The year was 1980: Jellies were the rage and The Buggles said it best with, “Oh-a-oh…Video killed the radio star!” Video was a big deal and brought a change to music. Now over thirty-years later, it is still a big deal and a must-have for marketers.
Why? First, video is engaging. It ties sight and sound together. Next, it quickly delivers your message. In today’s fast-paced world, who has time to read an entire article (except you reading this article now)? Finally, a video helps you stand out from the competition. In a world of, “I do that too!” (good) videos help position you ahead of the competition.
Read below for some general tips and facts about using videos on your website and email marketing. Also, good luck getting the song out of your head.
Overall video facts
Video has a high return on investment
Marketing focuses on keeping up with the times. According to some recent facts, it is projected that 74% of all internet traffic will be video. Also, 52% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI.
Video engages and converts your customers
On average 65% of viewers watch more than three-quarters of a given video, according to Invodo. Any business owner would be thrilled to know they have someone’s attention for that long. What makes it even better? The conversion rate. More than 70% of marketing professionals report that video converts better than any other medium.
Using Videos on Your Website
Keep your videos short.
The number one question people ask is, “How long should my video be?” To answer that question, first ask, “What is the purpose of my video?” A how-to, instructional video is different than a marketing video. Second, the video should be as short as possible while still getting the message across. This recent study by Wistia shows that shorter videos are best for getting people to watch the entire thing. Therefore, shorter videos produce higher engaged audiences.
Keep your videos updated
While recording an engaging and relevant video is the first step to success, making sure that it stays up to date and fresh is second. Customers do enjoy videos on websites, that has been proven, but the engagement push of videos only lasts for a short while. Having the same video over and over again on the website will never have a positive effect. Also, a video that is outdated can have a major negative effect on your site. This is also why shorter videos are best for both the customer are you. Shorter videos are easier to update and watch. Everybody wins!
Videos need SEO, too
Just like the rest of your website, videos need SEO to function properly and help increase your traffic. AboutTech put out a few tips to help optimize your site when using videos. The most notable theme, though, shows that a video does not stand alone in the SEO world. They should include titles, descriptions, and information that all focus on keywords – just like any other page on the website.
Using Videos in Your Email
Videos help increase open rates
The engagement boost of videos doesn’t just stop at the website level. Research shows that simply “using the word ‘video’ in email subject lines boosts open rates 19%, click-through rates by 65%, and reduces unsubscribes by 26%.” This stat is no surprise, though. Videos have a reputation for being informative and easy to digest, because of that reputation customers will prioritize emails with videos higher than those without.
Tell your customers what the video is all about
Placing a video inside an email does not give you the excuse to get lazy on copy. Customers need to know that the video has value before spending time viewing. Include a title and short description that makes people want to click and watch.
Don’t really send them a full video
It should be noted that you are actually sending your customers a link to the main video, but not the video itself within an email. Today’s world is data-driven and it would be impossible to make it to the inbox by sending your customers a 10-minute long video to download as an attachment. However, featuring a video on YouTube, for example, does have some advantages when being shown in some email clients. Gmail and Hotmail notice the video link and allow users to play the video directly in their inbox – a major bonus.
Take action
As Whitney Houston (the 80s were great, right?) said, “How will I know?” How will you know if videos can work for you? Simple. Feature a video on your website or your next email and watch your customer engagement increase. Ready, set, action!
What are your thoughts on using videos in your marketing? Is it something that you are doing currently or want to do in the future? Let us know in the comments below!
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