How to Maximize the ROI of Video in Digital Marketing

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How to Maximize the ROI of Video in Digital Marketing

By Special Guest
Leigh Chesley, Senior marketing manager for North Plains Systems
  |  December 29, 2015

The use of video both as a marketing and entertainment tool has been rapidly increasing over the last few years. With the rise of YouTube (News - Alert) stars, Vine celebrities, and Instagram video, it’s clear that consumers are craving more and more interactive content. Even the sometimes slow-moving Facebook (News - Alert) is making strides to become more of a video platform. As consumer engagement with video and rich media increases, brands are seeing an opportunity to jump on the trend and showcase their brand story, products, and personas in an entirely new way.

Telling stories with videos allows brands to provide a richer, more personal experience for the viewer. As something that is interactive and holds attention better than other mediums, it’s become a much easier and a more effective way of communicating messages than traditional digital mediums. Video content allows brands to showcase their personalities in ways that still images simply can’t.

For example, seeing a customer talking about how much he or she enjoys a product or company is much more convincing than reading a static case study. Imagine a smiling, excited, and – most importantly – trustworthy customer sharing on video why they love your product. They are raving about how your company solved their problem, and the credibility factor is off the charts. In three minutes or less you believe this actual person loves your brand because you visually experience their emotions. Now imagine the three-page case study that takes three times as long to ingest and is even harder to believe. It’s one dimensional and flat.  Whether you’re creating short product snippets, educational how-to videos, or translating traditional marketing content into rich media, the choice is clear – personal interaction wins every time.

The good news for marketers and content producers is that video content isn’t just interesting to watch; it’s converting, too. According to Forbes contributor Steve Olenski, the average Internet user spends 88 percent more time on a website with video than without. And the holy grail of statistics, 70 percent of marketers report that video converts better than any other medium. It’s become impossible to ignore. So why not dive right in?

The issue that marketing teams face with adopting a video marketing strategy and other rich media as a new medium is just that – it’s new. It’s hard and often overwhelming to tackle new technologies that require not only new hardware, but also new software and processes.  Anyone can grab a flip cam, shoot a quick video, and post it to YouTube. But the question is, should you? How agile should your content marketing be versus being planned and strategic? And the more planned out and polished the video, the bigger investment in time, money, and resources. That’s why as marketers and content owners, it’s important to understand the investment and return on all of your rich media assets. It’s also why you need to invest in a digital asset management system to ensure ROI.

One of the easiest ways to maximize the ROI of video content is the same way you should approach your entire content marketing arsenal – repurpose, repurpose, repurpose. If you aren’t repurposing content, you’re likely barely treading water to keep up with the demands of your content machine. So why approach your video strategy any differently? Repurposing video content is key for two reasons that are always critical in a marketing organization – speeding up time-to-market and reducing production costs.

When you repurpose content, it’s much faster to get it into the market place. Not only has it already been created, but it’s also already been edited, vetted, and approved. With content that is more complex, this can be critical.

Shooting and editing video content can be expensive and time-consuming, eating up both your time and your budget. Leveraging your video content over and over allows you to maximize your return and promotes brand integrity.

To meet these two objectives, it’s critical to have the right systems and processes in place to enable folks across the organization to access approved video content and leverage it on an ongoing basis. That not only keeps you organized, but it may also reduce production costs across the organization, as everyone is aware of the available content and feels confident that it has been approved and is readily available for use. 

Leigh Chesley is senior marketing manager for North Plains Systems (www.northplains.com).




Edited by Kyle Piscioniere
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