Proven fact: video content works. Like magic, it’s the mysterious-lead-generating marketing machine. Google loves it, Youtube could be a country with the amount of users and views it gets every day, and video is in higher demand than ever before in history. You’ll find scads and scads of stats and reports that explain this phenomenon. But just for today, let’s not.
Instead let’s break it down into 3 very academic reasons why video is working for marketing departments in businesses across the globe.
1. Bright, shiny, moving objects – what catches your attention more, than a bright, shiny, moving object? For some, the light reflecting off a watch face on the wall will cause a distraction that briefly pulls their focus away from everything else. Ever seen those videos of dogs chasing laser pointers? A video on your site, in your e-newsletter, or at your booth in a trade show is just that – a bright, shiny, moving eye catcher. Those scads of stats will tell you that people take notice of video, and would rather click “play” purely out of interest rather than read a full page of text, and it’s as simple as that.
2. Our DIY culture – in our last blog, we compared video to a Walmart greeter. This is because, buyers today want to feel like they came to your site because they CHOSE to, the will read or watch what they want on your site, they will make their own decision at their own pace. Video allows the do-it-yourselfers to watch the information from a distance – Psych101 calls this voyeurism. We like to watch, without being watched. In many cases, the simple fact that a person isn’t hearing about your company from a sales representative or forced to engage with a real living person is actually the best sales tool.
3. Monkey see, monkey do – without being mean, let’s talk about the effectiveness of a “call to action” statement. Videos do not end with the classic “The End” and credit roll anymore. That’s a missed opportunity. I’m not suggesting people are lemmings, sheep or monkeys – but a well-placed and compelling call to action can incite the action you are looking to achieve. But you have to spell it out. Here are a few examples of clear and compelling call to actions: “Click the green button at the top of our website for a free trial” “Send an email to Joe to hear about our killer promotion”, or “Want to know more? Drop in every Wednesday at noon for our workshop”.
