Is video marketing important?
Speak to any marketing professional and they’ll wax lyrical as to the importance of video. However, simply knowing that video should be part of your marketing tool kit doesn’t help implement it effectively.
At Sledgehammer Studio we’ve had the privilege of creating video campaigns for clients across the gamut of industries in Cape Town and South Africa. This has given us unique insight into why video marketing is a necessary tool for all brands – especially in 2022.
In reality, there’s no one size fits all approach. Every brand needs to interact with the outside world in its own, unique way. Our goal is to empower you to find a video marketing approach that works for your brand, turbocharges your marketing strategy and redefines the way you communicate with your clients.
The Attention Economy
The way we each interact with social media is varied and arguably quite complex. Hate it, or love it (don’t worry, this is a safe space however you feel) the facts show that the world is head over heels with it, and that trend continues upwards.
In this ever-scrolling world, grabbing consumer attention has become cold hard currency.
So, the question arises: What is the most effective way to grab a scroller’s attention? The unsurprising answer is: Video. Before we can understand how best to use it, we need to understand why it is the most effective piece in the marketing toolkit.
The numbers don’t lie.
A recent HubSpot study shows that whatever way you cut it, video is the most engaging social medium.
Why is video so engaging?
Video allows us to quickly and effectively communicate information, making it incredibly useful for the viewer, and the best way to communicate your brand message in creative, useful and interesting ways. However, it is the ability to humanise these messages which truly sets video apart.
Why is this? Well, humans are geared to connect with other humans (your blog) – and video is the closest thing we have to ‘real’ human connection online (at the moment). We need not look further than the meteoric rise of TikTok to get a sense of that power.
Video is a powerful tool
Video killed the radio star, sure, but it also broke the traditional sales funnel. The bottom line is that sales matter, and if we’re honest, the traditional sales funnel is obsolete in the attention economy. This is because we just can’t control how potential customers interact with our brand when there are so many more touchpoints of communication.
This might be a scary prospect for some, but it also presents a great opportunity: to reimagine the sales funnel as a sales ecosystem. The malleability and versatility of video makes it a brilliant medium to construct multi-pronged video campaigns across platforms, both online and offline, that actually engage.
Why does this work? By crafting a content ecosystem of practical, inspiring, informative and human-centred video as part of your marketing strategy, you have all the ingredients you need to cultivate hyper-engaged audiences into brand advocates – rather than relying on once-off need-buys.
As the ancient Sledgehammer proverb goes; “if you cultivate and nurture – you are nurtured by your cultivar.”
How can your brand create the content ecosystem?
The content ecosystem looks to empower and uplift your audience, rather than being purely brand-centric.
At Sledgehammer we work with our clients to build three tiers of content – inspire, nourish, attract – to forge a formidable content arsenal that goes beyond the brand.
These three tiers allow your brand to highlight its unique selling points, personality and value proposition, whilst championing the needs of your audience.
Attract
These films celebrate your brand’s USP. Anything from explainer to consumer review films.
Inspire:
The aim here is to create brand evangelists. These films, therefore, give an insight into what your brand cares about and stands for. From interviews with key personnel to a showcase of your latest upliftment project – the human touch is critical here.
Nourish:
This tier offers value to your community. Think recipe or How-to videos.
Your 2022 Video marketing Strategy awaits
So what’s next?
Your brand crafting consistent content that helps engage audiences and ultimately create brand advocates.
We’re here to help, let’s talk.