Virtual coffee ☕️: Video marketing strategy

In this edition of Virtual Coffee ☕️, we met with Maialen Carrasco, CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) at Vidext and an expert in marketing video trends, thanks to the data analysis of usage from its customers as well as the analysis of market trends.

Vidext is a tool for creating professional videos with AI. It allows you to create a video with lifelike avatars that reproduce the text you want without ever being in front of the camera. Interesting, right? Let’s go deeper into the conversation!

What is a short video in marketing? 🎥

Let's start by introducing the concept of short video, as it has been changing in recent years (more than you think!). A couple of years ago, we used to consider short videos the ones between 1 - 5 minutes, which sounds crazy now, right? These days, a short video is between 20 - 30 seconds.

As technology and social media platforms have advanced, the average length of a video has decreased (as have our attention spans, apparently). Right now, platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat allow users to switch from one video to another very easily (and also skip them!). Due to this, it’s key to have short, eye-catching videos with a very clear message condensed in these few seconds. This is important as today’s user has a shorter attention span, and they have much more content to choose from than before.

Using small videos has several benefits: 1) They are simple to watch on the go; 2) People are more open to interacting with video than content; 3) Shorter videos are easier to distribute than longer videos; and 4) They are cheaper to produce. Not necessarily cheaper than another piece of content, but cheaper than long videos!

Video allows better retention of information; some statistics say that video makes us retain 90% of the information. Video today is more efficient, effective, and faster.

What is more popular, short videos or long videos?⚖️

Based on Vidext's experience, shorter videos are being increasingly consumed. As customers, we expect content to be quick, simple, and easy to understand.

Of course, depending on the type of campaign, the target, and the type of company, the videos vary a lot, claims Mailen. Making a video for TV or YouTube tutorials is not the same as making a video for Instagram or TikTok.

Long videos are appropriate for blogs and landing pages. Generally speaking, their use aims to enhance the content in a more didactic and visual manner. This is aligned with the Hubspot study, which indicates that brands prefer videos (in general) to enrich their content.

The best use of short videos is in feed posts or stories on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. They are particularly useful if you want to boost brand recognition or social media shares overall.

A few years ago, short videos were made only for entertainment purposes, but every day we see more short videos with other purposes. Nowadays even training videos are being divided; the attention span has changed so that a 1-hour video is too long, and now companies prefer to manage and create 5 to 10-minute videos explaining a concept.

Shorter videos also make it easier for trainers to provide targeted and focused content without getting lost in the details. They are also easier to distribute and maintain, as they don't require as much storage space or bandwidth.

What are marketers using video strategy for?🛒

Videos provide an easier way to explain concepts and topics that are more difficult to understand. Video can also be used to show demonstrations and step-by-step instructions on how to use products or services. It allows consumers to gain a better understanding of what a company can offer.

There are statistics that say that video makes us retain 90% of the information.

59% of Gen Z agree that they use short-form video apps to find things that they then watch longer versions of, according to YouTube’s latest Culture & Trends Report.

According to Vidico's The State of Video Marketing, the primary reason most marketers leverage video content is to increase brand awareness (56%), followed by sales (51%), and engagement (32%).

Talking to Maialen, she mentioned that the use cases are expanding. Until now, the most used videos were corporate or sales videos, but now videos make up 60% of the content consumed by users.

Video is also allowing us to optimize our time, and many companies are detecting new ways to automate processes.

Focusing on the objective behind the video, "The State of the Video" highlights that 30% of marketers try to solve customer acquisition problems, 24% are reported to be solving product experience and knowledge, and 20% are trying to increase awareness and visibility. Also, Google also supports this, as they found that 70% of YouTube viewers watched videos for "help with a problem" they're having.

However, the use of video is being extrapolated to other categories thanks to tools like Loom, for example, which allows for 5-minute explanatory videos; the boom of webinars that we’ve been experiencing since COVID; or personalized video demonstrations that can add personalization to the explanations, etc.

Videos make up 60% of the content consumed by users.

In Vidext, they internally use video as a communicative format for customer communication, video tutorials/support, diffusion of branding, internal reporting of product updates, recruiting, and launching video offers, which have a much greater reach (and are more effective) than written ones, etc.

Maialen tells us that videos allow us to facilitate a closer relationship than text, although it may sound contradictory, which makes it a better option than simple text.

What are the channels used to share marketing videos?💻

According to the report conducted by Vidyard, social networks, and websites remain the top two channels for video distribution.

Of course, the first thing that comes to our minds is social media channels and YouTube, but as we have mentioned, the use of videos is expanding in other departments. For example, videos are a key tool for customer support. For this type of video, companies use internal platforms where they can create user guides or emails to send this type of video.

"Globally, YouTube is consumers' leading source of video content, at 83% (Facebook is second, at 67%).” (HubSpot) YouTube Shorts alone have more than 30 billion daily views.

However, channels like emails during onboarding could be another key channel that companies are using more and more.

What kind of tools can we use to create marketing videos?🛠

Depending on the channel you’ll be using and the type of video, you can search for one type of tool or another.

For example, Vidext is a tool that can assist you with explaining videos in which a person explains using visual elements.

In cases where you need to delve deeper into branding or the image is more complex, we recommend that you outsource this type of video to experts. If you're going to make a video for TikTok or Instagram, however, you should look for video tools that can assist you with built-in effects and filters, editing the video, or adding popular audio samples.

Tools such as Loom are also key for demonstration videos, internal reporting, product updates, and customer support.

Here we leave you a list of 10 go-to tools to create videos on your own.

Let's summarize some tips to create marketing videos!✒️

• Hook attention immediately. The first two seconds are the most relevant to keep people interested in the video. You need to put more effort into this intro than in the closing part.
• Connect with your audience. There are tons of tools that can help you to personalize your video or add elements key for your audience. If your audience doesn’t feel the video is made for them they’ll skip it.
• Embrace action. Be clear about what you want them to do. After catching the attention we need to be clear about what we want them to do follow us, buy our product, and visit our website for more information.
  

I hope you begin your video strategy or begin using it in new channels and with other goals that can help you automate tasks, and continue to improve your internal processes.🙌