Why You Need Video Advertising
Google has made some big changes to the way they display advertising, specifically “highly commercial queries” and these changes make it more important than ever that you are maximising the things that distinguish your business from all of the others that show up in their organic search results (You can read about the changes in an excellent article by Dan Thornton here). One of the most powerful ways in which to distinguish your business is… you guessed it, video.
Let Them See You
As I’ve mentioned before, video is the best tool for building a relationship with your customers and potential customers. Watching a video allows people to see you and make a judgement about you. I’ve talked before about how to relate to your customers in a video and I won’t repeat myself but remember, there is an incredible value in getting to look in the eye of the person you are going to be buying from. It allows you to build confidence in that person and see what they are like and it allows you to see how skilled they are. From the point of view of the advertiser it allows you to show yourself in your best light, as a problem solver, as a valuable commodity, as someone that can be relied upon.
Let Them See What You Do
Our brains are programmed to seek out patterns and movement. If you are sitting in your house in the evening and see movement out of the corner of your eye you immediately turn to look. It’s instinctive for us to be drawn to the moving image. That is why video is the most powerful way to get information across to a viewer. We’ve learned before that one minute’s worth of video has the same informational content as 1.8 million words. Whether that figure is based upon any accurate psychological data is up for debate but what is certain is that the moving image captivates us as humans like no other art form. There is a fascination in seeing the skill and patience needed to create anything. You may have spent some idle moments watching the television programme “How It’s Made”. There is something captivating in watching the manufacturing process and if your business is involved in the manufacturing of anything, no matter how mundane, you need to take the time to create a video that shows your techniques. You may decide upon a simple overview for the layman which explains your processes. Alternatively you may need to produce a technical advert that appeals to a specialist audience within your industry.
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You may be a service provider with projects to complete and contracts to fulfill. If this is the case then your production videos should focus on the quality of your service or the workmanship involved in your work. I remember watching a time-lapse video of the building of a row of houses and being captivated by the skill of the plasterers and their almost balletic movements and skill. Your video advertising should be about the value you bring to your customers.
Let Them Get The Point
Video is the way to make a point. Watch this video:
It’s a beautifully made stop motion video that tells you straight, there is nothing like a book. The video makes its point but is fun and captivating and full of invention and creativity. A video selling your business with this much creativity, style and downright pzazz would leave any viewer in no doubt that they were looking at a business at the top of their industry. I’ve talked before about video as a way of building prestige for your business and there is no doubt that a high quality production enhances your reputation with both customers and competitors. It can make people want to compete to be your customers and rivals want to avoid bidding against you for a contract. But most importantly, video is the best possible means of persuading people to make that call and contact your business.
Advertising has one basic aim. To convince someone to make contact with your business, through whatever channel, and to make a purchase. Video, because of the trust it builds, the information it sends and the way it captivates, is the prime persuader. The written word can be beautiful, but it is trumped by the spoken word intertwined with music and stunning images. A stunning photograph may entice, but it is trumped by the moving image filled with all of the elegance and vivacity that human existence can encompass. Watch the video above from Ted Baker. The Strawberry Island look wonderful don’t they? Perhaps it will come as a shock for you to discover that this video was shot in Scarborough, on the North Yorkshire Coast… in winter.
Video For The Future
Whatever the future holds in terms of advertising, or changes to search algorithms or policies what is certain is that humans will always favour video communication over any other form. Whether the video is HD, 360 degree, 3D, Virtual Reality or some esoteric as yet unforeseen type, the moving image will remain the king of communication methods and we as business people and advertisers will need to keep pushing the boundaries of what we can do so that we can keep attracting and convincing new customers to call us and buy from us.
