Marketing your business these days may seem less straightforward than the TV ads of the past, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be easy. In fact, with the right mix of video content you can attract customers more effectively and more economically than ever before. Read on to learn the best ways to use video content in your marketing.

1. Ads on Social Media

As we covered in a recent article on Facebook advertising, social ads can be an powerful way to utilize your videos. Now, if you are a B2B company you may be thinking “should we really be on Facebook? It seems like a poor use of time and money.” For B2B companies, Facebook doesn’t seem like a place to find customers, and while you’re not alone in this type of thinking, it turns out this is a huge misconception:

• + The median amount of time spent on Facebook by business decision makers each day is 74% higher than other people on the platform.
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• + Business decision makers also engage with a wider variety of Facebook content. 40% of the users surveyed said that they use it to message their co-workers. This means that B2B marketers have an opportunity to reach decision makers throughout the day.
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• + Marketers have found that Facebook has become the preferred social channel for B2B decision makers: 1 in 4 respondents in the study cited Facebook as their preferred social media platform when seeking information on a purchasing decision, ranking it ahead of LinkedIn and Twitter.
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Regardless of whether your target customers are businesses or end-consumers, people use Facebook for a multitude of reasons. They list “researching new products to buy” as one of the top ten reasons they use Facebook, so it’s not something to ignore. With targeted advertising online, you can maximize your marketing effectiveness by putting your content in front of the people most likely to respond to it.

Whether you choose to promote your business with video testimonials, showcase your unique value through explainers and how-tos, or put a spotlight on your best employees with digital business cards, videos are a great way to capture attention in your online ads, and do so much more effectively than mere photos or text.

2. Emails (for both marketing and sales)

One reason videos make such effective marketing tools, aside from their increased conversion rates (achieving 6x more conversions, according to Vidyard), is their flexibility. Sure, we all know the “videos as ads” concept, but have you ever used videos in your emails? This strategy works wonders in both large scale email marketing campaigns and for smaller-scale targeted sales emails, and has been shown to increase clickthrough rates by 200-300%, according to Hubspot.

For marketing campaigns this might mean some introductory videos about your business, or samples of upcoming products and deals. For sales emails, you can use a more careful selection of videos tailored to the customer as well, depending on where you are in the sales process.

3. How-To Videos on Your Website

If you want to make it easier for a potential customer to understand and visualize using your product, a how-to or how-it-works video is the right move, with as many as 1 in 3 consumers purchasing a product directly as a result of a how-to video in some markets. You can attach these to your product listings on your website, or anywhere else you sell the product. You can also put them in your emails and social ads, as mentioned above.

How-it-works videos like this are especially helpful if you have a product or service that isn’t immediately intuitive for everyone.

4. Event Promotion

The web is a great place for video, but don’t limit yourself to online promotion with your videos. Whether at trade shows or on the premises of your business, videos help capture attention and promote your product. Make your booth stand out and catch the eye of passerby without cheesy gimmicks or “salesy” approaches.

Videos at trade shows can also do the job of introducing your product in a clear and concise manner, so you don’t need to give the same explanation all day, allowing interested customers to make better use of their time (and yours) by asking you key follow-up questions instead of the same introductory questions each time. And don’t limit yourself to a certain type of video: these could be how-to videos, testimonials, or any number of styles to meet your goals and convey your value as a business.

Videos make great displays at trade shows

5. Landing Pages

Last but definitely not least, we have one of the most underrated used of video: landing pages. A video on your landing page can increase conversions by 86%, and increase SEO as visitors spend more time on your page, which will in turn drive more organic, qualified traffic to your website. A video on your landing page can make your site appear more professional, and gives customers a quick idea of what you’re all about. Additionally, using a testimonial video by clientsor customers on your landing page gives your business quick social proof, demonstrating that your customers can count on you.

Conclusion

You want to stand out. You want stellar SEO. You want conversions. In summary, you want customers. But without video in your marketing mix, you’re shooting yourself in the proverbial foot. So take your videos and put them in your social media ads, emails, about sections, trade show booths, and landings pages. Don’t have videos yet? You’re in luck: follow this link for professional videos at competitive rates.

– Drew Estes, October 2018 –

Other popular posts by Media272 content strategist Drew Estes:

• - Expert Tips to Improve SEO with Video
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• - How to Use Targeted Advertising for your Video on Facebook
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• - 5 Video Marketing Tips to Attract More Customers Than Ever
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• - How To Keep Customers Away from Your Business