Want to Connect with Your Prospects? Use Video.

Content marketing includes a variety of mediums. Some content sources may include blogging, social media posting, ebooks, and infographics. But this doesn’t include one of the most successful storytelling content mediums — video. 

The goal of content marketing is to connect with your audience in an authentic way that grabs and holds their attention. This is difficult considering the average human attention span only lasts about 12 seconds. 

That being said, reading is still more effective in some cases. Reading requires the reader to actively engage in the content to understand and process the information in front of them. Video on the other hand often does a better job at supporting feelings and gaining empathy and emotion from the audience. 

There are, of course, certain instances where each of these media forms may be more beneficial than the other. Oftentimes, the best-laid marketing strategies incorporate both. 

A recent trends survey conducted by HubSpot showed that 54% of consumer respondents want to see video content from brands and businesses that they support. In comparison, only 18% of respondents shared that they wanted to see blog articles, and 17% content in PDF form to download and view later. 

Types of Video

So how can your business maximize the positive effects of video content? There are a variety of different video types that are each applicable to various business types. Some of them include the following: 

Interviews 

An interview with an expert in a relevant field can have a significant impact on the authority of your company. Providing resourceful information not only from your own company, but partners within the industry will help your customers and clients make informed decisions. 

Interviews are also an excellent opportunity to create a personable interaction with someone within your company. For example, last month we sat down to interview our CEO, Andrew Marr. 

Andrew’s past experiences coupled with his leadership in starting the Digital Storyteller brand have positioned him as a leadership expert. We took the opportunity to interview him and discussed leadership advice, tips, and experiences with other leaders in the industry. His full interview video can be viewed below!

Educational Videos 

Educational videos are similar to interviews in the sense that they provide viewers with information and authoritative input on the subject in which your business specializes. 

For example, at Digital Storyteller, we share weekly videos to our Leadership Series or Marketing Series. Each of our co-founders shares detailed advice and guidance on various topics within these overall subjects. 

Similarly, some businesses may choose to report on newsworthy topics to break down the details and overall concepts in a way that makes it easier for the average person to understand. While complicated legal jargon is challenging to read and understand, tax attorney, John Milikowsky, breaks down the details of tax law in a way that his clients can absorb. This builds his authority and credibility in addition to bringing in leads that have viewed his videos. 

Animated Videos 

Animated videos are an excellent option for businesses that intend on using the created videos for an extended period of time with a diverse audience. They are also well suited to help communicate concepts that are difficult to grasp or understand as the addition of graphics and visuals can help provide clarity to viewers.

 Animated videos may often fall under the category of educational videos as well, but not necessarily in all cases. 

An example of animated marketing videos may be a healthcare video that educates insurance beneficiaries on what their various plan options cover or how to access their coverage once enrolled. 

Client Testimonial Videos 

Client testimonials are extremely beneficial, particularly in service-based businesses. Oftentimes consumers make their buying decisions based on client reviews or testimonials available for their review. While reviews on platforms such as Yelp or Google Reviews aren’t always within your control, video testimonials provide an ideal platform to highlight positive reviews from top clients. 

While a typical review is often a short concise blurb from a prior customer, filming a testimonial video provides viewers the opportunity to develop a relationship and connection with the client’s personal experience. The best opportunity is to encourage clients to discuss the challenge or difficulty they were experiencing and how your company helped them overcome them.

There are additional video types that may dig deeper into what best suits your business as well. They may include videos such as product demonstrations, sales videos that demonstrate your customers’ need for your product or service, etc. Those detailed above are likely the best-suited options for companies within the financial services industry. 

Overall, video is a powerful addition to new or existing marketing strategies. At Digital Storyteller we aim to implement video strategies for all of our clients where applicable. Video blends seamlessly to existing strategies by sharing the content to existing social platforms, posting them on clients’ sites, and even incorporating them into blog posts (the way we did above). 

If you’re looking to implement video into your marketing strategy or develop a strategy around video content, Digital Storyteller is an ideal partner to support you. We have expertise in multiple video types and aim to surprise and delight our clients by going above and beyond. 

Call or contact us today to get started.