Intro: A case for video marketing

The changing perspective of brand marketers

Once a nice-to-have, video is becoming a fundamental part of any content marketing strategy. In fact, according to Aberdeen’s “Analyzing the ROI of Video Marketing”, 95% of best-in-class marketers are using video as a content marketing channel1 . With this comes an increased understanding that it’s not just about generating views for their own sake, but that video has a significant impact on the metrics that matter most to marketers. This goes beyond soft metrics like brand awareness and affinity to real bottom-line impact like conversions and cart size.

Higher-value content equates to better performance, and no other form of content creates value for consumers like video does. Utilizing video beyond just another type of content asset and more as a marketing program accelerator can turbocharge other marketing programs more effectively and increase total marketing ROI.

In this ebook you will learn the latest data and best practices on using video to:

• Improve SEO
• Lengthen time on site
• Expand reach with mobile and social
• Increase email and nurture effectiveness
• Improve landing page conversions
• Boost online sales

Chapter 1: Improve SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) can be frustrating for analysts and creative teams alike. From keywords to constantly changing algorithms, it can be difficult to stay abreast of all the moving parts to ensure your site and content rise to the top. Luckily, video provides a simple, effective way to improve search engine rankings while also enhancing the human appeal of a page.

Adding video to a landing page makes it 53% more likely to show up on the highly-desired first page of Google results2. That alone is reason enough to start implementing a video strategy, but a higher ranking is just the beginning. On average, including a video in your search results doubles the clicks to your website too.

While keyword-based approaches to SEO can lead to odd-sounding copy or repetitive phrases that can compromise your visitor’s experience, adding video makes your page even more engaging and compelling. This isn’t a suggestion to abandon traditional SEO entirely — it certainly has its benefits and is a proven way to achieve marginal improvements. But, it’s important that video is also included in the strategy. Your site will rank more highly in search results, more people will click through it, and the rich video storytelling and branding visitors experience will help drive conversion.

Adding video to a landing page makes it 53% more likely to show up on the first page of Google search results.

Chapter 2: Lengthen Time on Site

Distractions are everywhere, especially on the Internet. So when you succeed in getting a customer to your website, it’s vitally important that you keep them there. Video is highly effective in getting visitors to stick around, with the average user spending 88%3 more time on a website with video. The longer a visitor is on your site, the more likely they are to remember your brand and respond to your efforts. This correlates to increased effectiveness in all areas of your online presence.

The popularity of online video has grown rapidly over the past few years, reaching near universal appeal. In January 2014 alone, 85.1% of the U.S Internet audience4 viewed online video. Given that, it’s no surprise that video proves so effective at increasing time on site. Website visitors are craving video and are more likely to stay on your site if you give them content to watch.

Chapter 3: Expand Reach with Mobile and Social

As the world’s population becomes more mobile, businesses can’t afford to remain stuck on desktop computers. Mobility is transforming lifestyles and the way in which consumers expect and want to be reached. Huge opportunities are missed if you can’t reach and engage with customers wherever they are and on whatever device they are on. But just establishing a mobile presence isn’t adequate. Next you need to ensure your content is engaging.

Cramped, static ads on smartphones and tablets that block the content customers actually want to see are not an impressive approach. Mobile video transcends the limitations of small screen sizes with full sound-and-motion experiences that capitalize on the growing popularity of mobile video. The adoption of mobile video shows no signs of slowing down as the latest projections call for mobile video to account for 66% of all mobile data traffic by 2017.

Mobile video delivers more than entertainment - for brands it delivers impressive and rising engagement. The average click-through-rate of mobile video campaigns increased by more than 265% between Q4 2012 and Q3 2013, reaching 13.64%7 . Furthermore, close to 40% of consumers state that video increases the chance they will make a purchase on a mobile device.

Integrating video into your mobile strategy places your brand into a coveted spot at the nexus of the two biggest online trends today — digital video and mobile. This empowers your brand’s story to be told wherever customers go.

Chapter 4: Increase Email and Nurture Effectiveness

Direct email marketing is a tough business — people don’t ask for your message and many see it as an unwanted distraction. Extensive testing has shown that adding motion of any kind to an email will make it more effective. Even a simple animation will increase engagement and conversions, but high-quality video performs even better.

According to a survey of companies using video in email campaigns, 55% achieved higher click-through rates, 44% saw longer engagement times, and 41% reported an increase in sharing or forwards. Just as valuable, adding video to direct email makes people much less likely to opt out of your list — enabling you to reach them in following campaigns.

People not only appreciate and value online video, they also don’t hate it, and that’s vitally important when you’re trying to avoid alienating potential customers. Eloqua found that using video in an introductory email campaign reduced subscriber opt-outs by an impressive 75%.

It’s clear that the combination of video and email marketing is an effective strategy and can significantly increase your direct mail campaigns success.

Chapter 5: Improve Landing Page Conversions

No matter the campaign or promotion, the landing page is where it all comes together. You’ve succeeded in getting visitors to your site, now you have a few seconds to draw them in before they lose interest.

Online video allows for storytelling in a more vivid and engaging way than static text and images ever could, making viewers much more likely to take the next step through the conversion tunnel. The average website conversion rate for a website without video is just 2.9%; that number increases by an impactful 65% for a site that uses video to 4.8%11. Put that video on a landing page and the results are even more impressive. Landing pages including videos can increase conversion by 80%.

JOYUS, an online shopping destination with a mission to augment the customer experience through the power of video, reported that users who watch video convert at five times the rate of users who do not watch video. JOYUS is a great example of a company with a fully integrated video strategy that uses video to help consumers understand how various items fit within their daily lives by visually demonstrating their features and benefits.

It’s important to keep in mind that it’s not just about luring people in with an entertaining clip. Online video is an ideal way to provide the kind of detailed product information that earns consideration and helps people gain the confidence to explore your offering further. More than three out of five consumers will spend at least two minutes watching a video that educates them about a product they plan to purchase, and 37% will watch for more than three minutes.

Visitors who reach your landing page have already taken an active step to interact with your brand. Reward their attention with the kind of content they enjoy and value, and reap the rewards of the power of video storytelling with higher conversions.

Chapter 6: Boost Online Sales

Sales are the lifeblood of most companies. However, they can also be one of the most persistent hurdles, as selling new business is a lot easier said than done. From ads to online point of purchases, video helps people learn about your product, understand its appeal, and feel more confident buying it, all of which translates into higher sales.

Shoppers who watch online video are 1.8 times14 more likely to make a purchase than nonviewers. Additionally, retailers who take advantage of video have seen a 40% increase in sales14. Companies like PUMA and HUGO BOSS are all using video content to boost online sales. Related to that, JOYUS, our example from Chapter 5, found that users who consume video buy four times more product than users who do not. Video allows consumers to get fully immersed in a product without having to make the trip to the store. In the wake of an age of increasingly mobile consumers, this is enormously important.

Closing in on the norm, consumers are regularly turning to online video as a resource to make more informed buying decisions. From demos to 360 degree product views to customer testimonials, there are myriad ways to incorporate video to better validate and promote your product. In fact, when a video is information-intensive, 66% of consumers15 will watch it twice or more, thus, emphasizing the value they place on video as a resource.

Additionally, 52% of consumers16 who watch product videos say they are more confident about their purchasing decisions. This also translates to higher satisfaction and fewer returns since they are more likely to make the right choice. In all, that makes for a much better customer experience while helping close sales and keeping customers happy.

Chapter 7: Getting Started

Now that you know all the benefits your business can gain when you start implementing video marketing, where do you start? Below are a few of our top tips to get you started:

Make video a central part of your content marketing plan

In the 2015 Content Marketing Trends Report, two specific trends stuck out to us: effective content marketers did a better job developing and following a content strategy and video was one of the fastest growing content types. By combining those two trends and creating a content marketing plan that is video focused, marketers can set themselves up for success.

Don’t try to do it all with one video

The biggest mistake new video marketers make is trying to create the ultimate all-purpose video. But too many messages can be confusing and the outcome can be content that is too long and won’t get viewed. Our advice is to pick a single, simple topic — maybe a customer case study or subject matter expert testimonial. Get that up and running and then measure the impact. Do that several times to really refine the messaging around a key topic.

Make sure you have the right team and tools

Video requires different skills, many of which can be obtained through agencies and contractors, but make sure you have at least a few go-to resources that can help with your video marketing strategy. Consider a video management solution, such as the Brightcove Video Marketing Suite, to improve video viewing experience, allow you to push to all your social channels and support ease of use. Just like you would not think of building your own CMS or CRM solution, take advantage of existing technologies so you can focus on telling great stories, creating great content, and driving impressive marketing results with video.

Talking to the Boss — Get the Conversation Started

• Improve SEO
  • Have we taken into consideration how video can increase our SEO results?
  • Did you know that video can help double the clicks to our site?
• Lengthen Time on Site
  • Did you know that video can increase time on site?
  • How can increased time on site contribute to our marketing goals?
  • How can we make sure our consumers are accessing all of the content we have to offer?
• Expand Reach with Mobile and Social
  • How can we expand our reach with social channels?
  • What would it mean for our company if we can reach our target consumers anytime, anyplace?
• Increase Email and Nurture Effectiveness
  • How can we do more to connect with and engage our consumers?
  • Have we thought about including video in our email and nurture communications?
• Improve Landing Page Conversions
  • How can we increase our landing page conversions?
  • Did you know more than 3/5 consumers spend 2 minutes watching an educational product video?
• Boost Online Sales
  • How can we help our consumers interact with our products?
  • Did you know using video can increase brand loyalty and decrease product returns?