5 Ways Entrepreneurs can Grow with Video in 2019 (PREMIUM)

The world is consuming more video content than ever. According to a study by Cisco, video will account for 80% of global internet traffic in 2019. In the United States, that number sits closer to 85%. Reports of similar trends are painting a clear picture: modern businesses should leverage video if they want to connect with internet audiences. Whether you’re utilizing professional video or making the best of a smartphone, it’s time for video marketing to become a part of your gameplan. 

We’re going to examine several effective methods for growing your business with video. Each strategy is an industry agnostic approach to converting or better serving clients. 

Story Videos

One of the best ways to kick off or revitalize your online presence is with a video telling the story of your brand. Sharing your company history or mission in a compelling way can make a lasting impression with customers. Take time to think about what makes your business special and package that into a 2-3 minute video. Consider including footage of your employees, production process, or customers. The key is to show the philosophy of your brand in action. It’s also a great opportunity to highlight your company culture. If your work environment is fun and positive, put that front and center.

Another route to consider is using animation as a storytelling tool. Here’s an example of an animated brand video that Airbnb used to explain the meaning behind their logo. In under two minutes, the video makes a direct appeal to the emotions of the audience and provides a breakdown of the company’s vision. Color, typography, and quick transitions keep things visually interesting the entire time. In the end, customers are inspired to associate Airbnb’s logo with love, safety, and home. Creating an emotionally engaging story video is a powerful strategy for getting people invested in your brand. 

Regardless of your approach, it’s important to understand that a good story video does more than advertise a product or service. The best examples are able to connect with an audience on a personal level and communicate the core values of your business. 

Testimonials

Most consumer trust is earned with direct contact but a good testimonial can convince new or cold customers to take a chance on your business. Reach out to people who were pleased with your awesome product or personable service. Provide these happy customers with an incentive to share the story of their experience on camera. Have them focus on the ways your company or employees made a difference in their life. Avoid producing something that is overly scripted or agenda driven. It’s technically a marketing video but testimonials should feel personal and authentic in order to maintain their effectiveness. 

Gather clips of customers sharing positive stories and create a reel for your website and social channels. Having speakers from different demographics will allow you to target multiple groups in your audience. According to Google, 68% of clients prefer testimonials from “people like me” which is indicative of the need to feature different ages, genders, and ethnicities. 

Testimonials aren’t exactly groundbreaking, this strategy has been implemented by businesses for decades. However, if you want to establish a sense of trust with potential customers, it’s a proven method for making it happen. Don’t sleep on the power of word-of-mouth marketing. 

Instagram

With over 500 million active users, Instagram is a massive center for internet activity. There are several key video tools your business can be using to tap into the giant user base. Aside from posting standard 1 minute Instagram videos that live on your profile, you can now post short videos to your Instagram story, host a video in real time with Instagram Live, or create engaging looped clips known as Boomerangs. All of these elements work together to make Instagram a swiss army knife for video marketing. 

A social platform like Instagram is the perfect place to share behind the scenes videos, industry focused interviews, and exciting announcements directly to your audience. Creating this type video content is highly accessible and effective for establishing brand awareness online. Every video you post doesn’t need to go viral but entertaining or educating your followers is an opportunity to reveal your company’s authentic voice. 

The latest video service released by Instagram is a new sister-platform known as IGTV. IGTV allows users to watch long-form vertical video from creators on Instagram. Unlike typical Instagram videos that are limited to one minute, IGTV videos can be up to an hour long. Influencers and businesses who become creators can upload videos and essentially start their own channel. It’s still pretty green in comparison to Youtube, but it’s yet another way to get branded content in front of customers on Instagram.

Tutorial Videos

Educating your customers on your product or service is a vital part of providing the best experience possible. Using video content for this will save your customer service team time and provide a useful evergreen resource for your website. Get in the habit of releasing instructional videos alongside new products or features. If your clients have an easier time finding what they need it will optimize their experience with your brand. 

Brand awareness is more than simply knowing the name of a business. It’s also how familiar people are with your programs and services. Create a video that helps people navigate the more complicated areas of your business. Take things a step further by offering live webinars for your customers on social media. Providing a live and in-depth walkthrough allows your most engaged clients to interact with your brand in real-time. 

The best tutorial videos are free, short, and actionable. Remember that the people watching are already interested in your product meaning there is no need to oversell. Give people the knowledge they came for and solve their problems. As your customers become more familiar with your brand and how it works, it will lead to long term growth. 

Paid Video Ads

Social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube each offer some form of paid digital advertising service that allows you to use highly specific targeting. 

It’s a profitable advertising method but when combined with video these ads become significantly more effective. Marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users. In fact, compared to other types of posts, videos receive the highest engagement rates on social media making them essential to digital marketing growth. 

As you develop your video advertising strategy take time to consider how you will target the different segments of your audience. Aside from ethnicity, sex, and location you can target your videos towards specific types of devices and even retarget previous viewers based on percentage of time they spent watching your video. Test multiple cuts of the same video or plan to create short videos specifically for certain niches. As you begin to launch your ad campaigns, study the analytics to learn what your customers like to see. 

Videos are leading the way during a time where there have never been more tools for growing your business. They are effective because they capture attention quickly and sharply increase the odds that visitors will become leads or customers. Experiment and work to develop original content that provides actual value to your audience. If you are able to stay creative, authentic, and strategic then your video marketing will succeed. 

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