behind the scenes of video shoot

Why Video Needs to be a Key Part of Your Online Strategy in 2015

A picture is worth a thousand words, but in today’s world a video is worth even more! As most marketers and brands prepare for video to be a dominant part of their strategies in the near future, here’s what you need to know.

In recent years we have seen an incredible push from social media networks to incorporate video. Instagram, Facebook, and most recently Twitter have all added a feature that allows users to directly upload video content to the platform to compete with YouTube, which receives over 4 billion video views a day and has become the second largest search engine only behind it’s parent company, Google. As we highlighted earlier this year, video on Facebook is trending high. The platform recently revealed that 50 percent of Americans on Facebook watch at least one video per day and that users are seeing four times more video in their feeds now versus a year ago. This supports research by Cisco that indicates that by 2017 we could be seeing as much as 67 percent of traffic being video. Users want content, and platforms are competing to give them the best video experience to match the demand.

Here’s AC&M’s take on this trend:v

It is very efficient in communicating information. Video has the unique ability to cut through all of the digital noise we are bombarded with daily. Some quick facts about video: a one-minute video is equivalent to 1.8 million words. Readers on average retain about 10 percent of information on text-based posts, whereas with video they retain on average 95%. This tells me that video is the most practical way to communicate information.

Video is measurable. With normal text-based posts you can measure how many people visited and how long they stayed; however, you aren’t ever sure if they read the post or if they opened the page and left it open while they did something else. With video, you can see how many people viewed it, at which point they stopped watching. Thanks to social media, there are even more analytics at your disposal. With this information, you can sharpen your message and target it more effectively.

No more breaking the bank. Thanks to all of the advances in technology, getting high quality video and audio is cheaper than ever. The latest smartphones now provide incredible video features that were only available on the most expensive equipment just five years ago. Furthermore, video doesn’t need to be flashy, full of effects and star-studded. There are many ways to use video on social media that are incredibly effective.

If you are not sure on how you could be using video in Social Media, here are some great examples we’ve done for clients in the past:

 

How-to videos. Taking advantage of video can be as simple as showing consumers the possibilities. Show them how to properly use a product or give them creative inspiration. For Sherwin-Williams, we have created engaging video tutorials that show Hispanic customers how to improve their home.

 

Revealing a new product. A video doesn’t have to be extremely long. Videos can be as short as 6 seconds for Vine or as long as 30 seconds on Facebook and Twitter, and both video formats can be effective in creating buzz around a new product. Here’s a full sample we created for Puma and Soccer.com, also shortened into social media-sized videos that were just as cool.

 

Showcasing a promotion or initiative. A quick video can be generated to let your followers or fans know about a promotion you might be running. Compared to a simple image, this gives you the benefit of both a highly ranked social media post to share across all platforms, and a presence on YouTube. Check out this example, shot right by our local Family Dollar with some talent from the AC&M Family!

 

Behind the scenes: Social media has brought consumers closer to their favorite personalities and companies, and behind the scenes videos are a great way to let people see beyond the final product. These sort of videos can help your customer connect with the people behind a brand, making it feel more authentic and reinforce your message to them. Here is an example video we shot to show people a day at our agency in a fun and engaging way that channels some of our values.

 

Event Recaps: We have seen the importance of these with some of our clients, who get to experience what an activation or event was really like through video. The same applies for your audiences; a good video can help them experience events they might have not been a part of otherwise. Take this recap of National Guard-sponsored soccer clinics as an example.

These are only a few examples of how we are creating videos for our agency and our clients. Social media trends are without a doubt turning towards video and its many applications; however, depending on the product, service, or brand, different video strategies will serve you better than others. Big budgets are not always necessary; all you need is a good creative strategy and a talented team to execute it.

How does your company expect to use video in 2015? Let us know how we can help!

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