Video marketing set to fly

Video should form the core of any content marketing strategy, but high data costs in South Africa means marketers are not getting the return that they should. ERNST WITTMANN of Alcatel SA, believes this will however begin to change.

If you want someone to remember your message, show them a picture. If you want them to act on your message and convert them to customers, show them a video.

Research has found that 65% of business decision makers visit a marketer’s website after viewing a branded video, and 64% of customers are more likely to buy a product after watching a video about it.

Video is expected to make up 74% of all Internet traffic this year and Cisco predicts this will rise to 80% by 2019.

We’re addicted to videos. They transmit messages faster, they’re engaging and we’re more likely to retain information that’s presented to us visually. It’s no wonder that video has become a huge focus for social media channels, with 300 hours’ worth of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute, and Snapchat and Facebook, respectively, streaming two billion and four billion live videos every day.

Video should form the core of any content marketing strategy but high data costs in South Africa means marketers are not getting the return from video that they should be. Consumers are frugal with their data and video is the hungriest of them all. With options to turn off automatic video playback on social media in order to save data, it’s not likely that you’re getting the reach with your video marketing efforts that you could be.

But that could change soon.

The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) is conducting an inquiry into high data costs amid a growing demand by civil society that.

A drop in data charges will be a boon for marketers, especially with the continued roll-out of high-speed fibre across the country.

When consumers are not hamstrung by high data costs and low Internet speeds, video consumption will skyrocket and marketers can fully execute – and reward from – their video marketing strategies. In some instances, it may very well be groundbreaking.

Here are a few good reasons why every business should consider video content marketing:

·         It boosts your search engine optimisation (SEO). Content is 50x more likely to make it to the first page of Google results if it includes video.

·         It increases engagement. Social videos generate 1200% more shares than text and image combined.

·         It supports revenue growth. Marketers who use video grew revenue 49% faster than those who didn’t use video in their campaigns.

If you don’t yet have a video marketing plan in place, here are a few things to keep in mind:

·         Keep videos in line with your brand. Logos, fonts and colours should remain consistent.

·         Include a video on your landing page. Ideas include product demos, a different take on the ‘about us’ section, testimonials, how-tos and explainers. This could increase your conversion rates by an astonishing 80%.

·         Incorporate video into your email marketing for a chance to boost clickthrough rates by 200-300%.

·         Keep videos under five minutes. Videos up to two minutes long get the most engagement.

·         Tailor your content to the channel. Social videos have more engagement than any other content format but each platform uses video differently, e.g. Snapchat creates a sense of urgency and YouTube supports longevity. Understand these nuances to ensure you have maximum impact.

·         Optimise for mobile. Keep videos short and use compression technologies so that they load quickly and aren’t data hungry.

·         Include subtitles. Some 85% of Facebook users watch videos without sound. Including subtitles ensures that your message still comes across.

·         Tell a story. People relate and engage with stories more than brand or product messaging. Stories are also more shareable.

With an increasing number of high-quality, free video editing tools available today, getting started with your video marketing strategy has never been easier or more cost-effective. Start playing around today and experimenting with lighting, styles and content so that you can hit the ground running once those data costs drop.

• Ernst Wittmann, Global Account Director MEA & Country Manager – Southern Africa at Alcatel