We say farewell to a wonderful year and greetings to the triumphs ahead. 2015 treated us well but we now look forward. Here are our New Year’s video marketing resolutions for 2016:
Trust your process
Whatever production system you have in place, own it. Whether your content is created in-house, outsourced, or mixed, have faith in your methodology.
That’s not to say to blindly follow.
Question your approach. Tinker around. What could be accomplished better? What does “better” even mean? How do you measure it?
Continuous reinvestment in your process is invaluable. Here, you may discover competitive advantages that boost your organization above the competition.
Optimize for mobile viewers
Studies published by the IAB, Ooyala, and Adobe indicate the growing – and perhaps inevitable – rate of mobile video consumption around the world. A Q3 2015 report by the Adobe Digital Index revealed a 33% increase YoY of smartphone video plays . Ooyala reported a 367% jump in mobile video views YoY since 2013 and predicted a >50% market share of total video views this year.
More consumers wielding mobile technology means rising standards for publishers and content creators. Smartphone screens are getting bigger with better display capabilities. 4k video is common amongst phones produced by the major players. The flaws of haphazard video are becoming more and more pronounced.
Optimizing for mobile may represent a fundamental shift for certain organizations. Strategy, production, delivery, and analysis are all impacted. Ask yourself:
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Who are my mobile viewers?
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What are their goals, objectives, and necessities?
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Where are they in their buyer’s journey?
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How did they find my video content?
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When are they watching my stuff?
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Why should they continue watching my stuff?
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What should they do after watching?
Utilize video landing pages
Ok, this is a bit of a cop out because I included this resolution this past year. However, I’m reminded of Unbounce’s Conversion Road Trip event in June. There, Wistia’s Chris Savage dazed the audience with an uppercut; only .25% of landing pages contain videos. That decimal isn’t misplaced. 99.75% of other landing pages feature something else.
What better place to capture attention and inspire further action than on a landing page? These people are looking for something! Harness the power of video to engage multiple learning styles and deliver an even more valuable, personalized offer. You’ll be outpacing your competition.
Embrace longer-form video
The question of perfect video length will never be definitively answered. Some mediums – by nature – contain limits like a six second Vine or 15 second Instagram. There may be general rules of thumb but length could depend on subject matter, buyer familiarity/awareness, where the buyer is in the funnel, hosting platform, and several other factors.
ReelSEO’s Carla Marshall notes, “36% of smartphone users confirmed to Adobe that they watch long-form videos that last 5 minutes or longer every day on their devices.” Consumers aren’t afraid of longer-form content. So why should you be?
I hear your trepidation:
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“It costs way more in terms of money and time.”
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“We don’t have the capabilities to handle that right now.”
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“We’re focusing on other parts of our marketing strategy.”
Consider long form video as an education tool. Viewers have identified a nagging issue and they’re looking to you for more knowledge. For those customers watching your 10 minute tutorials, you can glean:
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willingness for greater depth
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greater problem recognition / awareness
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higher interest level to commit more time & effort to solving their problem(s)
Consider creating longer videos meant for different stages of your conversion cycle. They could be tutorials, testimonials, case studies, product demos, or a range of other concepts.
These challenges are not easy. However, 2016 brings plenty of opportunities to reach prospective visitors, engage customers, and reward loyal followers with meaningful video marketing. It’s up to you to do it. Your competition certainly won’t on your behalf. We wish you a happy, healthy, and successful beginning to 2016. Happy New Year!
