Video changes the game

Why video content creation?

Despite 81% of internet traffic being video content, most businesses don’t understand its value, don’t do it properly or don’t do it at all. Like anything in marketing, if it’s to be done right, you need to understand why you’re doing it and what your target audience needs.

It takes time, energy and yes, money to really think about what you’re doing in this space and create a compelling video strategy that puts your target audience first and dovetails neatly with your overarching content marketing strategy.

So why do we create videos?

• +74% recall of info in ads using narrative
• Video content viewers are 175%
• People who watch watch video content retain 95% of the message

 

Times are arbitrary

The 30 second ad spot doesn’t make sense for how when we think about content strategy today. We change devices and watch what we want, when we want. What doesn’t change is that story is innate to the human experience. Serialised content is also now able to be served to customers across their purchase journey.

So when it comes to video content creation we need to remember that switching up formats and keeping it fresh means what we’re producing is going to be more memorable that 30 second ads and that we have more control over the customer experience.

What formats should we use?

There are many different ways we can reach our target audience in super engaging ways when we create video content:

• Tease, Amplify, Echo – start with a short video to spark curiousity then move onto a longer video to deepen engagement and end with a video that reminds viewers of the story and urges them to act.
• The mini series – break your video content into chapters – conflict, climax and resolution
• The Direct Shot – hammer home your point but don’t bore people. Use 4 – 6 videos presenting the same idea in different ways – customising content based on what the viewer is about to watch.
• The Follow Up – start with a long form piece to introduce the concept then show a succession of shorter ads to resolve the conflict and drive to a CTA

So, although we don’t have to follow any of these formats, we know that they can make a difference to your video marketing strategy. We also know that you have to test, iterate and repeat. Monitor how your video content is working for you when your target market is engaging with it, see what is resonating and try to understand why.

Then hone it.

Don’t be afraid to try longer sequences and get creative with your asset library.