Today’s companies already know they need a content marketing strategy to stay competitive — that message has been heard loud and clear.
What brands do need to hear is how to set their content apart from the competition.
It’s no longer enough to just develop blog posts, newsletters, and whitepapers. Everyone and their mother does that, and it’s led to a saturation of content.
Written content alone just doesn’t stand out anymore. Video does.
Any business using video as part of its content marketing strategy is most likely guaranteed a higher level of engagement. In fact, engagement rates for email campaigns jump 300 percent when brands include marketing or explainer videos in the message.
Further, nearly 60 percent of senior executives say they prefer watching videos over reading text — so if you are limiting your content marketing efforts to articles and blog posts, you’re missing out on key opportunities to convert leads.
The Versatility of Video
Although video marketing is still relatively young, we at Switch Video are finding all sorts of ways to include it in content marketing strategies.
For example, in the sales funnel, video marketing can be used for everything from awareness and consideration to decision and purchase — as long as the video speaks to that particular point on the buyer’s journey.
Let’s say someone is at the top of the funnel. A 90-second video can tell your company story, helping to educate your audience and increase brand awareness. Then, as a potential buyer moves further down the funnel, video can explain specific products or services and provide resources for training.
The best use of video we’ve seen has been on home pages and in email campaigns, but the use of video in blogs is also a great way to drive higher engagement — not to mention add a little variety to your content.
Get Started!
Though in-depth strategies will vary, here’s what any brand can do to begin:
- Don’t wait. Start building your video library today. All it takes is a quality camera and a space to record. It’s really that easy to start producing video content. Combine your in-house efforts with some well-planned video pieces — like our explainer videos — and you’ll quickly amass a nice batch of assets that engage viewers.
- Aim for quality over quantity. Don’t expect your videos to go viral. Regardless of what some video marketers might tell you, a viral video campaign has no blueprint. Instead, focus on regularly providing useful, quality content in your videos that earns you a steady following.
- Keep at it. Content marketing requires consistency no matter what medium you’re working with. One or two videos may get you some attention, but interest quickly wanes in the flood of online content if you aren’t persistent. Produce videos on a regular basis, and mix up their content and style to add a little variety.
If you’ve yet to explore video content, you aren’t providing consumers the information they need in a format they prefer — and this could be costing you sales.
Content marketing is definitely here to stay, so start making video a vital part of your strategy.
And what would an article about video in content marketing be without… a video. Enjoy our latest from Switch!
