Importance of Video Marketing: Understanding What Video Content Can Do For Your Business

There are six types of content in the online world and video content is one of them (the other five are original content, curated content, promotional or discounted content, storytelling or humour based content, and polls or surveys). We can have a long debate on how to categorise marketing content but it will, more or less, boil down to these six.

With so many different types of content available to your business and video content marketing relatively more expensive, it would be very surprising if you aren’t gravitating towards the other options. In fact, the importance video marketing will have to be pretty much critical for you consider it, right?

Well, you shouldn’t really start your online marketing efforts with video marketing. It simply doesn’t make sense. You should start with the plain and simple text. However, if you have had an online marketing campaign running for some time now, then video marketing will probably be of great help.

The primary importance of video marketing is exactly that – taking your online marketing to the next level. Still, that is a very simplistic statement. Let’s delve into the importance of video marketing by understanding what it can do for your business.

1^st Importance of Video Marketing: Versatility from Various Perspectives

Videos are one of the most versatile types of content that you can get your hands into. The flexibility they offer is probably why videos have gradually become a part of every online platform today. Their versatility will open up multiple avenues for your business in terms of how you can use them.

For example, you can have videos of any size and length. The length of the videos will depend upon the content strategy you’re using within the overall video marketing strategy while the size will vary on the basis of the resolution quality.

Further, videos work well whether they’re presented as standalone pieces of content or as a part of a serialised package. Similarly, videos are useful whether you use them as the primary piece of content in your marketing strategy or supplementary pieces of content to support other content types such as text.

Like most types of online content, video content benefits from platform plurality as well. This refers to the fact that videos, these days, can be found on all types of platforms including websites, blog posts, social media networks, emails, mobile applications, and even online presentations.

At the mention of video marketing, most of us think of high-quality advertisements. However, different types of videos can be used in online marketing. You have the usual high-quality videos, of course, but you can also use live videos and simplistic videos containing interviews and testimonials. Moreover, it is also possible to repurpose existing videos to suit future campaigns.

2^nd Importance of Video Marketing: Suitability to Every Stage of the Marketing Funnel

When it comes to marketing, your marketing or sales funnel is incredibly significant. Various stages of the funnel need to be supported by different types of content so as to guide a prospect from one stage to the next one. The importance of video marketing is also applicable to a business’s marketing funnel. Videos are uniquely suited to each every stage of the marketing funnel. However, you’ll have to produce them differently for different stages.

Stages at the top of the funnel, where the journey of a potential customer starts, should have instructional or educational videos. Such videos are designed to establish brand value and solve some problem pertaining to the product or services being sold. At the same time, these videos should never be promotional in nature since people in the early stages of the funnel are still unsure about the business or even if they need a product to solve their problem.

The middle stages of the funnel will benefit from demonstrative videos or videos that explain and simplify things. These videos will try to show viewers step-by-step processes for various tasks and challenges. These types of videos can include allusions to the products or services being offered.

In the final stages of the funnel where people are more open to making the purchase decision, videos that show how the product or service helped can be shown. This means testimonials and reviews from previous customers.

3^rd Importance of Video Marketing: Presenting Thought Leadership

Thought leadership from a business will help in brand building. When an individual or a business gradually establish itself as the authority within the industry or subject of relevance, the marketing tactic used is called thought leadership. Videos are a good vehicle for thought leadership simply because they can be given the right emotional treatment.

Moreover, through videos, a business can connect and influence its audience better. The content of the video can vary within the thought leadership model as well. The video could contain discussions between experts moderated by the business representative. Directly, it could also show the audience why and how the business in question holds expertise in the field.

4^th Importance of Video Marketing: Simplifying Complex Ideas and Systems

We’ve already mentioned how video marketing can be used to deliver explainer and instructional videos to the audience. The reason why videos can do this is that they “show” instead of “tell” how to go about doing things. Explainer videos can be used to simplify complex and complicated ideas or processes.

The act of seeing something explained over reading an explanation makes it easier to remember for the audience. If the content of the video is easier for the audience to remember, brand recall is boosted. Further, explainer videos also tend to exhibit better numbers in terms of their social media engagement.

5^th Importance of Video Marketing: Effectiveness in Public Relations

The discipline of public relations revolves around forging a positive bond with the audience. It is about presenting the business in a positive light so that the audience comes to respect it. When the positive angle corresponds with what individuals believe themselves, it usually results in conversion.

Video marketing is very effective for public relations simply because videos bring the kind of authenticity into the picture that is very hard to achieve through other types of content. For instance, a business releasing videos of its involvement in social issues will not be questioned about it. Similarly, showing success at an event by way of a video makes the success story more real in the eyes of the audience.

The importance of video marketing is such that even the challenges associated with this content type pale in comparison. There are mainly two problems that a business will have to solve when it comes to video marketing. The first is obviously the cost.

A well-made video will cost a pretty penny but a well-made video doesn’t have to be 4K movie quality. It can just as well be customer interviews. The other problem is that of competition. The video marketing arena has now become very saturated. This means that any business looking to enter it will have to compete hard.  However, this is true for online marketing and even marketing in general.