No one can deny that videos make an impact — almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day. Whether it’s posted on Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube or Twitter, the content you need to be creating to market your business is definitely moving image.
Furthermore, research has revealed that video marketing is one of the most effective strategies around. Around 80% of global brands now use video marketing, which has been shown to raise revenue and brand recognition even more effectively and quickly than other types of marketing strategies.
Creating winning video content, however, isn’t easy with the social media space ever changing; Facebook is currently getting more daily minutes watched than YouTube, Twitter is taking to audio with voice tweets and TikTok’s rise in the recent year has been phenomenal. It can therefore be difficult to know where to start. No need to worry though. A close look at how video marketing has helped brands thrive online can be a good place to start.
Doggface208
@420doggface208♬ Dreams (2004 Remaster) – Fleetwood Mac
What do Fleetwood Mac, Ocean Spray and a skateboard all have in common? They were all part of probably the most successful accidental advertising campaign in the past year. Doggface208’s video of him skateboarding to Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams while drinking a bottle of Ocean Spray went viral, gathering 12.7 million likes, 140,000+ comments, and a slew of imitators across social media sites (including one by none other than Mick Fleetwood himself). It’s perhaps Ocean Spray’s most successful promotion ever, even though they never intended for it to happen!
Why was this video so successful for Ocean Spray? It told a story about real people who purchase and engage with their goods. People trust other people more than they trust brand messaging.
What can brands learn from this? Creating your own ‘Ocean Spray moment’ will involve creating some form of challenge that compels users to purchase your product and create an ingenious video, showing them engaging with it. These user-generated commercials have the potential to boost sales exponentially.
The world is ready for the next genuine user-generated commercial. You just need that viral idea.
Augmented Reality (AR)
One of the biggest emerging video trends of the past year is AR (where an illustration is projected onto a photo or video). AR isn’t just about dog filters on Snapchat, it’s a whole new form of marketing, allowing customers to try before they buy, giving people intimate experiences through their mobile devices.
Whether it’s makeup brands showcasing different tones of eye shadow or Dolce & Gabbana launching their new spring-summer sunglasses’ range, AR eliminates the need for a large inventory as consumers can try on heaps of products before they purchase.
Augmented reality is far more than a novelty used in gaming; over the next decade it’s expected to be one of the biggest forces in driving sales for brands.
KFC: The Big Comeback
Re-emerging after lockdown has been a challenge for many hospitality brands this past year, as the pandemic forced restaurants like KFC to abruptly close. The challenge was to use video advertising to generate footfall into their branches, all whilst safeguarding the brand.
Again, utilising user-generated content is key. KFC fans from all over the UK were recreating hand-made chicken wings and posting online how much they were missing their favourite fries. ‘The Big Comeback’ led to vital sale increases with the bonus of winning major awards.
#WeRemember
Okay, I promise this one isn’t all user-generated content. Instead, #WeRemember was almost entirely created with stock video (video available to purchase). This didn’t stop it racking up millions of views across social media, providing a dose of positivity all whilst promoting The Social Co and increasing their client portfolio.
The feel-good campaign was launched at the beginning of lockdown and rapidly shared across social media sites all around the world. Their plan was to use video to help grow their business, and with celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg sharing, it definitely achieved that.
Are you all set to create amazing video?
Regardless of the type of business you manage, using video can have a massive influence on your marketing and sales.
Big brands are moving their ad budget away from TV and towards Facebook and YouTube. Digital Advertising and video can increase your conversion rates, help you launch a new product and even make a skating enthusiast from Wyoming famous.
Don’t get left behind, get into video.
