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The use of video is a now a major component of the buyer’s journey and one of the most important marketing tools in an organizations arsenal; 52% of marketing professionals worldwide name it as the medium with the best return on investment (ROI).

More companies are realizing the potential of video and adapting their marketing strategies and budget to incorporate video assets. The process of integration varies between companies but there are many common themes that arise when it’s time for an organization to bring its video strategy to scale.

In a recent session during Vidyard’s Fast Forward 2018 conference, Vidyard VP of Marketing Marcy Dobozy met with representatives from three different organizations to discuss their ventures into video for business.

Glenn Hughes, Video Producer at Gordian talks about why his company chose to use video in their marketing strategy.

“If a picture’s worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million” (Glenn Hughes)

 

Video allows companies with complex and difficult to explain products to eloquently deliver their message to potential customers. Breaking down complex ideas in shorter explainer videos is a strategy that is implemented by organizations with an effective video strategy. Using a video platform that can supply advanced metrics goes a long way in proving ROI and getting the go-ahead from finance to implement video at scale. The ability to track things like engagement over time rather than simple views and impressions was of major importance to Gordian and one of the main reasons these companies are choosing to use the Vidyard platform.

Video At Scale: Getting The Tools Into The Hands Of In-House Employees

For most organizations bringing a video presence to scale is a matter of taking the video first approach. Creating longer form video content that can be repurposed into podcasts, blog posts, and short clips for social is a way to maximize your time and resources. Finding a balance between video assets that are created in-house versus outsourced is another aspect of bringing a video strategy to scale. There’s still a place for highly produced and more expensive videos but they live predominantly at the bottom of the funnel. It shouldn’t come as a shock that small businesses use the fewest external resources, with only 24% reporting that they relied exclusively on agencies, contract employees, or freelancers (per Video Benchmark Report).

Nathan Isaacs, Senior Content Strategist at Act-On explains how his company is taking the video first approach.

Whether your organization has an in-house studio with a dedicated team of video experts or you’re focused on getting the tools in the hands of current employees, the use of video at scale is a tool that all marketing teams should be leveraging. We know the importance of a video strategy but how do we go about getting started?

“How can I remove the barriers that have traditionally been in place?”  (Nathan Isaacs, Act-On)

Getting Started: Building a Video First Culture

Taking the first step into creating a culture of video can be vastly different across organizations but the common thread is getting people who aren’t comfortable on camera to overcome their fears. Starting off with something like a simple webinar or GoVideo where the subject is able to speak about a topic that they know inside out can be a good way to break the ice. Producing content around trade shows where staff were in their element and comfortable was a tactic that the team at Rockwell Automation employed, Shannon Vaughan, Marketing Technologist explains.

While leveraging in-house staff and getting video into their hands to create their own content is important that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t proceed without a strategy. The team at Gordian begins every video project big or small with a detailed creative brief and brainstorm session before they begin the film process. Whether you’re filming an iPhone video or a full production piece you should be able to answer these three important questions before filming.

What is the purpose of the video?What do you want it to achieve?How will you measure success (beyond views)?

Whatever strategy you choose to employ it comes down to your employee’s willingness to take the leap into video. Getting the video equipment into their hands so that they are comfortable with the creative tools and having them record a short initial video are great first steps. Another strategy is to leverage the webinar content that you most likely have already produced to begin building your video presence to scale.

Embracing Video Across The Buyers Journey: The Right Video At The Right Time

Developing a video strategy that is well suited for implementation throughout the buyer’s journey can be tough as different types of videos excel in different stages of the funnel. Vidyard has identified the 12 Types Of Videos That Work Best For Each Stage Of The Customer Lifecycle. Let’s take a look at a few examples of the different types of videos that are used throughout the purchase funnel.

Brand awareness and promo videos are an important tool at the awareness stage of the funnel. The team at Act-On found great success with a high production video that used humour in hopes of getting their name out there and grabbing the attention of prospective customers.

Over at Rockwell Automation, the team launched their LinkedIn Storm campaign in support of a global product launch this past April. In a series of explainer videos of various production value levels, Rockwell product experts from around the world composed videos to contribute to the campaign.

Gordian has taken things a step further and developed a series of videos that aim to assist in a complete customer journey within a Vidyard playlist.

The Right Video Platform For Your Business

Finding the right video platform that will fit your needs is one of the most important steps in developing a video strategy. Relying solely on basic tools like YouTube or Vimeo just isn’t enough for businesses that are looking to take the next step with video. The platform’s ability to measure the success of a video with advanced analytics and the integration with marketing and sales tools goes a long way when proving the ROI of your video strategy. Nathan Isaacs explains why the team at Act-On chose to use the Vidyard platform.

Watch the full webinar here for a more in-depth look at how video is transforming the buyer’s journey.

The post Transforming the buyer’s journey with video: Is your organization ready? appeared first on Vidyard.

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