In my latest vlog post, I explore why online video needs to be at the heart of your content marketing strategy. The Guardian recently published an article, ‘Online video is the future of content marketing’, with headline stats revealing that: • By 2017, video may account for just under 70% of all consumer internet traffic (Cisco) • 64% of marketers expect video to dominate their strategies in the near future (Nielsen) • Seven in 10 people view brands in a more positive light after watching interesting video content from them (Axxon) • A tenth of all video plays happen on mobiles and tablets (Ooyala) There is a good reason why Forrester’s the researchers claim that if a picture paints 1,000 words then one minute of video is worth 1.8 million; audiences are naturally wired to be more engaged with visual content, as 90 percent of the information that comes to the brain is visual, and content that utilises imagery gets 94 percent more views than those without. Video content creates opportunities for deeper engagement with your customers; done well, it can build trust and help you to win hearts, minds – and conversions. For example, a study by Animoto found that video content helps persuade 73 percent of consumers to buy a product or service. So whether you’re running a start-up or are employed by a large multi-national, the creation of engaging video content can help you make a real impact on your target audiences. Therefore you need to start considering how you can and will incorporate online video into your content marketing strategy (research suggest that only 44 percent of marketers have a documented content marketing strategy). And considering that only 7% of any message is conveyed through the words we use, it’s essential to be authentic on camera, to speak naturally and to allow your body, voice and thoughts to be congruent. Practising speaking out loud on an ongoing basis (and filming it!) is one way to enable authenticity and spontaneity when developing video content. Simply set up a video camera or laptop camera and start talking. Let yourself make mistakes and trip up. Bear it. Get used to connecting with your thoughts, ideas, inspirations – rather than deciding word for word what you will say and trying to remember this from memory. Get used to hearing yourself as you speak out loud and watching yourself during playback. Lastly, as the Guardian highlights, always consider the audience you are trying to reach, ensure the video is relevant to them, maximise social media opportunities and don’t neglect mobile and tablets; consumption in this area will continue to grow. https://vimeo/102644456
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 17:57:49 +0000