Humor Me

Humor Me

People don’t love video. They love videos that are fun.

BY ERICA LACENTRA | CONTRIBUTING WRITER, NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL

I have a confession. I have a love/hate relationship with video marketing. While I know just how successful video can be and acknowledge that every good marketer should include video as part of their strategy, video is probably one of the most challenging types of content to create regularly.

Now, I don’t mean that from a technical standpoint since pretty much anyone with an iPhone can create decent quality videos these days. What I mean is that it is very challenging to come up with engaging topics that, one, will translate into a good video, and two, that people will want to want to watch.

With the sheer amount of video content that we are bombarded with on a daily basis, on websites, as popup ads, on social media, it’s no wonder that it seems like there are very few new and exciting videos to consume. So how do you successfully create video content that audiences actually want to see rather than just creating videos because you feel like you have to?

It turns out most people want to view videos purely as a way to entertain themselves. In a study conducted by Accenture Interactive, 67% of participants said they “choose to engage with videos for entertainment.” This means that a stiff corporate pitch video probably isn’t going to be your best bet for hooking viewers.

POINT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

As you’re developing content, think about it from the perspective of your future audience and what style of video would they most like to watch. It could be a fast-paced video with a lot of personality and pizzazz, it could tell a well crafted story that resonates with the viewer, it could be something short and funny that sticks in the audiences’ mind.

Regardless of what you choose, know that it’s often more important to think about how to get your point across rather than what the point is that you’re trying to make.

In addition to wanting to entertain themselves, viewers also are mainly focused on their own interests and needs when it comes to what video content will grab their attention. According to the same Accenture Interactive study, “54% of consumers are relying on video to learn how to use a product” before making any major decisions to buy. So, using video to focus on the customer, and the major points of what they need to know about your product or using your product, is a great way to ensure you get some eyes on your content.

ATTENTION GRABBER

Another thing to consider is where customers are most likely to want to view your video content. The current winner? Social media. Platforms like YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram are clear front runners when it comes to where consumers are viewing videos. So as your potential customers are mindlessly scrolling through their preferred feed, its important to consider what will get them to stop scrolling through pictures of colleagues or family, industry news, cute animals, and everything else that is vying for their attention.

Also, videos are not a one size fits all across social media platforms. People have a very different mind set as they browse through LinkedIn than they do when they go on Instagram. Tailor your videos’ length, tone, and topic based on where it is being displayed.

STAR OF THE SMALL SCREEN

Finally think about how consumers are viewing your video. It probably comes as no surprise that more and more people are shifting to viewing videos on their phones rather than on their computers, but this means that unless your videos are optimized for mobile viewing, you could be missing out on a huge segment of the market.

Also, believe it or not, a whopping “85% of video is viewed with sound off.” Turns out a lot of folks don’t like intrusive or unexpected noise as their scrolling. This is why it is critical to include subtitles for wordier videos that can’t get their point across with visuals alone. Otherwise, your content is quite literally falling on deaf ears.

As video marketing is still a relatively new way to address the masses, it is important to set measurable goals and be willing to adjust your strategy as necessary. Long gone are the days of creating something with the hopes of going viral. It is now about creating consistent, meaningful and engaging content. Whatever path you decide to take with your video marketing efforts, treat it as you would any other marketing channel and build from there.

And as I’ve heard for nearly the last decade or more, video is the future of marketing, so there is no time like the present to start.

Erica LaCentra is director of marketing for RCN Capital.