There’s no way around it: Video marketing is an essential part of the marketing toolkit. But not just any old video will do. More and more, people look for video content that is both engaging and informative. But don’t take our word for it. Experts believe that 79 percent of internet traffic will be video by 2018 and people are 85 percent more likely to buy a product after viewing a product video. Social media posts with videos attract three times more links than text-only posts.
The numbers speak for themselves. Video in marketing is vital.
TechSmith Camtasia helps anyone make professional-quality video that’s both eye-catching and rich in content. But, as you get started making your own videos with Camtasia, you may be wondering what types of videos to make. The sky’s the limit, but here are three ideas for using video in marketing to help you on your way.
Number 1: Social Media Speed Tutorial
Have a quick product feature want to show off? Or maybe you want a quick how-to? Speed tutorials are just the thing for quick, content-rich engagement that can entice customers to try or buy your product!
The concept is simple: A quick 60-to-90-second video that cuts out all of the superfluous content and delivers nothing but the facts. Often accompanied by a peppy soundtrack (which, by the way, is SUPER-easy to add in Camtasia), these videos don’t require a voice-over because the visuals speak for themselves. Add a quick title screen and maybe a transition screen or two and you’re done!
Does your content need more than 90 seconds? Try adjusting the speed to 1.5x or 2x speed to keep the video short and sweet.
Number 2: Company Overview
Ahhhh … the old company website About page. Almost all websites have them, and most of them are snooze-fests. Chances are your company’s About page is ripe for a refresh and a company overview video is a fantastic way to show off not just what your company does, but the personalities behind it.
You can easily capture the video content with your smartphone. Take a day and talk to people in your office. Ask them to say who they are, what they do and why they love working for your company. Show the faces of the people who make your company really shine. Make sure you’re getting people from as many departments as possible, not just your executive team. Add a peppy soundtrack (are you sensing a theme here?), add some simple title graphics and now your customers can get a sense of who you are, not just what what you make.
Number 3: New Feature Demo
Want to make your new web service or software feature really shine? Don’t just tell your customers about it, show them how it works!
Camtasia makes it easy to capture what you’re doing on your screen so you can share it with others. Unlike the Social Media Speed Tutorial described above, a new feature demo can give a more detailed explanation of the feature and how it works. Give your customers a step-by-step run-through and really show it off.
You can easily highlight mouse clicks, zoom in on specific areas of your interface and even crop the video to make it look like it’s on a device screen. Add some music and a title screen and it’s done!
Bonus Idea: Thought Leadership
Gaining new customers isn’t always just about the quality of your products or services. People want to know that you understand their problems and have the expertise to solve them. So grab one of the experts in your company and show them!
Once again, you can capture the video with your smartphone. For this one, you’ll probably want to prepare a script — or at least some talking points. Find a quiet office or conference room (preferably with a nice background and good natural light), set up your smartphone/camera (on a tripod works best for stability, but even propping it up on a stack of books will help) and let it rip! You’ll probably have to shoot it a few times to make up for any flubbed lines or awkward pauses, but you’d be amazed at what you can capture in less than an hour.
Finish it off with simple title graphics and some appropriately styled music for the intro and outro.
Don’t assume this needs to be too serious, though. While you probably don’t want to go overboard, remember that one of video’s best advantages is that unique ability to let some personality show through.
Additional Bonus Ideas!
Those are just a few of the ways that your can boost your video marketing efforts, but here are 10 more!
- Product overview
- Customer testimonial
- Quick tips
- Feature demo
- Conference announcement
- Conference summary
- Social media walking tour of your company’s headquarters
- A message from your CEO
- Motion infographic
- Personalized sales pitch
