YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, and many other video streaming sites have something in common: they are all used as platforms for marketing, and often very successfully.
Why does video marketing work so well? It engages more than one of the senses and, like all other advertising, appeals to the viewer's ethical, emotional, or logical self. It allows the viewer to see the product or service function as it is meant to, and thus reaches viewers who don't want to read product descriptions or advertisements. A good many people are visual learners, and that's why visual advertisements – especially interactive ones – are so successful.
Video marketing also intersects with popular social media platforms by providing users the opportunity to share engaging and interesting videos about products or services that interest them. A video marketing campaign conducted in tandem with smart social media marketing drives heavy traffic and increases sales. Video ads can also be produced in accessible ways, just like television ads – such as using closed captioning companies to subtitle your ads for those who may be hearing-impaired.
Video-based marketing is just as effective as a television commercial, and can often be less expensive to produce and air. Here, we'll discuss some of the smartest methods for reaching more customers with video marketing.
Make It Interesting
Some of the best video ads take unusual or interesting approaches to selling a product or service. Think carefully about what kind of story could involve your product. For example, Nike recently produced a video advertisement for its shoes that featured female Indian athletes – focusing on the power of women and presenting a pro-feminist standpoint in addition to placing its products in this context. By creating a video marketing campaign that takes a progressive approach – which is becoming increasingly important to younger markets – Nike has executed an interesting, powerful, and successful video advertising.
Have a Sense of Humor
When in doubt, make them laugh. One of the best ways to sell a brand is by engaging your audience with laughter. Old Spice, one of the best-known brands for men's hygiene products, is famous for its engaging and humorous video advertisements. While not all of them are loaded with full-on belly laughs, few can watch one of their new-line video advertisements without letting go at least a bit of a chuckle. With a bit of hyperbole, one line zingers and a bit of fun-poking at manliness, Old Spice sells its brand quite capably by using humor in often very expert ways. Think about your brand – what sort of humor could you apply to it? Sarcasm? Slapstick? Goofy? By introducing humor into your video advertisements, you'll have an engaged audience that will be more likely to purchase what you have to offer.
Tell A Story
Humans are myth making creatures, and aside from humor, there is no better way to draw someone in than with a good tale. For example, HTC produced a high-budget video advertisement featuring Robert Downey Jr. to tell a story of “subversive thinking” – to translate the acronym HTC into a number of very amusing concepts, such as “hold this cat” or “humongous tinfoil catamaran.” Throughout the video advertisement, we see these translations reflected in different scenes, such as the “hipster troll carwash” and concluding with “Happy Telephone Company.” The advertisement was incredibly successful – because in addition to employing humor, it told a definitive story.
No matter what your budget for video advertising is, from zero dollars to a billion, utilizing these tools of engagement effectively and throughout all your video advertising are sure ways to engage your audience and get them interested in your product or service. Humor, mythmaking, visual engagement – each of these are keys to good video advertising, whether you're filming on a Hollywood set or from your living room. Experiment with these different methods and study your brand's market to find what works best for your brand – and once you've landed your best formula, sit back, relax, and watch your sales climb.
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This guest post is courtesy of Jennifer Livingston.