Can Your Marketing Succeed Without Video?
Content marketing is all about reaching your prospective customers wherever they are on the path toward buying a product or service. Video has quickly become a go-to medium to reach those customers, whether the goal is to create or increase awareness of your brand, explain a novel application, demo a technology, or provide training on your product’s use after the sale.
Video is a quick, effective, and proven way to get your message across.
Here’s why:
- More people than ever are watching video. According to Cisco, video will account for 80 percent of all consumer internet traffic by 2019. And that’s not just retail consumers; scientists and researchers are watching video too as part of making high-value purchasing decisions. Forbes found that 75 percent of executives watch work-related videos at least once a week, and that 59 percent would rather view video than read copy.
- Video is more memorable. Research has shown that, after three days, users retain only 10-20 percent of information they read or heard, but remembered 65 percent when visuals (like video) were included. Forrester Research concluded that one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words.
- Video drives action. Digital Content Next reported that 46 percent of viewers took some action after seeing a video ad, whether visiting a company website, researching the subject further, or buying product. Relevant, creative video content is widely shared and keeps users engaged with websites longer.
- Video is rated more effective than webinars, case studies, and blogs by B-to-B companies in a 2015 survey on content marketing. It gets rated highest for ROI by nearly 52 percent of marketers, according to Adobe, while 73 percent say video has positively impacted marketing results. Importantly, of B-to-B companies using video, 93 percent believe it has increased user understanding of products and services.
What makes video so effective?
Research shows that the brain processes video 60,000 times faster than text, and that humans find it easier to view than read content. Written communication, in the form of white papers, case studies, articles, etc., still has an important place in the overall content marketing strategy. But presenting the right kind of content in video format increases the likelihood your target audience will engage with it, remember it, and react to it. In fact, Nielsen reports that 64 percent of marketers expect to use video as the dominant force in their marketing plans in the future.
Video is also gaining traction even as prospects use multiple devices – from the office or lab PC to a laptop, tablet, or smartphone – to learn about products and services. Already 50 percent of YouTube traffic is from mobile devices. Open rates for emails with embedded video are higher than for those without video, and more than half of emails are now opened on mobile devices, compared to less than 20 percent on desktop PCs. Digital video advertising is expected to reach $14.3 billion by 2019, and the percentage of U.S. video advertising as share of total online video consumption from July 2010 to March 2014 grew from 9.8 to 38.1 percent the percentage of U.S.
Helping Your Prospects
While the technical detail and complexity of many scientific products and services is greater than typical consumer goods, scientists still follow the same dynamic journey to a purchase – involving discovery and awareness, exploration of the market, evaluation of various solutions, and then the purchase decision.
For busy scientists and researchers, this journey can be a time-consuming and arduous task. To speed their discovery, exploration, and evaluation phases, there are several types of video that can quickly inform and educate your prospects, at the appropriate level of detail for their information needs.
Videos yielding the highest ROI include:
- “how to” or instructional videos
- product demonstrations
- “ask the expert” video interviews
These help scientists see how a product or application of a technology could answer their questions or solve their challenges, show them a new approach to a problem, or increase their confidence in a vendor or supplier.
Repurpose, Repackage, Recycle
Almost any information can be presented in video form to help customers learn more about technology solutions. The most successful content marketing programs repurpose, repackage, and recycle content in a variety of formats to engage prospects at different points along their journey. This extends the life of existing content, adding value to the investment in its original development.
For example, printed or digital product brochures, or even instruction manuals, can be brought to life in a video presentation that quickly takes viewers through the solution in a more engaging way than emailing a static PDF.
Scientific posters can be captured on video, either as a live presentation or with voice over. While you’re filming the poster presentation, plan a short Q&A with your expert presenter for another type of video offering.
Webinars also convert well to video, and can be edited and segmented for fast information on different points of interest. These can be offered on demand from your website, or promoted through third-party channels.
Repackaging case studies or brief customer testimonials as video is an excellent source of reference material for your sales force.
Video is a great addition to any tradeshow exhibit, as the moving visual captures the eye and draws people into to your booth.
After the sale, use video for training that lasts, or to update users on newer features, functionality, or applications.
Integrate Your Content Marketing
Video is an important part of an overall content marketing strategy. Used in conjunction with white papers that demonstrate thought leadership, banner ads that drive awareness, a blog post that educates readers, and an email that offers the latest application note, video can enhance and extend your marketing message. It can help your prospects quickly learn about what you have to offer, in an unforgettable way.
Biocompare has been helping clients repurpose, repackage, and recycle content into memorable video experiences for target audiences. Our video production services produce high-quality HD video with fast turn-around times – typically only four to six weeks.
“For years, we were only utilizing Biocompare’s product listing and an occasional newsletter sponsorship. Recently we tapped in on their video production team – a top-notch, well organized and fun group to work with,” said Atsuko Trieloff, marketing manager at Mirus Bio Corporation. “Every step of the process was done remotely, saving a huge amount of time and travel expense and we received a finished product that we are proud to showcase.”
For information on adding video to your content marketing program, contact your sales executive or visit https://mediakit.biocompare.com/249-Multimedia/ . Let’s talk about transforming your marketing message into a memorable video.
Recommended Reading: A great blog post that contains an informative graphic that shows which video types are most appropriate during the customer lifecycle:
http://blogs.forrester.com/nick_barber/16-05-20-you_dont_think_you_need_an_online_video_platform_think_again