It’s an exciting time to be involved in video marketing. The field is fluid, and we get to keep a finger on the pulse of the industry. It’s busy and fun, and it’s a learning experience, too. We’re always finding new and better ways to communicate and connect with prospects, including how to continue to leverage better strategies for the video content we produce for our clients. Here are 3 things we’ve learned over the past few years about how to improve your video marketing strategy.
1. Identify All Stakeholders
Most IT purchases come after weeks or months of research, and a strong demo is only one part of the process. Good riddance to the days of needing to impress “the guy in the corner office.” These days, decisions are made collaboratively by people across the enterprise–just as it should be. Users want confidence in knowing that a new product will help them do their job better. Management might be focused on productivity and accountability. IT wants to know if it will play nice with other apps. Finance, well, we all know what they want.
Once you’ve identified all stakeholders, it’s time to plot your course. Now the question is, which video assets will resonate with which stakeholders? Explainers tell an engaging problem and solution story, so this video style is an ideal choice for reaching high-level decision makers. Explainers might also use a narrative to tell the story of your solution, which provides a new avenue to connect with your target market. On the other hand, a product overview demo can touch on key messages and showcase a product’s core competencies. Feature tours are closer to a classic how-to demo that many users like to see before making a decision.
Once you have an idea of the best video style for your goals, next we recommend creating Content Briefs. This gives you a chance to outline key messages and visuals. When your videos check all boxes with all stakeholders, purchasing is more of a process and less of a decision.
2. Research Your Wow Factors
Wow Factors are the aspects of your company or product that distinguish you in the marketplace. They could be the way your solution addresses a certain pain point, the friendliness of your customer support team, or the energy at your user conference. Or maybe it’s a particular feature or module of your product. Not all customers will site the same factors, but getting a feel for your most important differentiators will help you craft the right video content.
Armed with insights into what motivates different audiences, you can roll out targeted videos. Customization can help you showcase the most relevant, useful elements of a product to quickly gain traction and results. One client we had an opportunity to do this for recently was Eastridge Workforce Solutions. They benefited from breaking up a longer demo into several shorter, hyper-focused segments that suited different demographics.
Here’s an example of one short segment detailing Eastridge Cloud’s financial management solution:
And the full demo it’s pulled from:
3. Keep It Short and Diverse
At Autodemo, we get a front row seat to observe how people browse and purchase. In the 00’s, our average demo video was about four minutes long. Looking back now, this seems hard to believe. By the 10’s, our average video was down to two and a half minutes.
This year, most videos average around 90 seconds. I know what you’re thinking: it’s because everyone’s attention spans have shrunk to that of a gnat! We wouldn’t argue with you there. Yet the more interesting aspect from our perspective is how shorter videos provide an opportunity to stay hyper-focused on a product or solution, because this lets you pare out all the fluff so only the most compelling, engaging, relevant aspects remain.
If you want to talk more about improving your video marketing strategy and putting these tips into action, get in touch.