Video marketing: better visibility more leads

VIDEO In her column, Gabriela Gees*, Managing Director of Vox Marketing, explains why video marketing is also interesting for B2B. She also explains in four steps what makes video marketing successful.Over three billion clicks a day on YouTube, the world's second largest search engine, are a good argument for video marketing. The play button is one of the most effective call-to-action symbols today. Millennials in particular contribute to this enormously high click rate and the variety of content on the various social media and video portals. User-generated content - especially videos - is rapidly gaining in importance, which represents a great opportunity for companies to market their offers. Video marketing is just as interesting for B2B marketing as it is for B2C marketing when it comes to attracting website visitors, prospective customers, leads and new customers, and it is more convenient and less time-consuming not only for end consumers but also for company buyers to watch an informative video instead of reading a long, image-less text. Videos also offer an excellent opportunity to emotionalize brands and companies and give them a face. These impressions have a more lasting effect and are easier for the brain to memorize than text-only messages. However, text does not die out despite video. As a rule, it is the well-orchestrated interplay of text and moving images that makes a lasting impact. Experts predict that videos will account for around 70 percent of internet traffic in 2017. Marketers are therefore well advised not to ignore this trend in their marketing plans if they want to secure a slice of the cake. But what does it take to take advantage of this increasingly powerful tool?

Video marketing in four steps

1. the strategyThe first step is to define a strategy for your video marketing. Think about what you want to achieve with video marketing, which target group you want to focus on, who is responsible for it internally, what you want to offer your viewers and how much budget you can invest in it.2. the content Video marketing is a versatile tool. The focus should be on the added value of the video for the viewer. Loud sales pitches miss the point of video marketing. What is your target group looking for on the Internet? What is useful for them? Is it tutorials, explanatory videos, keynote speeches, opinions on current trends, customer testimonials, application examples or simply entertainment?3. search engine optimization Videos are an ingenious marketing tool if they can actually be found online. You should develop a search engine optimization and marketing strategy for your videos. The content must be findable by your target group, otherwise even the best video is useless.4. the video Don't make the mistake of abandoning video marketing because you don't have the time or money to create the perfect video. It's not the perfect video that makes your video marketing successful, but authenticity, usefulness for the viewer, originality and creativity. There are already companies that specialize in creating marketing videos with smartphones. With a good idea, a smartphone and video editing software, it is possible to produce such a video yourself. Of course, there are minimum requirements in terms of quality. The video should have a high resolution and be pleasant to watch even in full-screen mode. *Gabriela Gees is a federally certified marketing manager, lecturer in marketing and communication and an expert in strategic marketing.