Three Ways to Break Through the Noise with Video

Everywhere we turn today, it seems there’s a video playing — millions of minutes of live and on-demand video daily, all trying to grab our attention. Competition to earn eyeballs is fierce, so video technology is constantly shifting to cater to evolving audience desires — whether it be improving load times or optimising video for smaller screens.

For today’s businesses, video is scalable, which means it can be used for each unique use case. This also means video may expand beyond just sales and marketing and be used within human resources, internal communications, customer success and more. The bottom line is video connects us to one another, so why not leverage it everywhere we can?

In this piece, we’ll look at how to improve your reach to your external audience.

Understand Your Audience

There’s a well-established list of video types for marketing, but the key to creating successful videos is choosing the right one for your audience based on their needs. A recent study indicated that 66% of millennials engage with a brand after watching a video, and more significantly, 85% have made a purchase. While these statistics sound ideal for brands, the right audience needs to see the right content to make them hold true.

Pay attention to your video analytics here, as they will tell you everything you need to know: which videos are driving the highest impressions, the most time watched and the most conversions. If you find that educational videos do best on one platform and inspirational videos do best on another, adjust your strategies accordingly so you can ensure that every video you’re investing time and money into is driving value back to your company.

Consider Mixing Your Platforms 

Today, many businesses rely on free video services like YouTube, which build awareness and community engagement by attracting more viewers. While a modern video marketing strategy should include the use of a free video service, marketers may want to consider blending free distribution with a premium OVP.

An OVP can aggregate data across properties, give marketers richer insights into their audiences and offer more opportunities to optimise their content. Most importantly, an OVP gives marketers more control, which is critical to increasing your return on investment.

In order to reap the benefits of both services, I’ve found that a healthy mix can play off one another and drive value in their own unique ways. For example, you can drive brand awareness with a free service like YouTube but also get the capabilities of an OVP to boost search engine optimisation (SEO).

Explore OTT Opportunities 

More than 161 million European consumers use over-the-top (OTT) services, also known as streaming media. This is a great opportunity for brands and media companies because content can be quickly and easily deployed for cross-platform user experiences, creating new revenue streams.

But as OTT grows, so does the competition. This means businesses need to provide not only the best content, but also the best viewing experience to drive retention. Brands can do this by:

  • Incorporating content discovery and recommendation features. By analysing data, content can be personalised to each individual user for a more relevant experience.

  • Allowing access on mobile devices, offline downloads and the ability to pick up where viewers left off across devices. This meets customers where they are and encourages binge-watching.

  • Using modern technologies such as live streaming and social-only content. Live streaming with OTT puts viewers “in the moment” with your brand, while regular social content encourages fans to engage with your brand and drives them back to native platforms.

Breaking Through the Noise

Video may be everywhere, but the investment is most worthwhile if you’re using it in strategic ways to build your brand or business. Measurement is essential for anyone who uses video. And while key metrics differ based on the goals of a specific company or campaign, you should always consider engagement and overall business impact when deploying a video strategy. Consider the experience your video is providing, and understand where video can best help you accomplish your goals while also ensuring it’s reaching the right audience.

The content and viewer experience need to be best in class to gain the attention it deserves. This means keeping up with modern and innovative technology, using the data at hand and having an open and creative mind to the endless video possibilities. That will give you a powerful video strategy that breaks through the noise.

This article was submitted by Brightcove one of our sponsors for #MarTechFest Dial Up. You can grab your ticket here. It's free btw!

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