DIGITAL INTERACTIVE SERVICES
Here’s why your digital content strategy might be due for a video upgrade
Remember the newspaper ad you saw yesterday? No? Let’s try again. Remember the ads during last night’s news show on TV? Probably, yes. That’s the level of engagement that visual stimulation, or video-based marketing commands.
It is said that a picture speaks a thousand words. Well, a video comprises a multitude of pictures, making it a power-packed medium for marketing. Videos can engage and educate your audience much more effectively than text-based modes of communication. A one-minute explainer video can get your point across better than a whole page of text. This holds true, particularly for the IT industry.
Customers love having a look at a product before deciding to buy it. Be it trying on clothes, tasting an ice cream flavor before buying a cup, or trying on a new pair of shoes… we wouldn’t even watch a movie without viewing the trailer first! This is where we give the sellers a chance to convince us to make the purchase. And that’s what videos can help IT companies do, by sharing a demo, a testimonial, a how-to, or a feature video. Basically, it is a video-based answer intended to eliminate the voice of doubt from a potential client’s mind.
With the prevalence of internet connectivity and mobile devices, businesses can now let their consumers experience their product/service holistically through videos – mostly ‘on-the-go’ from wherever they are. The proliferation of social media and the weightage these platforms give to videos over text or images have also popularized the use of videos for digital marketing. Almost all social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. – prioritize videos in their algorithms. And since videos have more visibility on these platforms, it gives them an immediate edge over other forms of content. Video content is also prioritized by search engines. A webpage with a video in it is ranked higher in search results and will show up ahead of one without a video. Thus, videos also aid in SEO for your business website.
We have established that no digital marketing strategy is complete without accounting for the video format. But which form of video? In today’s digital age, there are multiple forms of video content that brands can leverage depending on their purpose. Let’s take a brief look at each of these types of videos.
- Want to showcase your product? Make a demo video. These are educational videos that demonstrate how a product or service works. They should highlight the key features and include a call-to-action to explore the product in depth or initiate a detailed discussion regarding the offerings.
- Want to pitch a lifestyle? Make a reel/short video. Short social media videos such as Instagram reels or YouTube shorts are brief video clips that are usually not advertisements but relatable content that could be promoted as well. This format helps to build interest in a new product or brand.
- Want to prove a point? Make a case video. These are videos that showcase a use case to prove a point about a product or service. They typically showcase a problem a client or consumer had been facing and how the service or product helped solve it.
- Want to entice the audience? Make a product review or referral/review video. These videos are created by influencers and celebrity customers to provide a review of a product/service mostly in a positive manner to entice the audience to buy and try it out for themselves.
- Want to help your customers? Make a ‘how-to’ video. These videos educate the customer on how particular features in your product work. They should be to the point and simple to follow. And they are usually hosted on the product website or product listing page on e-commerce portals.
- Want to get more customers? Make a feature video. Like a review, such videos discuss the features of your product. Typically, the focus is on why a product/service is better than its competitors by illustrating the key features.
Basically, video marketing is gaining momentum because it sells. Having said that, it’s up to organizations to make the most of it by leveraging the diverse formats to their full potential. That is the whole point of video marketing - creativity for the win!
Let’s explore the other facets of content creation that are dominating the IT/ITES landscape today.
