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How to Measure Video Marketing Success? 13 Useful Metrics

Video Marketing Metrics thumbnail, Plum Productions Corporate Video Shoot

Enhancing Video Marketing Strategies for Maximum Impact

Interested in learning how to measure your video marketing activities? This article provides 13 metrics you should consider when measuring success when creating content.

Video Marketing Success Metrics

Today video marketing continues to be an important tool for businesses aiming to captivate audiences and drive sales. However, contrary to the outdated notion that views are the sole metric of success, the modern approach emphasizes a broader set of performance indicators tailored to specific marketing goals. This updated perspective is crucial for developing strategies that not only attract views but also foster engagement and conversion.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Video Marketing

The initial step in any video marketing campaign is to clearly define the primary marketing goal. Whether the aim is to boost awareness, increase consideration, or drive actionable results, understanding the desired outcome shapes the strategy and the metrics to track.

  • Awareness Metrics:
    • Views: Measures the total number of views to gauge initial interest and reach.
    • Impressions: Tracks how often your video appears in search results or feeds, essential for understanding visibility.
    • Unique Users: Indicates the diversity of the audience, showing how many individual viewers your content attracted.
    • Brand Recall: Assesses how well viewers remember the video after watching, a crucial indicator of impact.
  • Consideration Metrics:
    • View-Through Rates: Represents the percentage of viewers who watch the video from start to finish, indicating content engagement.
    • Watch Times: Measures the total amount of time viewers spend watching the video, reflecting content relevance and engagement depth.
    • Favorability: Quantifies changes in viewer perception towards the brand post-viewing, crucial for gauging sentiment.
    • Consideration Lifts: Assesses how much more likely viewers are to consider your brand for purchase after watching the video.
  • Action Metrics:
    • Clicks: Tracks the number of actionable engagements like clicking on a CTA, crucial for conversion tracking.
    • Calls: Measures the volume of calls received as a direct result from the video content, indicating lead generation success.
    • Signups:  If applicable, this gauges the number of signups or subscriptions initiated from the video, reflecting direct engagement.
    • Sales: Tracks the conversions resulting directly from the video, crucial for ROI analysis.
    • Purchase Intent Lifts: Evaluates the increase in purchase intent among viewers post-exposure, linking content effectiveness to potential sales.

Crafting a Digital Funnel with Video

Creating a digital funnel with video is a strategic process that involves understanding your audience’s position in the buyer’s journey and delivering targeted video content that moves them towards a decision. Here’s how you can effectively create this funnel:

  • Top of the Funnel – Attracting Attention

Use introductory videos that address common questions or concerns to attract a broad audience. These might be videos like Frequently Asked Questions or Commonly Searched Questions about your services or products.

Focus on educational content that highlights the problems your product or service solves, effectively generating interest and brand awareness.

  • Middle of the Funnel – Building Engagement:

In the broader videos, mention more focused content related to their question. Offer more detailed videos that dive deeper into how your products or services work, demonstrating their benefits and differentiating features.

It always helps to include customer testimonials and case studies to build trust and show real-world applications of your offerings. Find existing clients/customers who are willing to share their experience with your services.

  • Bottom of the Funnel – Driving Action:

Feature strong call-to-action videos that encourage viewers to make a purchase, contact your company, or take another desired step.

Sometimes, using limited time offers and demos to create urgency and convert interest into sales works. Other times, it makes more sense to give the viewer an easy action to complete to connect them with you.

Throughout this process, tailor your video content to the specific needs and interests of your audience at each stage. By doing so, you guide them smoothly from awareness to consideration, and ultimately to action.

Example of a Top of Funnel Video

Integrating Video with Other Marketing Efforts

It’s crucial to recognize that video rarely works in isolation. Successful video strategies integrate with broader marketing activities to create a cohesive brand experience. Here are several ways to effectively integrate video with other marketing efforts:

  1. Email Marketing
    • Embedding Videos in Newsletters: Increase open and click-through rates by including engaging video content in your email newsletters. Videos can summarize key messages, introduce new products, or share customer success stories.
    • Personalized Video Emails: Use personalized videos to address individual customer needs, enhancing the personalization and impact of your email campaigns.
  2. Social Media Campaigns:
    • Platform-Specific Content: Tailor your video content to fit the unique formats and audience preferences of different social media platforms. For example, create short, attention-grabbing clips for Instagram and TikTok, and longer, informative videos for YouTube and Facebook.
    • Engaging with Followers: Use live videos and stories to engage directly with your audience, answering questions in real-time and fostering a sense of community.
  3. Content Marketing:
    • Blog Integration: Enhance your blog posts with embedded videos that provide visual explanations, demonstrations, or additional context. This can improve engagement and time spent on your site.
    • Video Blogs (Vlogs): Create vlogs to share industry insights, company updates, or behind-the-scenes looks at your business, adding a personal touch to your content marketing strategy.
  4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO):
    • Video SEO: Optimize your videos for search engines by using relevant keywords in titles, descriptions, and tags. Transcripts and captions can also improve accessibility and searchability.
    • Backlink Building: Share your videos across various platforms and encourage others to link to them, boosting your website’s authority and search ranking.
  5. Paid Advertising:
    • Video Ads: Utilize video ads across platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn Ads to reach a wider audience. Targeted video ads can drive traffic to your site and generate leads.
    • Retargeting Campaigns: Use retargeting strategies to show video ads to users who have previously interacted with your brand, reminding them of your offerings and encouraging conversions.
  6. Sales and Customer Support:
    • Product Demos: Create video demos that sales teams can use during presentations or share with prospects to highlight product features and benefits.
    • Tutorials and FAQs: Develop video tutorials and FAQs to assist customers in using your products, enhancing their experience and reducing support queries.

Using this information, you can create a unified and effective strategy that maximizes the impact of your video content and drives overall marketing success.

Video Marketing Metrics Can Change Often

Measuring the success of a video marketing campaign involves more than just counting views. By establishing relevant KPIs and integrating video into a comprehensive marketing strategy, businesses can better understand and enhance the impact of their video content.

Your metrics should match your desired outcomes. As the digital landscape evolves, so too should your methods for measuring success, ensuring that our marketing efforts are as effective and efficient as possible.

If you need assistance in refining your video marketing strategy to meet these standards, reach out and we can help.

 

Keywords: Video Marketing, Key Performance Indicators, KPIs, Marketing Goals, Digital Funnel, Brand Awareness, Viewer Engagement, Video Content Strategy, Marketing Integration.

 

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8 Questions to Ask a Video Production Company

Key Questions to Ask a Video Production Company

Choosing the right video production company is crucial for ensuring your corporate videos effectively meet your business objectives and engage your target audience. To navigate through the selection process, it’s important to ask the right questions. This article outlines eight essential questions to ask a video production company to help you assess their capabilities, creativity, and compatibility with your project needs. By asking these questions, you can confidently identify a partner who will not only understand your vision but also enhance it with professional execution.

Questions to Ask a Video Production Company

1. How Well Do You Understand and Innovate Within an Industry?

While longstanding experience in a specific industry is valuable, the ability to understand and bring fresh, innovative concepts to the table is equally, if not more, crucial. Ask potential video production partners how they immerse themselves in unfamiliar industries and how they’ve successfully incorporated new promotional ideas or concepts in their past projects. This approach can provide a distinct competitive edge, differentiating your brand from others with creative and impactful messaging. It’s important to explore how they balance industry norms with inventive strategies to ensure your video stands out while still hitting the right notes with your target audience.

2. Can You Share Some References? Can I Ask Them Questions?

A reputable video production company should be able to provide references or testimonials from past clients. Contacting these references can provide insights into the company’s reliability, professionalism, and the quality of the final product. It’s a direct way to gauge past client satisfaction and the company’s ability to deliver on its promises.

3. How Do You Approach a New Project?

Understanding a video production company’s approach to new projects is vital for assessing how they will manage your specific requirements. Ask about their end-to-end process, from initial concept development through to final delivery. Key aspects to inquire about include their methods for brainstorming creative ideas, scriptwriting, selecting locations, casting, and the types of equipment they use. It’s also important to understand their post-production capabilities, such as editing, sound design, and color grading. A detailed discussion on these topics will reveal how they transform initial concepts into finished products and how they handle project management, ensuring that each phase of production aligns with your goals and timelines. Look for a company that values a collaborative approach, one that invites your input and feedback at every step to ensure the project truly reflects your vision.

4. Ask What is Included in Their Pricing

Video production can vary significantly in cost, depending on the scope and complexity of the project. Ensure you get a detailed breakdown of costs, including pre-production, production, and post-production phases. Clarify what is included in the quoted price and what might be considered additional costs. This transparency will help you manage your budget effectively and avoid unexpected expenses.

5. How Do You Ensure the Final Product Reflects Our Brand?

Ensuring that the final product accurately represents your brand’s image and core message is highly important. Discuss with the video production company how they plan to incorporate your brand guidelines, tone, and message into the video. This conversation should include their strategy for understanding your brand’s voice, the visual style, and how they plan to maintain consistency with your existing marketing materials. It’s important that they demonstrate an ability to adapt and reflect your brand’s unique aspects, such as using specific color schemes, logos, and the tone of the communication. Ask them to provide examples of how they have successfully adapted other brands’ identities into their video projects. This will give you confidence that they can deliver a product that not only looks professional but also resonates with your audience and strengthens your brand identity.

6. What is Your Typical Turnaround Time? What Can Slow It Down?

Timing can be crucial, especially if the video is part of a larger marketing campaign or event. Discuss the expected timeline for your project and ensure it aligns with your deadlines. Understanding their scheduling and ability to deliver on time is essential to plan your activities around the video release. Also ask what can slow the process down. We have found knowing the pitfalls ahead of time will help increase the likelihood of on-time delivery. If they don’t know or can’t give specifics, this might be a good indication they are inexperienced.

7. How Do You Handle Revisions?

It’s important to understand how the company handles changes or revisions during the video production process. Ask about their policies on revisions, including how many are included in the initial cost and the cost of any additional revisions. This will help you understand the flexibility you have with your project and avoid potential conflicts.

8. How Will Our Teams Collaborate?

Finally, ask about the collaboration process between your team and theirs. Understanding the communication flow, meeting schedules, and points of contact is crucial for a smooth workflow. Ensure that their collaboration style matches your company’s expectations for interaction and updates. We always strive to ensure one point of contact on each side to streamline communication and ensure accuracy along the way.

Conclusion

Choosing the right video production company is a strategic decision that impacts your brand’s message and market presence. By asking these eight questions, you can better assess potential video production partners and find one that aligns with your business objectives, brand identity, and budget. Remember, the goal is to find a partner who not only produces a high-quality video but also enhances your message and connects authentically with your audience.

Want to ask us any question? Reach out to us! We’re here to help you get what you need.

 

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Elevate Your Local Business with Video

Elevate your local business with video thumbnail for plum productions blog

Elevate Your Local Business with Engaging Video Content

If you’re trying to harness the power of video to boost your local business reach and engagement, you need to create and use authentic, effective content to engage potential customers.

Introduction to Video Marketing Today businesses are embracing digital marketing to it’s fullest. One tool for local businesses aiming to connect more deeply with their audience is video. That makes it an indispensable strategy for enhancing visibility and customer engagement.

Why Video? Because this type of content’s key advantage lies in its high engagement potential, which can amplify your marketing message’s reach significantly. It is not only easy to consume but also inherently engaging, attracting attention and encouraging sharing across digital platforms, thus extending your brand’s reach.

The Psychological Impact of Video Content Visual storytelling taps into the viewer’s emotions, making it an effective way to communicate values, appeal to aesthetic sensibilities, and create memorable content. It can elicit feelings of excitement, trust, and curiosity, driving deeper engagement and loyalty from viewers. This medium helps people relate…more than any other medium.

Creating Impactful Video Content Developing this type of content doesn’t always require high-end equipment or a large budget. Authenticity resonates more with today’s audiences than overly polished, produced content. Sometimes a raw message can capture engaging moments that highlight your expertise or showcase your products authentically. Sometimes a more refined and polished message is important to show your level of professionalism.

Here are several types content that can benefit any local business:

  • Service or Product Overviews: To demonstrate the benefits and unique features of your offerings.
    • These types of content are important to show what you do or what the product can do. These are typically highly effective if they’re done correctly.
  • Promotional Videos: Create exciting and creative promotional videos to generate buzz around your services, products, or special events.
    • These are slightly less effective because most people don’t like to be sold to, rather they want to make their decisions on their own. Use this type of content sparingly.
  • Customer Testimonials: Authentic stories and testimonials from customers can lend credibility and foster trust among potential new customers.
    • These are highly effective! Who better to tell your potential customer how good you are than your existing customers? And, they can say things you can’t say, like, “They are awesome!”
  • How-To Videos: Share your knowledge through tutorials, offering valuable tips while highlighting your industry expertise.
    • This type of content is highly effective to show you’re an expert in the field. They start to watch and then say, “They know what they’re talking about, why do I need to do this? Let me call them!”
  • Behind the Scenes: Offer a glimpse into the daily operations of your business, which can personalize your brand and strengthen customer connections.
    • It’s always fun to learn about what goes on behind the curtain. Give them a glimpse and they’ll begin to feel more comfortable with you.

Expanding Reach with Video This type of content can significantly expand your marketing reach. By leveraging platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, you can engage with a broader audience. You can use live streams, webinars, and even interactive sessions to interact directly with your audience, answering questions in real time and fostering a community around your brand.

Our suggestion is to focus on one or two platforms and do it very well. The more focused you are, the better the results will become. You can still post to the other platforms, but use one as your content home that you are monitoring and tracking. More on that later.

Optimizing Video for Digital Success Creating effective marketing involves more than just creating content; it requires planning and strategy. It is also important to focus on optimization for search engines and social platforms. Incorporate relevant keywords in the title, description, and tags to improve visibility. Use clear, compelling calls-to-action to guide viewers toward engaging further with your business.

Keywording helps by telling the algorithm what the content is all about, but it is not the only important aspect of optimization. Other things include include using keywords in the video, spoken words. Yes, YouTube and other platforms now understand the words being spoken. Use this to your advantage.

Measuring Success Track the performance of your content through analytics tools to understand viewer behavior and preferences. Metrics like view count, watch time, and engagement rates are essential for assessing effectiveness and refining your strategy.

Understanding how to measure success is critical to knowing what is working and what is not. Using this data, we can help you create even more content that resonates with the viewer or eliminate content that doesn’t work. Keep in mind, the more focused you are in your keywording and measuring, the better the results.

Implementation Tips Start by understanding your target audience’s preferences and the types of content they are likely to consume. Focus on creating relatable, informative, and visually appealing videos. Consistency is key. This means two things: (a) Maintain a regular posting schedule to keep your audience engaged and interested, and (b) Maintain a consistent brand so you don’t confuse your potential buyers.

Action Steps Begin by deciding whether video is for you and what type of video makes sense for your business. Identify the right type of video to convey the message you’re attempting to portray. That doesn’t mean, “I want to sell more product,” it means, are you trying to show professionalism? Trust? Or any other emotion? Engage with your audience by creating relatable and informative videos. With consistent effort and strategic optimization, watch your local business grow in reach and reputation, potentially even achieving viral success.

Need help or have questions? We’re here to help. Always here to answer your questions, even if we don’t work together. We just think you need video!

 

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4 Creative Ways Video Marketing Attracts New Patients

Using Video Marketing to Attract New Patients

Video Marketing to New Patients

If you’re looking to introduce yourself to new patients, this article will break down several tips to using video marketing to spotlight your practice and help acquire new patients.

To attract new patients who may want your services, you’ll need to address their concerns and show how you can help them. By showing how you’ll help them you can persuade them to reach out and call you for an appointment.

  1. Explainer Videos – Explainer Videos are a great tool to help potential patients understand who you are and what your specialty is. A medical explainer video explains common medical conditions and treatments that you provide and shows the viewer that this is a condition treated by your practice. Not only do explainer videos allow you to educate patients but they also help you create a list of potential patients to refer to other doctors. Choosing a new doctor is a big step for patients, and sometimes a little goes a long way in easing someone’s mind, and our next item does that without you telling them anything.
  2. Patient Testimonials – We always recommend that you create a video featuring real patients (clients, customers, etc.) who can share their positive experience in your practice. They can, and usually do, say things that you cannot say without sounding like a sales pitch. They will speak from the heart and make the viewer understand how valuable and helpful their experience was. By far, this is the most effective video for any medical practice.
  3. Meet The Staff – Have potential patients meet your staff to make your practice more relatable. Remember, people buy from those they know, like, and trust. By introducing your team, you show how pleasant an experience they can have when they come to your office while making the viewer more comfortable.  We recommend creating videos that introduce viewers to healthcare providers at your practice, including doctors, nurses, and other staff members.
  4. Patient Education Videos – Create videos that provide detailed information on specific medical conditions and treatments, as well as tips for managing those symptoms at home. These videos should also provide detailed instructions on how to take care of oneself after a surgery or treatment. These video will be an outside sales funnel for your business. If you place something like this on YouTube and do the best practices on the backend of YouTube, you’ll start to find people that have searched for a particular medical problem. Because you’ve provided an answer, they may reach out to you for an appointment. 

Video is a powerful tool, and should not be overlooked. People are always looking for answers to their questions online. Knowing this, we think you should be the answer they’re searching for. People are concerned when it comes to the state of their health and may not currently have a health provider to answer their questions. So by offering general health information via video, you are not only doing your community a service but you’re also expanding your practice’s presence.

Don’t want to stop there?

Here is a list of other video types that can help you reach your targeted viewer.

Case studies: Create videos that showcase real-life case studies of patients you have treated, including their diagnosis, treatment, and outcome. This is a powerful video technique.
Patient care: Create videos that demonstrate how to provide patient-centered care, such as effective communication and empathy.
Infographic videos: Use animation to create informative videos that break down important health information such as statistics and facts.

Interested in using video to market your business? We’d love to help you identify the best way to use video marketing to attract new patients. Give us a call at 561.800.2105, or visit us at PlumProductionsMedia.com.

 

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Marketing Ideas to Patients

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7 Benefits of Video In Business Marketing

business marketing video production

Video has become an increasingly important tool for businesses looking to market themselves and reach new customers. In fact, according to a recent survey, over 50% of marketers claim that video is the type of content with the highest ROI. Below are just a few of the many benefits that video can bring to your business marketing efforts.

Business Marketing, Hotel Marketing

Using Video in Business Marketing Can Provide

  1. Increased Engagement: Video is a highly engaging medium, and it’s much more likely to capture and hold a viewer’s attention than text or static images. By using video, you can more effectively grab the attention of your target audience and keep them engaged with your brand.
  2. Higher Conversion Rates: Video is a powerful tool for converting visitors into customers. In fact, including video on a landing page can increase conversions by up to 80%. This is because video allows you to more effectively explain your product or service, demonstrate its value, and build trust with your audience.
  3. Improved SEO: Google and other search engines love video, and using video on your website and social media channels can help boost your search rankings. This is because video provides another way for search engines to understand the content of your website, and it can also drive traffic to your site from video sharing platforms like YouTube.
  4. Greater Social Sharing: Video is more likely to be shared on social media than other types of content, which means it can help you reach a wider audience and build your brand’s online presence. In fact, according to one study, video is shared 1200% more times than both links and text combined.
  5. Enhanced Customer Understanding: Video is an excellent way to explain complex ideas or products in a way that is easy for your audience to understand. By using video, you can more effectively communicate the value of your product or service and help your customers better understand how it can solve their problems.
  6. Improved Customer Retention: Video is a great way to provide ongoing value to your customers, whether it’s through educational content, product demonstrations, or customer testimonials. By using video to keep your customers engaged, you can improve customer retention and build long-term relationships.
  7. Increased Brand Awareness: Video is a highly effective way to build brand awareness and establish your business as a thought leader in your industry. By creating high-quality, informative videos, you can showcase your expertise and establish yourself as a trusted source of information.

While this list is not every way video helps your business, we know that video will convey a message in such a way that it is cleaner and easier to understand, than many of the other forms of marketing communication.

Overall, video is a powerful tool for businesses looking to market themselves and reach new customers. Whether you’re using video for social media, your website, or email marketing, it’s a medium that can help you effectively engage your audience, boost conversions, improve SEO, and build brand awareness. So if you’re not already using video as part of your marketing strategy, it’s definitely worth considering.

Have questions or want to talk through your idea? We’re here to help! Give us a call today.

 

 

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What Is An Instructional Video?

Instructional Video image, video production

What is an instructional video?

An instructional video is any video that shows the viewer how to do something or gain knowledge. It can be anything from showing a process in the physical world or using a software application to teach soft skills such as leadership, customer service, values, etc.

Instructional videos are the most engaging and cost effective way to implement systems within your organization!

Every business or organization has systems in place that allow their workforce to move the organization forward, and it doesn’t really matter which industry you serve. We all can agree that effective implementation of these systems are what make business or organizations successful. There are several ways systems and tasks can be taught within an organization. The most common way this happens is by learning from one member to another, by text or by Plums Production’s favorite: An instructional video.

Let’s dive into why instructional videos outperform verbal and text as a way of teaching systems within your organization:

Video versus Verbal

Each time a new member joins the team and you have one of your old members, most likely a higher paid employee, teach the new member the systems within your organization it requires the higher end pay employee to take time out of his/her productive day to go over all the systems and information with this new member, and what happens if the new member doesn’t get the message the first time. They have to go over everything one more time…which means more time and money spent not working in your business. Here is the worst case scenario: What happens if this experienced employee leaves? Do you have another team member that knows as much about your systems as they did? If not, will you be able to recover as quickly now without that experienced team member? To overcome this, Instructional videos can be played as many times as you like, they can show visually your work spaces, usage of tools, and most importantly they will live forever.

Video versus Text

There is really no competition when comparing text and video. In this digital landscape, video is shown to generate 1,200%  more shares than images and text combined, and in terms of engagement, the chances of capturing your viewer’s attention is much higher when video is used, as opposed to plain text. This is because video can be more entertaining and engaging, plus it can visually represent the message you are trying to convey.

For example: If you own a restaurant and want to explain to a new server the systems inside your restaurant, an instructional video can show visually how the buttons on the POS system look, can show where everything is, what are the values of your organization and how things should operate. Video just uses the combination of visual aesthetics and audio to represent more clearly the whole picture.

Here are a few tips from your Plum Productions team on how to create a compelling instructional video:

  • Define the goal of your instructional video: Who is it for and what benefits will it bring for your organization or to the individuals watching it?
  • Write everything down: When creating an instructional video, time is critical and it’s important to narrow down the information to exactly what the user needs. Recent studies have shown that the majority of viewers want informational and instructional videos to be less than 20 minutes, with a preference toward the 3-6 minute ranges. (Source). This means that you should make your video as long as it should be to get the job done properly, but as short as possible.
  • Stabilize: Keep your camera on a tripod for stability,
  • Audio: Use an audio recorder to capture audio cleanly.
  • Focus: Check your focus. We don’t want blurry shots!
  • B-Roll: Support what you are saying with animations or B roll. B-roll is simply secondary shots that support what is being said. These can help simplify complicated concepts and show visually what is being said, because there is no better way to explain what you are saying than to show it!

Are you ready to create a compelling instructional video? Here at Plum Productions we do instructional videos often and we are ready to help you! Let us know if you have any questions or want to find out more information.

Possible Instructional Video


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How to Harness Video for Business

Video For Business - Plum Productions Corporate Video

It is amazing how so many people are using video for business. Whether your business is small or very large, using video to improve digital marketing efforts is the trend, and is likely not going to go away. Whether companies are creating promotional tools or educational segments it’s important to keep in mind that it must be engaging and worth watching.

In this post, we’ll cover some tips for making great marketing videos to how to harness the power of video marketing to get results in your business. We’ll cover which videos are must haves and which videos are nice to have, but not as critical so that you can focus your time on getting results quickly.

Tips To Creating Awesome Marketing Videos For Business

There are several elements that must be present in a quality business video. Besides shooting with a quality camera, using quality audio, and inserting supporting shots, there are some important aspects every video needs to have. First, it must have a message or a story.

Story/Message

The real message may not be what you think. What are you trying to convey? What is the point of creating this message? These questions seem obvious, but we’ve had clients ask us to create a video for the purpose of having a video, but when it came time to using it, it wouldn’t drive results. We knew it wouldn’t create results because the video just spoke AT the viewer, not TO the viewer. We helped them craft a message that spoke to the problem people face and how their product was the solution by telling the right story. Here’s an example of a video that does exactly that.

Video Mission vs. Product Mission

What we mean is you want people to relate, not watch. Viewers only relate when they put themselves into the story. We created a nonprofit video a while back that was shown at a breakfast. The crowd was engaged because it supported the mission of the organization and everyone could put themselves into the situation that was being described. When the video was done, people were wiping their tears because they could imagine themselves facing the same problem…that it could happen to them. They realized they needed to give to the cause because they could just as easily be in need and that others in the future may too. We were told this was a highly successful event. Here’s the video:

Where To Use Video For Your Business

Once you have the video, where you put it and how you use it can make a difference. If you simply place it on your website, how will you drive traffic to your site? If you’re placing it on YouTube, how are you doing the proper research to make sure the video will be found? Are you using all the tools at your disposal? If you’re using the video in your email program, are you measuring click-through and other data points to ensure you know what’s working, what’s not working, and what is producing the results you desire?

Are you using video to create a blog post? Answer questions for potential customers/clients? Or are you just posting video to post video? If you don’t have a measurement component toward a goal, we would not recommend investing money or time into video. It’s important to keep measuring results versus goals as often as possible when posting video.

If we can help you create video for your business at any time, we’d be happy to help! Post any question you may have and we’ll see if we can answer them for you.

 

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How To Use Video and Video Marketing For Your Business

Video Shoot for YouTube

How Is Video Changing In 2021?

Whether you’re a large, multi-national company or a small business, video is increasingly more important in marketing the business. How to use video is becoming an increasingly important area to explore and in 2020, we saw a huge increase in the use of video and that appears to be continuing in 2021.

Trends show that video is increasingly more important to share a corporate message than ever before. The question remains how has 2020 changed the way video is used? How will video be used in the coming years? In this post, we share some of the interesting trends we’re seeing in the corporate video production and corporate livestream video world and address the question:

How to use video and video marketing for your business in 2021?

The primary way video has been used in the years leading up to 2020 was to create a branded message with the purpose of converting a viewer into a fan and eventually into a customer. The road to conversion has shifted slightly. How it is being used and the methods that video has been incorporated shifted greatly during 2020. Many organizations shifted to creating videos that showed the viewer a behind the scenes, more intimate look at their operation. The goal was to show who was behind the scenes and how their people make up the business. The feel was directed to a “Our people are our business” mentality.

How To Use Video and What is Video Marketing and How Does It Work?

Video marketing is simply the process of creating a corporate video for the purpose of highlighting what a business does, how they help their customers, or telling their story in a compelling way. The ultimate goal of any video marketing strategy is to convert viewers to customers or clients. This conversion should be measured and converted to a Return On Investment (ROI).

If the video is compelling, more viewers convert; if a video is less compelling, less will convert. This means it is extremely important to enter the video production process with a purpose and goal. The purpose might be to share the story or show the human side of a corporation (think Publix Commercials) and the ROI might be 1 customer created for every 1,000 views (where we might assume part of the ROI is to retain or reinforce a message to existing customers).

Video Marketing usually works in the form of a commercial placed in front of the viewer (via television, online media consumption, or mobile media consumption). For example, a short video ad might be placed in front of another video that the viewer wishes to watch but must first watch the advertisement to view the video they want to see. This can be effective for forced marketing.

Another form of Video Marketing is the creation of a consistent stream of informational videos sent out to YouTube. For example, our Creative Director, Jenn Jager, created a YouTube channel several years ago to demonstrate her knowledge about video production. Since its creation, several clients have found Plum Productions because of her videos about various video production related topics. This is a form of Video Marketing that is more passive and less forced.

People search a question about a topic, find her video on Google or YouTube, watch her video, and then later reach out because they have questions and want to know if she can help. This is a much better method of gaining clients over time than forced advertisements; although, there is certainly a place for paid advertisements. For example, in her videos, she may have a paid advertiser run their ad prior to her video or she may promote a product for a company based on a paid agreement (usually noted in the video).

How Effective is Video Marketing For Business?

Let’s start with the assumption that one is placing the video in the right place at the right time to be in front of the right audience. That is the critical first step and why it is particularly important to have a purpose and goal prior to creating any video.

Now think about when you shop online for a product or service. Do you read any reviews? Most likely you do. Do you do any other research like Google the product name? You probably do. Do you watch videos related to the product or service? Most likely you do. That seems to align with the research.

According to Smart Insights, more and more marketers (those who place ads) are finding that video are a critical component of their marketing strategy. They find that the ROI on video has been steadily increasing over the years and it continues to do so this year.

One shift that Smart Insights and the marketers they’ve surveyed found that there has been a shift in where videos are placed and get a return on their investment. They are not only seeing a greater watch time (increasing by approximately 19%), but also seeing a shift from television advertising to online video marketing. The spend has grown faster in the online video segment than the television segment, which is significant and worthwhile to know.

What Types of Video Should Be Used When Marketing?

At Plum Productions, we’ve seen a shift in the past year to more online events and a growth in creating video for websites to improve search engine optimization. Here are the types of videos being used to market business right now:

  • About Us Videos
  • Testimonial Videos
  • Video Reviews
  • Corporate Messaging Videos (internal and external)
  • Demonstration/Product Videos
  • Real Estate / Construction Videos
  • Sales Tool Videos
  • Live / Livestream Videos
  • Virtual Event Videos

Here is a little more information about each one:

About Us Video

In this type of video, the company is simply trying to share with the viewer who they are, what they do and why a viewer should do business with them. Think about the traditional, “We’re ABC Company and we do X” style. This is something Plum Productions does a lot of and can help you create a script or branded message to better capture potential customers.

 

Testimonial Videos

If your company has a client base that can be asked to give a positive statement on camera, this is a great tool to help any company convert a viewer to a sale. Most people want to know they’re not the only ones who are buying from you…they want to know that others have tried you and you are legit. This should be used on any sales page that asks for the sale (asks for a payment). It will help conversion over time and help close the deal.

Video Reviews

This type of video is typically used with products. Most times this is a video that is created by someone who purchased a product and wishes to unbox and review the product for their viewers. This can be a source of income for product companies if they request a YouTube Influencer to review their product on their channel. Be prepared to offer an affiliate link or payment for their efforts and time. If their channel is the right channel for your audience, it should be worth the investment.

Corporate Messaging Videos (Internal & External)

Recently we did a video for a national company to review how they did in the first quarter of 2021. This video was shared internally with their team around the county to give everyone a sense of how they did and give the team a goal/direction to strive toward. This is a great way to communicate outward to the team to motivate them to continue to improve. This type of video can also be used to communicate outwardly to vendors and even customers. This video might include information to help viewers understand how well the company is doing and how they are grateful for their customers. By doing this, it reinforces brand loyalty with both vendors and/or customers.

How To Use Video: Demonstration / Product Videos

This type of video is for companies that sell products and want to show possible uses or the versatility of the product. For example, in this video from Epoca.

 

Or this video from the Tator Gator, both show how the product can or is used. This type of video helps the viewer understand what the product does but also puts the viewer into the situation to better clarify to the viewer if they should buy or not. If it’s not for them, they should be able to see that in the video to prevent product returns.

 

How To Use Video: Real Estate / Construction Videos

This area has grown dramatically in the past few years. Realtors are starting to create short videos to show a home they have listed to improve the possibility of a sale. The other area video is being used is in the construction market. Here, Origin Construction shows what type of work they do, how they work, and who is their client.

How To Use Vide: Sales Tool Videos

Videos that are used as sales tools are videos that walk the viewer through steps to get to a purchase. It might be a short social media that leads the viewer to a slightly longer video on a landing page followed by an even longer video that makes the purchase easier for the potential customer. These videos can also be frequently asked questions (FAQs) before calling in to speak to someone in the business before making a purchase. The other way a sales tool video is used is during a sales meeting, the salesperson uses a video to explain or show their services. It becomes a tool in the process of making a sale. If the focus is to lead the viewer down the path to a purchase, it most likely is a sales tool video.

How To Use Video: Live / Livestream Videos

One of the more complicated but highly effective videos is the livestream video. This has been on trend in the last half of 2020 and into 2021. This type of video allows large groups of people to gather without the risk of spreading disease…but more importantly, it widens the geographic area an organization can communicate. We had one nonprofit talk about how they did their livestream and learned that people were watching in all four time zones of the U.S., and they were able to increase their donations because of it. Larger audience for them meant more dollars coming in.

How To Use Video: Virtual Event Videos

Like Livestreams, this type of video is one where we produce a full event (emcee, participants, etc.) provide the video to the client and they stream it as if it is a live event. This can be helpful if you don’t want to leave anything to chance and just want the event to happen. During the “event” everything runs smoothly, and all viewers feel like they’re watching a live event…even though it is pre-recorded and highly produced. Imagine a television show captured as an event.

Why Is Video Marketing Important?

Video and how you use it to market the business does several things. First, it creates an awareness for viewers. They begin to recognize the brand, the style, etc. and begin to feel more comfortable with the company. If a viewer feels more comfortable, they’re more likely to buy because they form a sense of trust. If a viewer can go online and learn how your product works or troubleshoot by watching a video, they’ll appreciate that more than waiting on the phone for answers.

Video and Connectedness

When done correctly, viewers will feel emotionally connected to the organization if they see people. Sometimes it’s tempting to simply create an animation/cartoon video to explain what your business does, but we find this to be less effective. When you research a company to trust with your money, do you want to see who they are or have characters explain your business? Most people tend to prefer people because they want to know who they’re dealing with. Obviously, the lower the financial risk, the less important that is, but it becomes increasingly important when the financial investment rises.

With all that said, it’s important to know who your audience is, what they are looking for and where they do their research. By knowing this, you will have a much higher probability of capturing them where they are while they are going about their daily business.

If you need any help creating a video that captures attention and converts to sales, please feel free to reach out to us and we’d be happy to answer any questions.

 

Related Articles: 

How to Harness Video for Business

Video Trends of 2021

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Virtual Marketing – Videography during COVID-19

woman-computer-office

Virtual Marketing – Powerful Tools during COVID-19

The issue isn’t so much if you should create video it’s a matter of how. Virtual Marketing has taken off during COVID, so how do you create video during this pandemic? It can be easier than you think, but it will take some extra planning.

During the pandemic, we were all subject to time at home. Time to think about, “What now?” While some took that time and created something new or slightly different, others waited to see what will happen next. One component that was impacted heavily was video marketing. How do you create new stuff? How do you advertise when everyone is home and they don’t want what you’re selling? Do you ramp up social media? Do you create poor quality video content? How do you create video while social distancing? All great questions, but there are answers and there is a silver lining.

It’s tough to do a full-blown video shoot with a large crew, lots of cameras, lots of people on set, etc. How do you create a video when have your staff is still working from home? You don’t. But what you can do is create a planned out shoot that will provide you with the video that shares your message safely. COVID and the lock down has created a huge opportunity for some. Here’s what we’ve been doing to help those who want to use this opportunity to maximize their messaging.

  • Show How You’re Dealing With COVID – This is one way you can use video. Show your potential clients/customers how you are currently using the proper protocols and safety procedures to keep them safe. That’s what they want to know: Can I trust them to keep me safe? Show them how you’re doing things right and how you’ll keep them safe.
  • Capture Virtual Content – We’ve edited several ‘virtual’ events where the client has a Zoom call and has it edited into a concise video featuring interviews and conversations. These videos/calls can be branded and made to look professional, even though it’s just a Zoom call.
  • Small, Short Content – Some clients are asking us to crate videos using stock video, 2D graphics, even Doodly videos. All of these options allow the business to share a story and get it out via social media or via broadcast. Branded and visual makes the message complete.
  • Create a Video Review – Get your current customers to create a video review for you. They can do it with their cell phone or they can come to our studio where they can come in the back door, stand in place (everything is all set up already) and say their few lines, and leave the back door without touching anything. Masks are required, but we’ll be socially distanced as well.
  • Being Human – If you’ve ever wanted to create your own video using your iPhone to send messages to your clients, now is the time. Video, even poor quality image video, is effective. You’ve seen the late night shows do it on television, so can you…and you can do it without the fear of looking foolish or skimping on quality.
  • Last Point – Know that people don’t want to be sold hard right now. That’s a tactic that can work during normal times. Try this instead: “We’re sure you’ve been impacted by COVID, but we have no idea how badly. We also want to say that we’re here for you when you need us. If you don’t need us now, we completely understand. If you need us in a new way, please tell us so we can help.”

Change creates fear. Instead of being fearful, it’s time to embrace it. Know that we’re doing to be dealing with this for a while moving forward. Knowing that, what changes can you make in your business to make you stand out, be compassionate, and highlight your safety mechanisms all at the same time?

Here’s an example a Zoom Call that was converted into a show:

Here’s an example of a Doodly style video we created.

The opportunities are endless. Need help coming up with ideas? Let us know. Have a different idea that you’d like to do, we’d love to talk and see if it’s something that we can do for you.

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Hotel Video Production Marketing Strategy

hotel video production, woman at resort hotel pool with drink

Hotel Video Production

Are you worried about how to fill the rooms? Are you unhappy with your online reputation? Do you have a desire to improve the online engagement levels with your website? Have you been anguishing over trying to get the rooms to look exactly how a guest will find them when they arrive, but you haven’t been able to create a strong marketing campaign that shows a potential guest what they can expect. Should you use hotel video production strategies to fill the rooms?

Sometimes pictures are enough, sometimes they are not.

We’ve got you covered. In this post, we’re going to share with you how creating the right marketing plan and business strategy can incorporate solving several of the above issues. Hotel video production and marketing involves several facets of activity like social media marketing, online advertisements, print, billboard, and other levels of marketing that will drive traffic to your hotel.

We’re sure you’ve done focus groups and have learned about the needs of your guests and you’ve reviewed the Ps of Marketing, but we’d like to suggest that there are a few elements that may have been missed. Potential customers obviously want to know what the location looks like, but do pictures clearly show and/or explain your products or services. Do they do it adequately enough that one would not be surprised when traveling. When we travel, we’re often surprised by the difference in photos an the actual location.

Every aspect of the tourism industry should be maximizing video to their advantage. Here’s why. When someone plans a trip to places like Boca Raton, Palm Beach, Naples, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, or Key West, they do a lot of research.

Just like you do marketing research, their research includes things like what does the hotel look like? What do the amenities look like? What about the room, what should I expect to see and feel when I enter the room? Video shows people all the elements that are important to them.

What is the Marketing Process to Maximize Sales?

If you want to attract more guests to your hotel, you’ll want to show off the grounds, the rooms, the amenities and use social media platforms to increase the likelihood of being found by a potential guest during their search. When you define your marketing to incorporate what your guests want, they’re more likely to buy. While product price can impact a guests decision, if they see, hear, and feel the value, they are more likely to spend a little more to enjoy their vacation.

Reputation is critical in the hotel business. Hotels rarely survive a long-term negative leaning review score. No amount of advertising or video can offset poor scores. If the reputation is bad it’s time to make some operational improvements and hold off on any sales and marketing activities. You’ll only make more people mad by having them show up and be disappointed.

The process of maximizing sales is in a strong process. The process should include high quality video, appropriate placement with an appropriate spend and help potential guests understand what it is they’re looking at and why they should book your hotel for their next vacation.

Loyalty, Engagement, and Services – Fort Lauderdale Hotels

Marketing includes featuring a locations strength to their advantage. If you are a Fort Lauderdale hotel that has luxurious amenities, a relaxing and beautiful spa or an impeccable golf course, it’s critical to showcase that. If you have nearby attractions or nightlife that is important to the attractiveness of your hotel, show that too. Does your food stand head and shoulders above your competitors? You should feature Instagram-worthy video of your specialties.

Hotel Video Production: Increase Hotel Loyalty Using Video

Marketing can refer to reinforcing a positive visit. What if after a guest leaves, they receive a personalized standardized (yes…do both) video that thanks them for visiting. What if you had several videos that were at your disposal to email after their departure that mentioned an amenity or service they used?

What if they used your spa and the video you send to them afterward mentions that you’re glad they were able to use the spa and that you hoped they enjoyed their experience. How powerful is that? Would they know it wasn’t made specifically for them but that it was made only for those who visited the spa? You have the data, use it!

If you’re wondering how to make these things happen and more (yes, we have a lot of ideas related to improving loyalty and reputation), we’d be happy to talk about it with you. Give us a call and we’d be happy to work through all of these areas with you. As a South Florida video production company, we’ve seen and been a part of a lot.

The hotel/hospitality business can be frustrating, but it can also be rewarding. If you’re struggling to figure out how you should be using video, let us help you by working through our marketing strategy session and let us craft a plan with you. You control the direction, we’ll provide the creative that works.

 

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay