Where are you in your brand journey as it relates to video?
With one foot in the events and environments industry and the other foot firmly in the digital and virtual space, EP has heard from clients at all points of their video journey. We work with clients who have successfully leveraged video as a sales and marketing tool for many years, as well as clients who are just beginning to see what video can do for them.
Since video is a broad and encompassing topic, we like to start the conversation by asking, “Why are we talking about video today?"
For some, it is a simple observation that they know video is the best performing content type on social media or they have seen the statistic that 92% of marketers say that video is an important part of their strategy. (Smart Insights). Others have a specific usage in mind. Perhaps they are hosting or participating in a virtual event and need content or they need a new way to train or educate their B2B partners or consumers while COVID is still limiting live engagements.
After discussing their primary reason, the conversation turns to other topics. Primarily, video is a digital brand storytelling tool and it is imperative to have that story in focus before producing content. Additionally, what existing resources can the brand leverage (in-house experts, digital assets, environments)? What are all the potential uses of this video? Maximizing the spend for a video could mean looking for other ways to use it, but also determines the length, format and quality that are needed.
A strong video can be used 24/7 all year round as a sales tool. Whether a live presentation, an e-mail campaign or a social media strategy, video has a long shelf life and can easily be updated to reflect product changes or other updates.
Depending on the content, there can even be a high level of interest in “behind the scenes” content such as the making of a video. Although this will be a likely follow up, it would be beneficial to consider the option prior to production so you can collect the appropriate raw footage.
The statistics are overwhelming. YouTube alone streams over 1 billion hours of video every day. Music, movies, influencers, gamers, educational content, B2B communication, on -demand webinars, videos about how to make a webinar...video has truly taken over.
EP’s Multi-Media Producer, Nate Boutang, says that video is key to providing informative content that allows your audience to see that you are a trusted resource. There is an opportunity to share your brand journey in a voice that is authentic to your company. The content, tone and voice all contribute to the overall appeal and effectiveness of the video.
Boutang shares, “No matter where the video is being used, it is important to keep them concise, fast-paced and interesting to watch...people watch a lot of videos, but they have short attention spans.” In fact, if the video is intended for social media, the suggested time frame you have to grab the viewer’s attention is 2.7 seconds. Even videos being used for training or education purposes can be presented in short bites that are digestible and can feature elements that will keep the audience interested such as polls, quizzes, animation and more.
Don’t produce a video and cross it off your list, thinking you are done. To maximize any investment in the project, you need to promote it and use the metrics available to you. Engagement (measured by the number of times a video is viewed and the length of time the audience stays with the video) will provide you with key information, not only in regards to conversion rates, but also insight as to how to improve your future videos.
Our videos are utilized differently by all clients, but we are proud to share this example for Del Monte Foods; we partnered with them for United Fresh's 2020 first virtual trade show, in order to showcase some of their key products. Please check and subscribe to us on YouTube as we continue to share our public videos, and reach out at info@exhibitpartners.com to be connected to our creative and video experts.