You’ve heard the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words.” So how much is a video worth? Since video is typically shot between 24 and 30 frames per second, one could argue that a minute of video is worth between 1,440,000 and 1,800,000 words. (24 to 30 frames x 60 seconds x 1,000 words)
What could you convey to your target consumer using in 60 seconds with 1.8 million words?
Social media channels like YouTube and Facebook allow everyone from small businesses to large corporations to communicate their messages to the masses. The smart money is using video to achieve this goal. Why is that? Think about this: both Cisco and Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s head of global partnerships, predict that in the coming years, video will make up 90% of all web traffic. Companies that deny that fact are at risk of disappearing in a landscape that will soon be dominated by video.
So why doesn’t every company focus their marketing efforts on video?
Here are four things that can stop businesses from taking the plunge into video marketing.
Budget
Most people think it costs way more than it does to produce videos. Plus, video is so new that many businesses don’t even have a line item in their marketing budgets for it. Fix that today.
Outdated Approach
Someone (or everyone) in your marketing department is married to the idea of print media or digital marketing that only uses written content as part of what they claim is your company’s “comprehensive marketing strategy.” Send that person or people a link to this article right now.
Image
You’re afraid that wealthy and high-powered executive clients will find your business less credible if you make a video, or that your product is too boring for a video. You can forget that right now because professional companies make videos ALL THE TIME. Exhibit 1: In 2011, Cisco created a video to promote the ASR 9000 Edge Router that went viral and led to $80 million in follow-on sales opportunities. $80. Million. Dollars.
Tim Washer, Cisco’s social media producer (who also happens to be a stand-up comedian) told Forbes in an interview, “I am a big believer in having a solid global strategy where there’s room for white papers, product information and demos. But at the same time, if you take a very small part of your budget and say, ‘Let’s just entertain people and give our community a gift of laughter without necessarily a call to action,’ others will share your story for you.”
Working with the best video production company will save you a lot of time.
Time
Let’s face it. You receive 200+ e-mails per day, you barely have time to make it to the gym, and what do you know about video production anyway? Hire a video production company that knows what they’re doing and can create content from start to finish with as little input as you want to give. To learn how to do that, check out this post: How to Choose the Best Production Company or Videographer for Your Corporate Video.
It’s time to read the writing on the wall. Video could not be more important in the marketing and sales cycles than it is right now. Currently, early adopters of videos are reaping the benefits of video (increased sales, engagement, etc.) while equally competent businesses are left scratching their heads.
Not all companies have jumped on the video marketing bandwagon yet, so now is a really exciting time and you have a decision to make: Use video marketing to stay ahead of the competitions, or fall behind. Let us help you rise to the top.