If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is a video worth? Dr. James McQuivey of Forrester Research placed the value of a video at 1.8 million words in, “How Video Will Take Over the World.” While this may be surprising to you, most big brands fully embrace the concept and use video marketing to its fullest potential, and small businesses need to take notes. Continue reading to learn more.
1. Tell a Story
All of the biggest brands use storytelling in their videos. Stories evoke emotions from the consumer and prompts them to associate those same feelings with the product or brand. One great example of using storytelling is with LifeLock’s “Summer” video. The video features a family enjoying the beach on vacation, children playing with their parents, and a couple experiencing new adventures. The video tells a story that is relatable. At the same time, the video explains the inherent risk of identity theft and how it could disrupt those picture perfect scenarios. The storytelling tactic prompts powerful imagery in the mind of the consumer and causes significantly more interest in the product and brand.
2. Optimize for SEO
All big brands effectively optimize their videos for SEO because videos are 50 times more likely to make it to the top of a search page in comparison to text. When you upload your videos to YouTube or other video sharing platforms, make sure you use keywords in the titles, descriptions and tags. It’s much easier to spread videos over the Internet because most search engines give videos priority over other content types. In addition, Google allows users to perform web searches specifically for videos. Optimizing videos for SEO positions your company to rank higher and increase brand recognition just like some of the larger companies.
3. Always Add Value
Nothing is more useless than a video that doesn’t add value. Whether it’s a product demonstration, tips and product tricks, or a video designed to make the organization more transparent, big brands always aim to add value to the lives of viewers. Again, the same LifeLock video mentioned above informs consumers about the real harms of identity theft in everyday settings with important and relevant statistics. At the same time, it provides consumers with a viable option to protect their identity from thieves with its products.
4. Everyone Loves to Laugh
In today’s highly technical age, a good laugh can go a long way. One of the most powerful tools for attracting customers and increasing your audience is to implement humor. The biggest brands find an effective way to use humor while generating curiosity across a demographic. However, small business owners should be careful not to produce a funny video with little to do with the product. The end goal is to effectively use humor or wit to prompt viewers to further research the brand or product.
5. Use YouTube & Other Platforms
As the second largest search engine behind Google, YouTube has amassed over one billion users. YouTube and other video sites are outstanding vehicles to expand to new audiences. More importantly, you can generate branded videos and even host them without incurring bandwidth costs. Even without creating a explosive viral video, small businesses can easily create new relationships and bolster sales without having hoards of views.
