5 Video Formats to Spark Qualified Conversions
As a marketer, have you forgotten about YouTube?
Sure, your enterprise's videos may be hosted there, you may monitor the referral traffic and you may even upload new videos to the site when you're uploading them to your own, but when was the last time you really, truly spent time analyzing, creating and strategizing for Google's subsidiary?
If you can't remember, it may simply be because you don't have enough time. If you dedicate 40-plus hours a week to social media management, for example, you are 32 percent more likely to focus on YouTube than those investing six or fewer hours a week with social media according to the "2017 Social Media Marketing Industry Report" from Social Media Examiner.
What's more, among your marketing peers surveyed by Social Media Examiner over the last several years, YouTube has never been ranked the most important social media network - far from it. In 2017, four percent of respondents ranked YouTube as the single most important social platform for their business ( four percent in 2013 as well). For comparison, 62 percent of your peers ranked Facebook as the most important social platform in 2017 followed by LinkedIn (16 percent), Twitter (9 percent) and Instagram (7 percent) with Pinterest trailing YouTube in importance at 2 percent.
The benefits of YouTube within marketing, however, shouldn't be forgotten. Not only does Google deliver videos within its search engine result pages (often above other organic results), but people also go to YouTube knowing they will interact with brands, influencers and fellow consumers versus their friends, family and coworkers on other networks. Finally, almost four times as many people prefer to watch video on YouTube than social platforms that are less video-centric.
Sure, your enterprise's videos may be hosted there, you may monitor the referral traffic and you may even upload new videos to the site when you're uploading them to your own, but when was the last time you really, truly spent time analyzing, creating and strategizing for Google's subsidiary?
If you can't remember, it may simply be because you don't have enough time. If you dedicate 40-plus hours a week to social media management, for example, you are 32 percent more likely to focus on YouTube than those investing six or fewer hours a week with social media according to the "2017 Social Media Marketing Industry Report" from Social Media Examiner.
What's more, among your marketing peers surveyed by Social Media Examiner over the last several years, YouTube has never been ranked the most important social media network - far from it. In 2017, four percent of respondents ranked YouTube as the single most important social platform for their business ( four percent in 2013 as well). For comparison, 62 percent of your peers ranked Facebook as the most important social platform in 2017 followed by LinkedIn (16 percent), Twitter (9 percent) and Instagram (7 percent) with Pinterest trailing YouTube in importance at 2 percent.
The benefits of YouTube within marketing, however, shouldn't be forgotten. Not only does Google deliver videos within its search engine result pages (often above other organic results), but people also go to YouTube knowing they will interact with brands, influencers and fellow consumers versus their friends, family and coworkers on other networks. Finally, almost four times as many people prefer to watch video on YouTube than social platforms that are less video-centric.
If you are convinced you need to bring back YouTube into your marketing mix, then read on for the five types of videos you should create.
1. The How-To Video
According to Google, the top four content categories watched by YouTube users are comedy, music, entertainment/pop culture and "how to." In addition to hosting these videos on owned digital properties (i.e., their website), brands must consider creating how-to videos for YouTube as even executives prefer to watch a video versus reading text.
Whether's it's how to put together furniture (from the stores themselves), how to order the right size apparel online (from a retailer) or how to get your first 100 Twitter followers (from a consulting firm or software company), every enterprise has a how-to video waiting to be made to serve potential customers in micro-moments (I want-to-know moments, I want-to-go moments, I want-to-do moments and I want-to-buy moments) - and to the benefit of website traffic, brand recall and conversions.
2. The Tips Video
Similar to text-based articles, there's a video to be made for every part of a customer journey (before, during and after a sale). Insights into how to get the most out of a product or service should be presented in the form of a tips video. Employees, customers or partners can help craft these videos as long as the information is presented accurately and clearly so the tips can be easily carried out by the viewer.
3. The Employee or Partner Interview Video
With written content, Q&As allow readers to take deeper dives into product releases, services offered, a person's experience and other insights that can be helpful or interesting. When this content is presented in video, viewers are able to get all of that and more, as they are able to hear participants' tone and see their expressions. Brands can put on a figurative reporter's hat and consider who would make a good interview within their company or their contacts.
4. The Behind-the-Scenes Video
YouTube is a channel that presents the opportunity for brands to show more and end-users to see more. Unlike a feature such as Facebook Live, hosting behind-the-scenes type videos on YouTube will benefit a brand for seemingly years to come as people can find the material at will and through Google's powerful search (on YouTube and off). A behind-the-scenes video can be of a company itself, or an inside look into an industry, event or notable place.Forbes, for instance, published a tour of a $57.5 million mansion, but even a walk around an office or establishment can help potential customers understand more about the company, establish a connection with the brand and feel confident doing business with them.
5. The Review/Unboxing Video
There's nothing a brand can say that a real-life customer can't say better. People trust their peers for their advice and opinion, which is of course why product reviews are so imperative for online conversions. Product reviews on YouTube are no different. In fact, Google reports that 61 percent of recent purchasers say, "YouTube helped me learn about brands and products through how-to videos, product reviews, or even ads, better than any other websites."
While a brand can't review its products or services themselves, of course, they can encourage their consumers to do so on their behalf. In reality, however, if people hesitate to leave a text or photo review, they are likely very hesitant to create a video on a brand's behalf. Enterprises need to make it easy for them to do so by getting customer testimonials on the spot like at a store, event, or even a recorded Skype video or Google Hangout that the brand compiles and publishes.
Brands can also work with influencers who will "unbox" a product or review a product for compensation, whether it's free product, a commission or a flat fee. All relationships should be disclosed within the video. According to the FTC, the disclosure must be made clearly and prominently in the video itself (preferably at the beginning and throughout the video), as that has the most chance of being effective versus the video description alone and at the end of the video.
It's also important to "listen" for brand mentions as some customers and/or influencers may be reviewing your products for their audiences without any brand interference.
Happy Creating
From quickly looking for how to crop an image in Photoshop or handing a screaming toddler a Mickey Mouse video, YouTube is ingrained in Internet users' everyday lives - so much so that marketers may not be making most of the channel. When creating these YouTube videos or others, consider their long-term appeal as they will likely be surfaced for years to come, which is usually to an enterprise's benefit.
New YouTube Line
+ Online location-based marketing experts G/O Digital recently introduced a new line of marketing products for YouTube. The company offers a Video Advertising solution, which uses audience targeting to connect audiences and drive traffic as well as a new Video Production offering for clients to create a series of professional videos, including creative direction, filming, production and editing for a competitive set fee.
