarter planet.
Shelly Kramer is the founder and CEO of V3 Broadsuite (V3B), Senior Analyst and one of the founding partners at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked with some of the world’s largest brands to lead them into the digital space, embrace disruption and the reality of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of Digital Transformation. As a brand strategist, she has decades of experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, and driving strategy and growth for B2B brands across multiple verticals.
