Online Video Marketing is Helping to Build Brands

Video is gaining strength and momentum and helping enhance brand messages online, find out why online video should be part of your marketing strategy…

Eloqua recently compiled a survey asking marketers about content marketing strategy. A report from the survey on the Software Advice website (B2B Demand Generation Benchmark Survey for 2012) found that online video was one of the main methods used for content marketing. In fact over 90% of the respondents asked said that they used video to communicate their brand message online. Video topped other frequently used forms of content marketing such as White papers, Webinars, Surveys and eBooks, which is why video has become such an important part of any digital marketing strategy. Take a look at this graph below to see how other content marketing tools fared:

Why is video popular?

Mobile internet access has become easier than ever as smartphones like the iPhone and Android have become integrated into our lifestyles. Video is perfect for mobile viewing because it is short, meaning less drain on battery life and if you’re on the go it can be digested easily in bite-size chunks. Consumers now look to video for a range of purposes including entertainment, knowledge and purchase which is why video streaming sites have become so popular all over the world. But it’s not all about habits and our need for entertainment and information, the preference for video goes a lot deeper…

Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D. is also known as the “Brain Lady”. Susan Weinschenk is a leading author, speaker and consultant to some of the world’s biggest brands such as Walmart, Amazon and Disney. Susan delivers an understanding of the psychology of consumers and the reasons they make the choices or actions that they do.

Susan has found four main principles relating to why people are drawn to video content:

• 1. Movement seizes attentionThe sense of peripheral motion is a trait that runs deep in our DNA. Humans have survived for thousands of years (since the Stone Age!) by having the ability to notice things in motion.
• 2. The Fusiform FacialThis is a brain function that is hard wired to make us pay attention to faces because they are a point of information and emotion from which we can gain understanding of a situation.
• 3. Emotions are transmittableThis is a powerful but subtle factor which marketers sometimes take for granted. Naturally we mimic body language and we like to share emotions.
• 4. Voice is rich in informationThe pitch and tone of your voice can be altered to deliver many different implications. The simplicity of a person speaking is great way to convert information into expressive content.

If you want to find out more about Susan’s studies you can watch her presentation here.

So how can you use all this information to create a successful online video campaign?

• Think about where your advert will appear on the screen, we’ve already found that video placed in peripheral vision attracts attention but video placed directly in centre view is more engaging & convenient for the viewer.
• Include people and have them project emotions you want your audience to feel.
• Use a voiceover, think carefully about the tone and pitch of the speaker.
• Think about the colours you use. Colour attracts attention and it can also spark emotions, so again think about how you want your audience to feel.

So there we have it, we hope you found this blog useful. If you’re planning on starting or extending an online video campaign why not get in touch with us at Ad Spruce to see how we can help.

Lastly, feel free to leave a comment about what you thought of the blog-it would be great to hear from you!