212mediastudios.com 574-269-0720 [email protected] to theNextLevel Taking VideoMarketing Taking Video Marketing to the Next Level

Younger generations of consumers have entered the market, and they are changing the way businesses appeal to their audiences. These new customers are not easily convinced, and it takes more than catchy slogans and guarantees to win their attention. Instead, the future of buyer engagement is in transparent, tangible advertising that allows prospective customers to see the true value of the product they are about to buy. In 2019, the average person watched about 84 minutes of video per day—which is nearly 20 minutes more than the average from 2018.1 This growth is expected to continue, which opens significant opportunities for forward-thinking businesses. Few businesses use video to its full advantage. As this tactic evolves and changes, only the companies who stay ahead of the curve will be able to stand out. Here are three tips to keep in mind for the future. Use Untapped Resources The noise in the video marketing space is louder than ever, especially since 59% of businesses who had not used video before 2020 finally jumped on board this year.2 To be heard over the noise, companies must think creatively. One way to do this is by investing in up-and-coming platforms instead of just the ones everyone else is using. Consider the popularity of YouTube and . According to HubSpot, 85% of video marketers use YouTube, and almost the same number use Facebook.3 These numbers make the video market seem saturated—but there is plenty of room for new arrivals on different platforms. For example, is quickly becoming one of the most dominant channels for video.4 This generation of consumers wants to feel unique and valued, and Instagram offers them that personalized experience. Customers can follow the brands they like and get exclusive access to video updates via the feature. Another surprisingly effective video platform is LinkedIn, which is emerging as a great tool for engaging buyers. Almost 90% of LinkedIn video marketers say it has been an effective channel for them in building relationships with customers.5 People want to see what your product or service can do firsthand—and offering real footage of it makes you stand out from other sponsored content on LinkedIn. Videosof customer testimonials, demos, and tutorials have proven effective in piquing users’ interest.6 Because of the demand for personalization, businesses also need to focus on targeting more specific audiences. In fact, 72% of consumers say they will only engage with messages that are personalized.7 Data like cookies, IP addresses, platform usage, and other metrics can help you decide where your audience is, what they like to see, and how they break down into subcategories. It is one thing to personalize an email or newsletter; plenty of services can simplify the process of building targeted content—but personalizing a video is more complicated. To maximize your budget and use video successfully, look into automation tools that let you easily choose templates, create videos, and deliver them to your audience. The future of video marketing will progress hand-in-hand with automation, so do your research early to stay ahead of competitors

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Grab Attention—And Keep It In a world where time is money, many people value keeping ads short and to-the-point—but that’s only half the story. While it is important to engage the audience within the first few seconds, the overall length of a video can vary more than most people think. platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram will sometimes prioritize longer videos. Facebook has said that video posts get shown to more people organically when they are longer than three minutes. The longer a video is, the more opportunities there are for including ads. For example, a one-minute video on YouTube will have an ad before it begins, which is standard for all videos on the platform. However, a ten-minute video will have the initial ad along with another at the five-minute mark, which maximizes ad space and ensures the platform makes more money from its advertisers. The best length for a video will vary across different media, and there is not a general best practice. However, it does help to know what tends to perform best on each platform—so we’ll break it down for you: • While Facebook says longer videos are served to more people, that is only true if your content is engaging from the start. The first few seconds of your video must be powerful in order to effectively capture attention and encourage people to keep watching. It is also smart to optimize your video for the sound-off setting because 85% of Facebook users watch videos with their phones on silent.10 • On Instagram, videos that last an average of 26 seconds get the most comments—but Instagram also has a long-form platform called IGTV, and you can get powerful customer engagement by posting your IGTV videos in your Instagram feed. In the feed, these videos play for one minute before telling viewers they can continue watching on IGTV, which means that to grab customers’ attention, you must intrigue them for a full minute before they’ll click over to watch the whole thing.Use quality images: When people are looking for something specific, Google will often pull a picture of it. If you want your image to beat out the rest, make sure it’s an accurate photo—with descriptive alt tags that summarize its subject effectively. • YouTube rewards videos with longer watch times because it allows for more ads and extended viewing. However, if your video doesn’t hold attention, you won’t see positive results. Experts recommend keeping your video between six and eight minutes—but remember, capture attention early to make sure your viewers stay along for the ride.

The best length for a video will vary across different media, and there is not a general best practice—so it’s important to know what tends to perform best on each platform.

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Because no two platforms are the same, you cannot use an identical strategy for all of them. But you can adopt one universal best practice: Focus on how well your video catches attention. When you make a video for social media, don’t dwell on length too much. Ask yourself what your message is, how you are communicating it, and whether or not you are succeeding. Everything you do should have meaning—if it doesn’t, then cut it from your video. Invest in Quality In 2015, only 33% of video marketers said their videos gave them a positive ROI, but that number has skyrocketed as people have learned how to use this medium to their advantage.11 Today, 89% of video marketers say video gives them a good return on their investment.12 Creative, engaging content gets consumers to buy into your message. They want to see why your organization matters. Connecting through a video builds a strong foundation for a good relationships—ultimately sending one-time viewers down the of becoming brand ambassadors. As technology develops and changes, video’s popularity will only grow. This year, 95% of video marketers said they planned to increase or maintain their spend for video.13 It makes sense in theory—but when people see the price tag on video marketing, few of them want to take the plunge. Instead, it becomes more tempting to complete a project in-house to save on the extra money. But this is what separates good companies from the best ones. Businesses that want to stand out to their audience are willing to make a long-term investment. A well-made video can be the turning point for a prospective customer to get more information about you— and eventually make a purchase. Conclusion The returns for video have already been proven, which means if you create your video project wisely, it will pay off in the long run. Still, trying to craft a video in-house and stay within your budget poses a huge challenge. If you want to impress your audience, you cannot afford to skimp on development. A good video needs proper equipment, multiple camera lenses, quality audio, and top-tier editing software—among other things. All of this equipment can cost more than $10,000.14 But if you cut corners, you will find yourself with a wasted budget and a disinterested audience. The experts have said video marketing is the way of the future. Social media posts, emails, and newsletters will not accomplish your goals if you do not complement them with video—but while the industry says it’s worth the investment, few people actually have the time and money to do it right. That’s where we come in. 212 Media Studios has a full team of experts and a full suite of videography equipment. We can capture your message perfectly—no matter what your requirements. Let’s talk. Contact us at 212mediastudios.com.

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References: 1. https://www.marketingcharts.com/digital/video-110520

2. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-video-marketing-new-data

3. Ibid.

4. https://www.envision-creative.com/blog/video-marketing-bandwagon-trends-2020/

5. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-video-marketing-new-data

6. https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/blog/marketing-for-tech-companies/2019/b2b-marketing- -tech-buying

7. https://www.smartinsights.com/ecommerce/web-personalisation/consumers-personalized-marketing- engagement/

8. https://digiday.com/media/creators-making-longer-videos-cater-youtube-algorithm/

9. https://animoto.com/blog/video-marketing/how-long-facebook-instagram-videos

10. Ibid.

11. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-video-marketing-new-data

12. https://www.wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics-2020/

13. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-video-marketing-new-data

14. https://onemarketmedia.com/video-production-cost-calculator-tool/

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