A recent Animoto survey revealed that 73% of adult consumers are more likely to buy a product or service after seeing an online video that explains it. B2B companies should take note of this survey too, since online video can help support a business’s overall content marketing plan.
Here are tips for using online video the right way for your business:
1. Keep it short
Internet users are, by and large, an impatient group. They want to get in, consume your information and move on as quickly as possible. Keep your videos limited to three minutes or less in order to engage users right then and there. Research also shows that that users are apt to give up on an online video if it doesn’t load within two seconds. Shorter videos will take less time to load and keep eyeballs on your content.
2. Break up longer posts into multi-part series
Take a note from television: leave a cliffhanger at the end of each of your video installments. Breaking up your content into shorter pieces that form a larger series not only helps your content marketing plan by generating more pieces of content, but it also gives users a reason to come back to your site. You can promote your multi-part series just like an entertainment brand does by setting a launch date for your next installment and using your social media presence to promote it before it “airs.”
3. Use inserts
Cutting away from the main action (such as a speech or presentation) to show what the speaker is referring to is called adding an “insert” (because you’re “inserting” content into your scene). If the speaker in your video is referring to something that you can easily show (such as a slide from the presentation behind the podium or a reference to something that would be helpful for the viewer to see), use your software to include that image. The experience will flow more smoothly for your viewer and your video will appear to be seamless.
4. Use title cards
In your video editing software, create title cards that you use at the beginning and end of your video with your business name, logo, website and a call to action. Viewers who are interested in your content might want more, and a title card will help them remember your business name and your company’s visual branding.
5. Create uniformity
Continuity is part of building a strong brand. This extends to your video content marketing plan as well. Your videos should look similar in production value, open and close title cards or even use the same person to deliver information from video to video.
6. Share your contact information
Use your video as a filter to obtain your user’s contact information post play. Displaying company website, social media channels or even a toll free number will provide a way for interested viewers to contact you. The information you receive will be pre-associated with warm sales leads because these users are ones who are invested enough in what you have to offer to exchange their information for it. Use your video as a way to grow your mailing list, social networks and overall outreach.
7. Check audio issues
Don’t waste time creating video content that no one will want to watch. People will quickly abandon video with poor quality sound so invest in a good microphone system (with an additional clip-on mic). If your business doesn’t have a dedicated audio/video department, you’ll have to do a sound check yourself before you begin to record your content.
8. Edit out the mistakes
No one wants to watch video with dead air, a host who stumbles on their words or any other technical glitches. Using simple video editing software like iMovie, Pinnacle Studio Plus or Animoto, edit out any mistakes you’d rather the public didn’t see before you post it.
Quality online video can give an added boost to your B2B content marketing plan. Be sure to follow the steps above and you’ll soon see deeper engagement with your content that can lead to social shares and new business leads.
