Video content has come a long way from the traditional and rather dated looking TV ads of the 1960s to the sleek online branded videos of today. With new marketing channels emerging and existing channels evolving all the time, often reacting to the whims and changing behaviour of modern consumers, it can be hard to know where to start.
In this article, I’m going to look at how changing consumer behaviour and the advent of online video has turned modern brand strategy on it’s head, leading to the advent of what we at Aspect Film & Video have come to refer to as ‘Seek Out Marketing’.
The Death of Interruptive Marketing
Online audiences have gradually grown tired of the ‘interruptive’ marketing strategies of old, especially since they now have more freedom to choose the kind of content they will consume and share. Whilst commercial breaks tended to demand a captive audience, it’s all too easy nowadays to just click off a web page and go elsewhere.
Even as interruptive advertising moves online it’s future is threatened, as technology evolves. A 2016 study by Accenture concluded that ad-blocking software pose a huge threat for digital advertising, as 4 in 10 of consumers are willing to shell out money to remove ad interruptions.
Ad fatigue is felt across all brands and industries. With video content on its way to dominating the internet, the way to make an impression in the digital space is to start investing in entertaining brand videos that your audience will actively seek out.
Creating Brand Videos That Your Target Audience Will Seek Out
Brand videos—typically distributed as one of the many phases of an advertising campaign—aim to increase awareness around your company and attract more of your target audience.
This type of video content is especially helpful, since a 2017 study by Hubspot showed that 72% of consumers prefer to watch videos over reading text when learning about a product or service.
When your target audience subscribes to your YouTube channel or follows you on various social platforms, they need to feel assured that they will receive consistent high-quality content. To do this, you need these key ingredients:
1. Frequency
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kCm20WzgSc
The success of seek out marketing is dependent on the following/community you will build, be that on YouTube, RSS feeds, and other social platforms. This rings especially true for brands that are just starting out—populating your feed is a way to hook your target market and keep them engaged with you.
Ideal posting frequencies vary per platform. CoSchedule, using data curated from 14 different studies, recommends one post per day on Facebook, 15 tweets per day on Twitter, and one to two posts per day on Instagram.
Populating feeds worked well for food and travel video network Tastemade. Their social media accounts are filled with all things food-related—from recipes to cutting a carrot like a pro.
However, what catapulted them to fame is a Facebook live video of a nimble-fingered chef preparing a gourmet burger that’s one-twelfth of its regular size. It banked on a Japanese cultural trend called “kawaii” or cuteness. Since then, Tastemade’s Facebook community grew to 30 million followers. It also gave birth to a popular online video series called Tiny Kitchen (see video above).
2. Cost
Video: https://youtu.be/ZUG9qYTJMsI
You also have to consider how much your business can shell out in creating your videos. While big brands have a lot of resources at their disposal, know that an effective video does not need to burn a hole in your budget.
Take, for instance, the Dollar Shave Club. In 2012, the razor-blade company released a one-minute explainer video that combines the elements of humour and creativity. It also stars the company’s CEO, further slashing its costs down to $4,500 (£3,349) instead of $50,000 (£37,216.75). Since then, the video has been viewed 25 million times.
3. Distribution
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVskyd1GPos
Activation strategies are vital in making sure your videos reach its target audience, and ultimately, build a positive perception around your brand. This can come in the form of ad campaigns, social media campaigns, experiential events, viral growth, or consumer participation strategies.
Whichever activation strategy you use, make sure that you include CTAs that match your current customer’s journey and choose a channel/s that fits your message and your audience.
For Segway, promoting their miniPRO scooter to reignite consumers’ interest in hands-free travel means working with various social media influencers. These huge accounts then created their own stories around the product, which allowed the miniPRO to reach the eyes of millions of viewers.
4. Engagement
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o-K32semHk
Publishing one (or two) video is not enough. Even if you post and re-share your videos at the most optimal times, they will not be effective if they do not connect with your target market. Consider videos that talk about human truths, your market’s interests and passions, or engaging stories.
Blossom is a perfect example of a brand that nails the how-to category. The media company covers anything under the life hack umbrella, from cleaning a scorched pan to math tricks to regrowing vegetable scraps.
Although they post one video per day, Blossom outdid Buzzfeed Tasty and Buzzfeed Nifty when it comes to engagement, averaging almost 750,000 engagement per post.
5. Quality
Video: https://youtu.be/Kkq8a6AV3HM?t=5
If you want your target audience to actively seek out your video content, you need to keep producing high-quality videos.
As mentioned above, it doesn’t have to break the bank. You do, however, need to make sure each video reflects your brand’s identity and keeps to a professional standard. It also helps to have a content calendar so you’ll know when to produce and publish your next video.
Let Them Seek You Out
While push marketing is still effective online—after all, the global digital ad industry continues to grow—sticking with traditional strategies will not fly with today’s audiences. They are more discerning about the content they consume and highly averse to advertisements.
Brand videos that successfully marry entertainment and information break through the noise of a multitude of internet content. By following the steps above, you can now start creating videos that will help your audiences actively seek you out.
About the Author: Evelyn Timson is the Managing Director of Bristol and London based video production agency, Aspect Film & Video. She has years of experience working with some of the world’s most recognisable brands like Samsung, Investec, Admiral Insurance, Adidas TaylorMade & Slimming World. You can connect with Aspect on Facebook or Twitter or see a selection of their award winning work on their YouTube Channel.
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