Get Your Boss on Board with Your Video Marketing Strategy

It just isn’t an option anymore to omit video from a marketing plan. Gone are the days when videos were obscurity or the curiosity only of internet interlopers. Consumers consistently turn to videos for quick consumption of memorable information. If you’re a marketing professional and struggling to convince your boss to invest in video marketing or preparing an initial proposal, here are some ideas on how to successfully plead the case for the implementation of this incredibly powerful tool. 

The Power of Video: A Brief Overview

• 81% of businesses use video as a marketing tool. 
• Including a video on a landing page can increase conversion rates by 80%. 
• 65% of video viewers watch more than ¾ of a video. 
• 92% of mobile video viewers share videos with others. 55% of people watch videos online every day.

These are impressive figures, but why is video so effective? 

First, most people are visual learners. We are likely to remember something better if it’s shown to us, especially if we can be entertained, inspired or intrigued while taking in information. 

Videos are typically short, fitting for our naturally short attention spans as well as our overfull schedules and the amount of content we consume. We can take in a ton of information in just 1 minute. We are likely to share a video of that length with a friend since it’s brief but can also inspire an in-depth conversation.

A video helps a company feel familiar to its audience, that you are someone they can trust and wouldn’t mind hearing more from. Marketing isn’t just about selling a product. The most effective campaigns tell a memorable story and there’s no better way to tell a story in the age of the internet than with video. 

If you aren’t using video in your marketing strategy, you’re missing a huge opportunity to communicate your message, your story, in the most effective way to date to reach your audience. 

Have Facts on Your Side

Most businesspersons typically are also numbers people so be sure to include some persuasive ones in your proposal. A quick search for video marketing statistics will return more statistics than you’ll need on the persuasive power of video. To name a few:

• Video accounts for 80% of global internet traffic. 85% in the US.

• A webpage containing at least one video is 53 times more likely to be at the top of a search engine result page.

• 83% of businesses believe video gives them a good ROI.
• Nearly 50% of internet users look for product or service videos before visiting a physical store and 80% of consumers feel videos demonstrating a product or service help when deciding to purchase.
• Video content has proven to increase the number of clicks in ads and the opening rate of emails.

Have an Emotional Appeal

Perhaps your boss finds these statistics interesting and sees your point but isn’t concerned about doing whatever everyone else is doing. Your boss is influenced more by emotion and is truly committed to what services or products your company provides and the loyalty that exists between business and consumer. Long-term relationships are central and key to any company’s success. But to help build that relationship, businesses need to shift from relentless selling to giving their clients memorable information that reflects the values of the company. Many incredibly successful marketing videos don’t even necessarily push the product or service but tell a related story the audience will remember. 

In 2015, Android ran a video called “Friend Furever” that became the #1 most shared video for the year. Its concept is exceeding simple: a collection of video clips of unlikely animal friendships, set to a catchy tune about Robin Hood and Little John from the 1973 Disney cartoon feature. At the end, if this one-minute video, you see the slogan, “be together. not the same” followed by the Android logo.

That’s it.

No Android products were even mentioned, but the video makes you happy, it makes you laugh, and you want to share that. The audience reaches here is especially wide, because not too many people wouldn’t want to see cute critters doing cute stuff. The slogan is simple, overlaid on a funny scene that combined, pulls at your heartstrings. It certainly helps how well-known the Android brand and logo are, but it’s the clever pairing of those particular animal friendship images with Android’s campaign to stay connected with your friends that make it work.

Watch it and make sure your boss does too. Be sure to point out this video, while beautifully produced and ingeniously imagined, probably did not cost a fortune.

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For more inspiration, check out this collection of successful marketing videos. 

Spell it Out

If your boss is less of a puppy/kitty type and more of the nuts and bolts variety, show him a great explainer video, such as Hubspot’s charmingly animated “What is AI” video or Ethical Coffee Chain’s piece that tells, also in an animated video, where coffee beans come from and how they get into your cup. 

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Explainer videos get a message across while being fascinating and entertaining at once. Likewise, how-to videos can be an engaging way to highlight a product or service. Think of the recipe videos out there that, even if you don’t cook, are incredibly satisfying to watch and widely shareable. And as one of the above statistics states, consumers are more comfortable purchasing a product or service online after they have seen a demonstration or explanation of it. They are also more likely to watch a video first before heading to the physical location where the product or service is offered. Here are more excellent examples of explainer videos. 

In Conclusion

As a marketing professional, you already know video must be part of your marketing strategy. Inspiring your boss to agree can be challenging, but really, the evidence is indisputable. Everyone who owns a smartphone is watching videos on a regular basis and the statistics confirm it. We live in a time when we’re very fortunate to have the option of creating our own little masterpieces to, astoundingly easily, share with literally the entire world. We don’t have to spend tens of thousands of dollars on television ads and sit back envying Super Bowl commercials that everyone is talking about come Monday morning. We can have a slice of that influence anytime we choose.