The POWER of PR with Danae Jones
Video is gaining momentum online like never before and if you aren’t producing video content to promote your brand, than you’d be wise to give it some consideration as it really could bring you the attention on your social media platforms that you desire.
The algorithms that work in the background on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc have been set to like video content over text. So if you’re wondering why you can be on Facebook and have someone’s video delivered to your news feed time and time again when it isn’t event Sponsored/Boosted, this is why.
Did you know that video achieves three times more reach for you on social media platforms?
After a recent release of video content surveys globally the CEO of Animoto, Brad Jefferson (an online video creation company) said in a press release “Businesses need to learn to ‘speak video’ fluently if they want to connect with their customers on social media."
Another important note is once the video content is created, where to put it?
"The most important consideration for brands when creating and publishing videos is to look to data to make the most informed decisions on the right content and channel," says Lux Narayan, CEO of Unmetric (a social analytics platform).
There is no question that video is starting to dominate and the Wyzowl survey results confirm this. It is proven through multiple pieces of extensive research and analytics that it has also become a preferred way for people across the world to consume.
In the Wyzowl survey, when consumers were asked: "Where both text and video are available on the same web page, how would you prefer to learn about a product or service?"
- 80 percent said video
When companies were asked ... "Does your business use video as a marketing tool?"
- 63 percent said yes
That means the other 37% of companies either don’t have a video strategy or they're late and now need to play catch up.
Animoto's survey of 1,000 customers and 500 marketers about the state of social video marketing found some key insights. Video is BIG, especially on mobile devices.
- 84 percent of consumers say they watch social video content on mobile devices- 81 percent of marketers say they optimise their social videos for mobile, which includes things like planning for sound-off viewing- 39 percent of marketers create videos in square and/or vertical formats
According to the customers in the Animoto survey, this is what they are more likely to share:
- What's funny- What's emotional/inspirational - What's educational
And what they are more likely to like:
- What's funny - What's emotional - "Behind-the-scenes" looks at the company
The bigger finding which is something I have been preaching for years is, people are over the hard sell and hard-sells simply don't work anymore.
For business owners and managers you will always want to know about your return on investment and how many sales have been converted through your marketing activity. With online video content Wyzowl’s research shows that 64 percent of consumers say they watched a marketing video on Facebook that influenced a purchasing decision within the last month.
So how does your ability to influence purchasing decisions with consumers online stack up? If you feel it needs some work, it’s not too late. It is important to note that a lot of the stats I have quoted have a dominant American consumer base. But we follow America when it comes to marketing every single time, we are literally only a year or two behind them these days. So start your planning now and get ahead of the game with your video content.
Creating quality, engaging and effective online video content is not easy and this is exactly why companies such as Animoto, PicPlayPost, Wyzowl, Adobe Premiere and many others exist.
It takes time, patience, creativity and a solid content strategy to make sure your videos and other content work to serve your marketing needs. Having a professional produce it for you does not have to cost the earth either, so don’t be afraid to reach out to video producers locally as many of them now have online video content packages that they offer which are very affordable.
Danae Jones is Principal of PR & Marketing firm Danae Jones Consulting