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Video: one tool, many possibilities

If you want to use video in marketing you need a strategy. On the one hand you should be geared to the target group you have in mind and, on the other, to the marketing objectives, messages and platforms you have defined beforehand. You also have to define the content that is appropriate for your own company and the format by which it can be conveyed. We have compiled a number of tips and suggestions for the most popular video variants.

October 2018

Tutorials

On the internet people mainly look for two things: entertainment and answers. In well conducted tutorials they find both these things. You should therefore consider what problems or questions worry your target group and what assistance you can give. This is true for technical gimmicks and recommendations relating to a product, a software, a service or office routine. In many cases a brief reality-based film including a demonstration, where necessary with additional visuals inserted, is ideal. For topics which are optically difficult to implement, animated videos will be more suitable. But these are mostly more laborious and more expensive to produce. The positive thing about tutorials is that you can produce series on certain topics, you can create long-term loyalty in the users and you can turn these into possible customers.

Explanatory video

When it comes to presenting the advantages of a new technology, software or B2B service B2B marketers often face a challenge. Explanatory films offer useful assistance in this respect. With a video, companies create clarity concerning complex technologically matters and can even package these in attractive stories. The specific benefit soon becomes tangible for the user and companies also demonstrate their expertise along the way.

Image film

Image films are the supreme discipline of video formats. For example, a company's manufacturing facilities, philosophy, services and personnel are depicted in a lavish production. The aim is to convey an authentic image through appropriate messages and credible facts. There is hardly another video marketing format which is ultimately so capable of breathing life into the (employer) brand as an image film.

Trade fair video

Trade fairs or events provide an ideal opportunity to spotlight your own company, products and services and to enable people to experience them in a special atmosphere. This is an advantage when extraordinary products or exhibits (such as robots, holograms or interactive exhibition areas) or an unusual stand design are on show. Then a brief video, made with a smartphone for social media, can make a positive impact on the corporate branding. Such content can only really be spotlighted effectively, however, with high-quality trade fair videos. For this purpose most fair organizers offer professional video services. The advantage is that experts will soon recognize the opportunities offered by the stand, the product or possible speakers. They then compare this with the customer's wishes and the platforms aimed at, they take care of the whole technology and production and they finally deliver an optimum result. With this high-quality video variant it is possible mostly to achieve the marketing goals such as lead generation or increased sales more effectively than with a smartphone clip.

One format, many uses

The advantage of videos is their practical versatility. Regardless of the format all videos are ideal when it comes to posting interesting material on your own social media channels. Explanatory films can also be used when introducing products on websites and as an aid in sales negotiations or on the trade fair stand. An image film can actually be used for every conceivable touchpoint of the brand with the potential customers or applicants, such as on B2B websites, in social media and in human resources marketing.

Once is not enough

When deploying video in marketing, continuity is a major key to success. That's why it is important to have a plan for the content of future videos. If you continuously publish videos you will profit on a number of levels. For example, your YouTube channel will profit because the YouTube algorithm recognizes that you are focusing on a certain theme and this will improve your ranking. And if you have a number of videos, users will get suggestions for other videos by you which deal with similar topics and problems. You will therefore be seen as a reliable source of information and you can soon arouse the interest of potential customers.

With good content, a little planning and continuous video production, and if a number of recommendations are heeded you can profit from the video trend and enhance your digital marketing with an attractive tool.

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