What is video marketing?
Video marketing, simply put, is using videos to market your services. Pretty obvious right? But what is not so obvious is the ludicrous benefits that it brings to your business and that’s why you should start doing it too.
According to a video marketing research by Hubspot and Wordstream, this year, 87% of marketers will be using video content, and that including video on a landing page can increase conversion rates by 80%.
You have probably read about these amazing statistics elsewhere, and it is true that more businesses are using videos to promote their services. After all, telling your story through videos is a more effective way to convince others.
This is my story on how I used video marketing to grow my business and how it benefitted me. After reading my journey, I urge you to start using video marketing to grow your business as well.
1. Videos help create a stronger outreach
When I first started my business as an entrepreneur, I have been through the difficulties that come with running your own company. And perhaps if you are a freelancer in Singapore, you have too, and that is thinking of more ideas to get freelance clients. That’s when a dear friend of mine, Kai Xin, introduced me to networking sessions.
To me, networking was the most important thing I did at the start to grow my company. It builds my network and was a great way to reach out to new clients. Initially, it was challenging to get new customers as people did not understand what I did, and I constantly had to meet up with people and explain my services. So I decided to produce my own marketing video explaining what I do.
That video acted as my networking and sales guy. I could share it around easily on WhatsApp or email, educating others about what I do in just 1-2 minutes. It explained the value that my company provides and it helped me to reach out to many prospects easily, allowing me to get more sales.
However, there are obvious differences. One, a video is inanimate. There is no human element there, no gorgeous smile or small talk that could help charm your prospects. And second, it doesn’t build your network for you. You can’t build relationships through the video, and hence it acts as a complement, not a substitute. Hence it’s still important to learn how to be a good networker.
2. Videos help you introduce yourself to others in a memorable way
But being a good networker is hard if you are a little introverted and shy like me. I still remember my first few meetings, I was quiet and awkward, not knowing what to say.
Once I had a video, I start off my meetings with it. My video did wonders in helping me to introduce my company and its services to potential clients and allowed them to remember me better.
After all, not all of us can be as charismatic as Elvis Presley.
A video also sets the scene and tells your prospects what they can expect. This way, you don’t have to lead the conversation. Just let the video do its work. And after the video, your prospects can ask you questions about your product or service, and voila!
The onus of the conversation is on them and not you! Way to go!
From the video, my prospects immediately knew what I did and what I was capable of. Through their comments on the video, it opened the avenue for business talk and even a few laughs as well.
If you are wondering about the video, you can check out my marketing video here!
3. Videos help to build brand trust/image
Having a video improved my brand image. Many Singaporean companies still don’t have a video, so when I showed them mine, and how it helped to make my company seem more established and serious, they were sold and were more willing to pay a higher price for my services.
By producing a video, be it animated or live action, it improves your brand image by establishing trust and credibility. Granted that you display quality content. With that in place, when you present your business in a video format, it makes the interaction less of a sales pitch and more of a conversation. It also personifies your brand and gives it human characteristics, portraying a softer, kinder image in your potential clients’ minds in contrast to a cold corporate company.
A video also provides tangible proof of how legitimate your business is, thus building credibility. It shows your capabilities as a company and gives your prospects a clearer picture of your product or service. This takes your business, especially if you are new, from possibly dodgy to legitimate and credible.
4. Videos help you to rank better in SEO
Videos provided many benefits to my Website’s SEO ranking. In the past, I was nowhere to be found on Google. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t find my own website. So it’s amazing for me to know that I am now on the first 3 links of many related search words, and I attribute a lot of it to videos.
How it works is too much for me to go in depth, but I would just like to explain briefly. From Brainshark’s compilation of video SEO statistics, perhaps the most striking fact is that people stay two minutes longer on your website if you have videos. That’s good. Maybe the video caught their eye and they would be interested in a deal.
But what’s even better is that search engines like Google will see that two minutes and rank your website higher in search results. Why? Because Google’s algorithm takes into account how long visitors stay on your website. And in those two minutes, while the audience’s attention is captured, the video is boosting your SEO rankings to the top, increasing traffic on your website and potential sales. That’s why I have 6 videos on my home page itself.
5. Videos increase conversion rate
And now, let’s talk results. Videos increased my conversion and sales rate tremendously. Before I had a video, I wasn’t able to garner interest or close deals during meetings. But once I have a series of videos, it has definitely helped to cut down on the duration of each meeting and increased my closing rate.
After all, what is the point of the brand image and SEO traffic if you can’t close a deal right? 73% of all consumers are more likely to purchase after watching marketing videos, this report says. How? Why? Because all of the above-mentioned factors come into play and made that happen.
First, you use the video to introduce people to your brand and at the same time improve your brand image and credibility. As people watch your video, your SEO ranking improves, driving traffic to your website and increasing awareness of your brand. With increased awareness and a positive image, comes sales. I’m not saying if you check these two boxes you will be rolling in cash, but it will definitely give a boost to your business.
Which was exactly what happened to me. After my prospects viewed my marketing video, they were impressed and followed up with official inquiries. This led to multiple sales and closed projects.
An Added Element – Advertising
Having said all of the above, about how beneficial and great a video is, let’s look at how to advertise your video and get people’s attention and say, ‘Hey! Look over here, I’ve got this cool video you should check out!’
Even though I normally present my video in person face to face, like what I did in my early days, I can’t rely on manual meetings to get all the sales right? I certainly didn’t, because everything is digital now. I mean, I’m writing an article for a digital hub, and you’re here hopefully still reading it.
So we need to market it online. And cue the question – should we buy advertisements or promote the video organically? First, let’s take a look at buying advertisements. The 2 best ways are through YouTube and Facebook ads.
YouTube Ads
YouTube is arguably the most cost-efficient digital marketing method, with rates as low as 1¢ per view! Doing some quick math, this means that with $10 per day, you can get 1,000 views. And what’s better, you are only charged if a user watched at least 30 seconds of your advertisement, or till the ad’s completion, whichever comes first.
There are many types of YouTube ads, and many flexible settings for you to fine tune, helping you target the right group of people with the right budget, achieving the results that you want. You can reach out to really niche groups of people, for example, businessmen who are looking at business services. The ads will only be shown to them, making sure your dollar is spent wisely. If you wish to learn more, you can read this All-in-One Guide to YouTube Ads for Marketers.
Facebook Ads
Facebook Ads are very trendy and many businesses use them. By having an advertising account with Facebook, you can also place ads on Instagram.
Now, when do you buy ads and when do you just post the video on your account and promote it organically? If you are well established and have a strong social media following, then I would say organically. Because people know who you are, and your followers can like and share it, spreading the video by word of mouth.
However, if you are just starting out, and are trying to get the word out about your product, brand or service, then ads are the better option. Because almost nobody knows about you and having advertisements would change that quickly and effectively.
A Final Word:
Videos have truly helped my business to grow a lot, and I hope that through my story you have gained some valuable insights on how your business can benefit a lot from it!
If you have any questions about my story, leave us a comment below and I would love to share more about it with you.
In case you are wondering who I am, I run a Singapore video production company that specializes in motion graphics animations and event videos! Feel free to check us out!
