The Complete Guide to Video Marketing for Your Business
Videos. You see them everywhere - on social media, emails, television, billboards, and even in-store at your favourite retail shop or takeaway restaurant… And there's a good reason for it!
With the power to combine visual and auditory elements, video marketing is arguably the most effective form of content out there. No other medium has the ability to include text, music, photographs, motion graphics, and all sorts of special effects to engage viewers while conveying a message clearly and efficiently.
So, if you don’t happen to be one of the 86% of businesses who use video as a marketing tool, you’re probably missing out!
We know you may be wondering how on earth to get started in the first place if you haven’t yet taken the plunge into video marketing, and that’s okay. After all, videography is an entirely different medium from photography and text-based content, so it can be pretty daunting to understand how to use it effectively. But once you get past your concerns, it’s easy to see that there are countless advantages to including video in your marketing strategy.
In order to wrap your head around video marketing and its advantages, you first need to understand what it is and how it works.
What is Video?
In a nutshell, video is the digital amalgamation of moving visual images.
Video production is essentially the entire process of creating a video, from conception to creation. This includes capturing and recording content on camera in an appropriate style and editing it together to combine various visual elements (like photos, graphics, or text) to produce a final video that’s fit for purpose.
At TOMCo. Media, we believe that video production doesn’t just end when the camera stops recording - we continue to work with our clients to not only create great video content, but also deliver it effectively across the right channels to ensure that it fulfils its intentions. Learn more about our filmmaking process here.
The specific content that results from each project varies greatly depending on the goals that it’s designed to achieve, but all forms of video share the same intention - namely, to convey a message in an engaging way.
Why is video so important?
Well, why do you think channels like YouTube exist?
First of all, our brains are hardwired for visual content. The majority of information transmitted to our brains is visual - and we process these visuals around 60,000 times faster than text! That means that we can retain far more information when watching videos than reading text. The importance of video content simply can’t be overstated.
And in an age where people find everything from entertainment to news online, it only makes sense that they expect something similar from the brands they love.
Nowadays, one third of all online activity is spent watching videos. This consists of 78% of people watching online videos every week and 55% viewing online videos every day - that’s a whopping one billion hours of video watched on YouTube, EVERY SINGLE DAY!
With our increasingly digitalised lifestyles, businesses typically have just a few seconds to stand out and make an impression before their audience loses interest. Those few seconds could mean years of growth for your business - or crushing defeat - which is why visual content has become such an important aspect of modern marketing.
A study from Microsoft Corp. revealed that humans lose concentration after just 8 seconds - that’s a shorter attention span than a goldfish!
That’s exactly why first impressions matter. Don’t get us wrong, a great photo can be powerful, but a moving image will always be far more eye-catching than a static one!
Benefits of Video
Simply put, video can grow your business and make you more money.
It has the potential to land your business on the first page of Google, humanise your brand, connect with your audience, and help clients understand exactly what they’re getting. Some other notable benefits include better customer value, increased conversion rates, improved SEO, and an enhanced perception of your brand.
But videos aren’t just great for generating revenue - they can also help you build your brand awareness, expand your audience, and stand out from competitors.
Videos make engaging, easily digestible content for business owners to use across a multitude of digital channels. This rich form of content conveys information quickly and prompts 1200% more shares than both images and text.
That makes video content one of the easiest ways to reach a larger audience. In fact, 93% of marketers say that video is a critical component of their marketing strategy - and when you see its impact on sales, it’s no wonder why… 64% of customers are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video about it!
And, if those aren’t enough reasons to make video part of your marketing strategy, take a look at these striking statistics:
Embedding videos on landing pages can increase conversions by more than 80%.
Videos are 45 times more likely to rank on the first page of Google than text results.
Studies show that viewers retain 95% of information in a video compared to just 10% when reading text.
Brands that use video marketing grow their year-over-year revenue 49% faster than brands that don’t.
Video ads can increase purchase intent by 97%
You get the gist, video is a no-brainer!
How Video Content Can Support Your Business
When producing any type of video for your business, it’s important to think about why you want to produce it and what the outcome should be.
From corporate videos and commercials to documentaries and social media clips, there are endless possibilities when it comes to videography…
If you’re looking to increase traffic to your website, you can use video content in email campaigns or social media posts to attract more attention. Adding video on a website can also boost conversion rates and drive an increase of 157% in organic traffic from search engines.
Explainer videos are a powerful way to help your customers better understand your product or service by visually demonstrating how it works - which is certainly easier to understand than reading a long list of instructions!
Client case studies and testimonials are another example which showcase the strengths of your brand from a different perspective and provide social proof to build your brand’s trust and credibility.
If you have a brick-and-mortar store, a virtual tour can help users get an insight into your business and learn more about what makes your location unique, without ever stepping foot inside.
Event coverage is also a great option for organisations who want to attract new visitors and keep existing customers engaged before, during and after an event.
The bottom line is that videos are eye-catching and engaging - and if viewers are engaged with your content, then there’s a good chance that you’ll benefit from increased engagement too!
What our Videography Services Include
From storyboarding and location scouting to filming, audio recording and editing, we provide a variety of bespoke videography services to suit any size of business and budget. In our opinion, no one-size-fits-all video service exists - because your business is unique and so is its needs.
Whether you need us for one hour or one day, a whole week or a whole month, we can cater for each of your projects with flexible and cost-effective filmmaking options tailored to your requirements.
In the past, we have joined the Beijing Biddies on a two-week fundraising trip to document their adventure as they travelled over 1100 miles in two Tuk Tuks around the UK to raise money for Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support (watch the film here). We’ve also worked with the University of Cumbria on a month-long ‘roadshow’ as part of their Clearing campaign, following a tour bus as it travelled across the county to enrol new university students.
We also offer retainers for clients who wish to use our videography services on a regularly recurring basis, allowing us to dedicate a set number of days per week or month for filmmaking (and/or photography). These kinds of retainers are ideal for clients who need consistent content creation, such as estate agents, car dealerships, and particularly product-based businesses. They’re great for gaining lots of new content for social media and capturing long-term projects such as property renovations or seasonal project updates throughout the year.
No matter the length of the project, our team of filmmakers work with you from start to finish so you can have a final product that’s designed to deliver a specific return on your investment.
We give personal attention to every project from day one, maintaining open communication throughout all stages of production to ensure that the video content is both aligned with the brand and suitable for its intended use and desired audience.
To see an example of our most recent work, check out our portfolio.
Interested in videography for your business or have an awesome idea you’d love to discuss? Get in touch with the TOMCo. team for a free, no-obligation chat about how video content could work for you!
Wondering how our filmmaking process works? Click HERE!