Video as a tool for attracting customers

Since the transition from static photo to moving image began, video has had a quality which is still relevant today: it attracts audience attention. Whether it’s by telling stories through tutorials or video blogs, presenting interviews, or streaming content, content in video form takes the crown for being the most enjoyed and the one which generates the highest engagement in the digital world (an audience retains up to 95% of a message in video form in comparison to the 10% they remember from a text they have just read).

Once upon a time…there were static images

The history of mankind attempting to capture movement goes back to cave paintings and began to materialise through optical illusions which rely on persistence of vision to give the impression of movement. Among these were the thaumatrope, phenakistoscope, and the zoetrope, some of the earliest examples which laid the foundations for moving images.

This type of curiosity and developments resulted in the creation of more sophisticated apparatus such as Alva Edison’s Kinetoscope and finally, the cinematograph invented by the Lumière brothers. This was how a phenomenon which aimed to please certain unknowns in the field of science became a creation which would entertain the masses, transforming little by little into a way to represent a space, a time, and a speech.

 

Video in the digital age

Today, audiovisual materials are strongly linked to the digital world. According to Hubspot, 78% of people watch videos on the internet at least once a week, and 55% do so daily. Social media channels have found in video an effective method of communication, something which advertising recognises and takes advantage of.

The boom in audiovisual materials on the internet is such that Youtube is the second most-visited website in the world (only behind Google) and Facebook predicts that by 2021 it is likely that all its content will be in video form, without text. This is something which appears reasonable when we consider that approximately 59% of executives accept that they prefer to see content in video rather than written form (WordStream). The best way to impact a digital audience is through video marketing.

This supremacy is such that every day, approximately a trillion hours of video is watched just on Youtube. To this, we can add the hours of video on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, blogs, websites, etc. There are so many videos on the internet that a whole lifetime wouldn’t be long enough to watch them all. In a world with so many audiovisual materials, we must find the right strategies to get our video into people’s minds and help it stay there for a long time.

Video marketing on the frontline

According to Renderforect, each year almost 5 billion video adverts are consumed and it is estimated that this year, 80% of the content consumed on the internet will be moving images. With this in mind, the idea of focusing on video marketing doesn’t seem so absurd.

Videos, as well as becoming a vital part of daily life, are also a valuable tool for advertisers. Merca2.0 points out that 44.79% of the population in Mexico uses social media, which has become the ideal space for digital marketing tools. Although in theory, social media was for photos and static images (Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook are examples), this is the decade of video on social media, mainly thanks to the ease with which it can be consumed and the good results obtained in terms of both reach and engagement.

According to Hubspot, more than 80% of brands are doing video marketing, mainly as a result of the impact it normally has on Generation Z, which is the one which is beginning to have or already has a certain buying power, as well as being the most frequent on social media.

70% of active consumers of social media have shared videos from brands, which translates into an increase in the number of conversions (Wyzowl). It’s a fact that videos are a fundamental part of daily life and that we must take advantage of this. According to Google, 65% of people who go on Youtube do so to solve a problem or need. And what does advertising do? Exactly.

 

Some aspects to consider

If video enables us to share lots of information in little time, and shares make it possible to reach thousands of people, it is necessary to take into account a few aspects to ensure that the message reaches people and will be well received.

 

• Avoid prioritising quantity over quality

It’s true that it is getting easier to get hold of, use, and buy photography and video equipment. In general, it is more accessible. The majority of smartphones have cameras, which allow any user to take their own static and moving pictures; it’s no longer necessary to be a specialist in order to gather and share materials: this is work that almost does itself.

We need to keep in mind that just because it’s possible to produce thousands of videos each day, doesn’t mean that this is a good idea. If you want a product to stick in the minds of consumers, you need a clear and concise message. It’s better to have one well-made video than ten which don’t provide any value.

 

• The first few seconds are vital

With so much video and so many social media channels, internet users have infinite options available to them. Chain scrolling (referring to continually refreshing the news feed) is a phenomenon which exists and which every digital marketing agency faces. It’s vital to grab attention straight away.

 

Eight seconds at the most is the time a person takes to lose their attention in something. This is due to the fact that we are no longer in the habit of sitting down in our living room and watching all the adverts that a television channel had programmed. Now, if you don’t like something, just scroll down and keep looking. This is why it’s so important to launch a meaningful and powerful message from the moment the video starts.

In general terms, the exposition-climax-resolution structure lost its efficiency when it reached the digital world.

 

• Take advantage of several formats to generate greater engagement

Although the idea of video marketing sounds good, it’s a bit ambiguous. We have to take into account that there are no general rules for how videos should be constructed, what their duration should be, what their narrative structure is, whether or not they should tell a story, etc.

According to Biteable, videos for marketing can take different forms (or formats), such as:

• Educational videos
• Vlogs
• Tutorials
• Web seminars or webinars
• Buyer testimonials
• Interviews
• Streaming

 

• Think about what platform you want your video to be seen on

Decide the format, size, duration, and set up of your video, thinking about the platform it will be uploaded to. Although Biteable says that six out of every ten people prefer to watch videos online than on the television, we need to take into account that each website has its own characteristics which need to be considered to ensure the success of the video: rectangular and 15 seconds for Stories, square and one minute for Instagram, rectangular and longer duration for Youtube, etc.

• Take your audience into account

As well as the platform, we also need to consider the viewing mode as, as eMarketer says, approximately 75% of people usually watch videos on their mobile devices. Though the initial aim of an audiovisual product was, as the name indicated, to unite visuals and sound, the current reality is that 85% of people who watch videos of Facebook do so without sound. This is a fact that needs to be taken into account when it comes to creating a script to avoid relevant information being lost. The key to success is planning.

• Be careful with viral content

Having a video go viral seems to be the dream of many internet users. However, when it is advertising, this can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, a viral brand or company video means that people will be talking about it for a long time, and that its reach will be incredibly high, but on the other hand, hilarious aspects can destroy the reputation of the person who uploaded it.

A recent example of this occurred in Mexico when the Governor of Guerrero appeared with a cat ears filter in a live video on his Facebook profile. The video quickly became viral and the Community Manager lost their job. This shows that the viral nature of videos, as well as being dangerous, is uncontrollable.