With attention spans dwindling to an average of just 8 seconds and the digital playing field becoming ever more crowded, haphazardly-produced content without a defined strategy simply won’t serve your business goals anymore. At today’s digital pace, you need a well-defined and innovative approach to attract and retain customers.
These days, digital content needs to be an immersive and interactive experience that commands immediate attention, halts the doom scrolling, and converts viewers into consumers – which is exactly the actionable power of video!
Videos in Digital Marketing
It’s no secret that video is the superior content format these days. It possesses the power to condense jargon into a comprehensible format, vividly demonstrate product features, evoke customer desire within just seconds of viewing, and encourage widespread sharing. For those reasons, it’s a valuable asset to the digital marketing mix, helping businesses convert casual web browsers into paying customers.
Videos are no longer just nice-to-haves; it’s a must-have for any business aiming for growth. Research shows that incorporating videos into landing pages can increase conversion rates by a staggering 80%. Another study reveals that users spend nearly 90% more time on websites with video content and that videos are shared 1200% more often than both links and text combined!
Therefore, if these statistics confirm anything, it’s that video is a marketing game-changer, capable of profoundly engaging people and driving exceptional results.
Types of Video Content That Boost Conversions
To maximize the effectiveness of your videos, consider implementing these formats:
- Explainer Videos – These demystify complex concepts or products, making them accessible and appealing to everyone, regardless of prior knowledge (e.g., tutorials).
- Testimonials – These videos are social proof, showcasing real customer experiences that show satisfaction towards your product or service (e.g., product reviews).
- Product Demonstration Videos – These put products into action, highlighting their unique features and benefits that your audience is on the lookout for (e.g., workout equipment usage videos).
- Personalized Video Messages – These create a more intimate connection with the audience (e.g., Spotify artist thank-yous) – especially important in an age of yearning personalized connection!
Choosing the Right Platform for Your Videos
Selecting which platform to host and distribute your content on is pivotal to marketing success. So to optimize for results, you must have a meticulous evaluation and selection process.
For example, you can begin by identifying platforms that possess a high concentration of your target demographic and fit your content format. Another thing you can do is assess the features that will enhance your content creation and distribution process with things like editing tools, analytics, and SEO optimization. A final consideration is which one can seamlessly integrate with your existing marketing ecosystem to have broader coverage while maintaining your budget.
Some platform options you may want to consider:
- YouTube – The world’s largest video-sharing platform that boasts a massive user base and search capabilities, ideal for long-form content and reaching a broad audience.
- Vimeo – Known for its high-quality video playback with a more curated user experience, making it perfect for businesses seeking a polished look.
- Wistia – This provides advanced analytics and marketing tools, positioning it as a strong option for businesses that focus on lead generation and conversion.
- Social Media Platforms – Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and other similar platforms are perfect for those who want to facilitate direct customer interaction and effortless content sharing.
Best Practices for Video SEO
- Keyword Research – Incorporate relevant keywords into video titles, descriptions, and tags to improve search visibility.
- Attractive Thumbnails – Create visually appealing thumbnails that can represent the content, entice viewers, and ultimately increase click-through rates.
- Strategically-positioned CTAs – Make sure to reinforce your call to action throughout the video to guide viewers toward taking desired actions, such as liking, sharing and subscribing to your channel or account. YouTubers, for instance, know how to use this best practice well! They encourage subscribers to like a specific video if they want to see more of the same type of content. Another approach to implement is end screens and annotations to direct viewers to similar content or links. This way, you can boost engagement and visibility.
Conversion Rates: Tracking Business Growth
After posting that creative video, you’ll want to track its performance and see how it is serving your marketing goals. How is your content converting?
Conversion rates quantify the percentage of users who complete a desired action, like making a purchase or subscribing to your channel or newsletter. A low conversion rate would indicate a big difference or disparity between applied marketing strategies and your intended results; a high conversion rate signifies effectiveness and success, with your results matching your goals. By vigilantly monitoring your business’ metrics and optimizing your strategies as you go, you can gain valuable insights into campaign performance, pinpoint any avenues that need refinement, and boost revenue without proportionately increasing your marketing spend.
PRO TIP: You can get relevant data to support and inform your strategies when you put out more videos. Forget perfectly polished content! What you need when starting out your campaign is quantity.
Don’t completely sacrifice quality, but remember: the more content you put out, the more data you have on-hand to refine your strategies and end up with a solid, tight campaign that garners the results you want.
Measuring Video Performance and Conversion Rates
So how do we measure success? Leverage analytics tools like Google Analytics, Wistia, and YouTube Analytics to track these key metrics:
- View Count and Watch Time – Indicates the overall reach of your video and how long a viewer stays interested in your content.
- Engagement Rate (likes, comments, shares) – Gives insight into how well your content resonated with audiences.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR) – Reflects the percentage of viewers who interacted with links embedded in your video.
- Conversion Rate – Measure your video’s effectiveness in prompting desired actions.
Video stands as a potent force in contemporary marketing, propelling your brand into the consciousness of target demographics. By strategically crafting and distributing engaging content, and applying the best optimization practices, your business will be able to reap the rewards and cultivate a foundation for sustainable success!
Let NGP-IMC’s digital marketing arm help build and execute your brand’s content strategy today. Contact us to know more about how we can work together to create video content that truly converts!
Harmony Adiao-Carrillo is the editorial lead of NGP-IMC.