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Zaib Shadani PR consultant and digital marketing strategist, Shadani Consulting

Five tips to boost your video marketing strategy in 2021

Make sure your value proposition is clearly laid out in the first five seconds of your video content

Video content is critical for all marketers, as was made crystal clear during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, when lockdown and social distancing forced everyone to get online, resulting in video consumption increasing by over 120 per cent. But what does it actually take to create an impactful and successful video marketing campaign? Is there a formula for creating a great video that keeps viewers engaged and resonates with the right audience? Here are five main tips that you should always keep in mind, as you plan and create your own video content.

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Video consumption in the Gulf countries is on the rise

IN Q1 2020

% of Saudis that markedly increased their video comsumption 56%

% has markedly increased their video-on-demand comsumption 50%

% that spent at least two hours a day watching digital videos 46%

% that spent at least three hours a day watching VOD 25%

SOURCE: MAGNITT 2021 EMERGING VENTURE MARKETS REPORT

1) Nine seconds is all you get, so make it count

People’s attention spans are the shortest they have ever been, with most people tapping out after a mere nine seconds. Which means that you only have a few critical seconds to grab the viewers’ attention and convince them that they need to keep watching. Front-load all your valuable content and make sure you don’t try to ‘build anticipation’ or have a slow reveal, because those tactics do not work in video content.

Make sure your value proposition is clearly laid out in the first five seconds and people know exactly what they’re tuning in for.

2) Don’t hard sell – tell your story instead

Anyone who uses social media will tell you that they can spot a sales promo a mile away. Most users have no interest in watching videos that are simply advertisements for a brand. The videos that do well are the ones that add value, be it in the form of education or entertainment and enable the viewer to connect to the brand.

We use stories every day to help understand the world around us and videos are a great way for businesses to share their voice and messaging; the more authentic and genuine a video is, the more likely viewers are to become invested in your brand and become ‘friends’ and ‘followers’. So stay away from traditional sales focused videos and instead opt for things like sharing your ‘origin’ story, interviews with management, explaining a trend or even promotional content, that is creative and emotional, as opposed to “hard selling”.

3) Subtitles are not an option – they are a necessity

Almost everyone reading this article will have watched videos on their phone (or another device) with the sound off.

It is estimated that nearly 70 per cent of people in public places watch social media videos with the