Video will be a top priority for marketers in 2021 according to new research from Wyzowl, but many will have to wrestle with budget restrictions and continuity plans related to COVID-19 to greenlight and publish visual content across platforms.
The good news for marketers is that video is delivering a healthy return on investment, which should please higher–ups. Around nine in 10 say that video is driving positive ROI, a huge uptick from the 33% who said so back in 2015.
Video marketing is also being more widely deployed, with 86% claiming that they will use it as a primary tool in 2021, compared to 61% five years ago. A further 93% also believe that it is an important part of their strategy.
While a portion of video marketers say that the pandemic has affected their plans in some form in recent months, the fact that 96% of consumers say that their video viewing has increased during that time points to a soaring demand that brands cannot ignore.
This tallies with separate research showing that 86% of people want more videos from brands. This means that you need to do your best to create cost-effective video that both aligns with your objectives for the year and meets the needs of end users.
If one of those goals is to drive lead generation and develop a sales pipeline that enables you to nurture potential clients and customers, then you might also need to think outside of the box. Whether you are in the B2C or B2B space, creative ideas can deliver some unexpected and welcome results.
Use calls to action
If you already have a solid video strategy in place, then you might only need to implement a few tweaks to the process. Including calls to action for several seconds at the end of your video runtime is a relatively simple addition that can get more people to take action after they have consumed something they have enjoyed.
Effective CTAs can be used in a variety of video-based formats on social media, whether it’s a snackable Instagram Reel or an in-depth YouTube video. You can also tailor the CTA to your goals, so it could encourage the viewer to subscribe to your channel or direct them to your website.
When using CTAs, make sure that they are concise and clearly visible. YouTube has its own tools that allow you to create CTAs quickly and add eye–catching cards and annotations.
The most important thing is to use it at the right time, when viewers are ready to engage with your brand. This is usually at the end of the clip. However, for longer videos, you can sprinkle in CTAs at regular intervals.
Add videos to landing pages
Landing pages are deployed by marketers at the start of the conversion funnel and are designed to capture personal information that can then be used to nurture a prospect. This is perfect for driving lead gen, and videos can be incorporated within landing pages to make them more effective.
Rather than being presented with simple text, visitors will instead see a relevant video that conveys a tailored message and includes useful information. You can use the video as the centrepiece and frame it with a targeted headline and CTA for context.
When a video hits the right notes, visitors will have no qualms about entering their details to get something in return, such as a whitepaper or newsletter. You can then use information to create a list of qualified leads.
Use videos in emails
Email campaigns are vital for following up with prospects, and you can give your correspondence an extra edge by adding videos within the main body to inform, entertain or educate. You can do this when sending out emails about a new product or service launch, or even a weekly email.
Experimenting with video and email beforehand is recommended though as embedded clips can be tricky with mainstream providers. You can get around this by adding a link to a thumbnail image of the video or by using specialised platforms to better integrate video into emails for standard clients such as Gmail and Outlook.
Use video as premium, gated content
Videos generally require more time and investment than other forms of content, so you could gate them to support greater lead gen. Gating content is a process where you limit access to content to users who have completed a form or made an account on your site. This is similar to landing pages, but it is not triggered by a click-through.
In order to gate videos, you need to be totally transparent about what viewers will get for providing their personal information. Be clear about the message in the video and what they will gain in return. Video formats that align well with gating include how-tos, tutorials, demos – basically anything that is educational or is certain to provide added value.
Don’t forget about SEO
Videos need to be optimised for SEO to improve visibility in search engines, just like any written content you publish. This means coming up with a concise and engaging title with a maximum character limit of 70 and crafting a meta description that describes what is in the video and provides context.
You should also include a written transcript of what is said in the video to help Google’s web crawlers to index your content. This transcript can be spun into other forms of content, such as a blog, and used as inspiration for other pieces of content.
It is important to note that your videos do not have to be prestige quality with premium budgets to resonate with audiences and support lead gen. Just a simple, short behind–the–scenes video could be enough to convince a viewer to take action.
However, with Wyzowl finding that 99% of marketers are planning to use video in 2021, in order to differentiate your output from the rest, to meet your goals and to engage viewers regularly, you should look at being more creative with your campaigns to increase your chances of success.
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