We’re always talking about why we think businesses should use video for marketing and what the benefits are but here we are going to look at things from the other side. Our research and feedback from talking to many colleagues, peers and other businesses has thrown up these top five reasons why organisations don’t use video for marketing campaigns. We want to address these and hopefully dispel any myths about using video marketing.
1. It's Too Expensive
We’re not going to lie, yes it can be expensive but only in the same way that any other service can be. It depends on what you want but it doesn’t have to take up a budget of a Hollywood blockbuster. Using actors and locations can add to the cost but most videos for business don’t require these. If it’s planned well enough, filming can be scheduled to the minimal amount of production time and then its just about the editing time.
We recently created six social media videos from one day of filming with real people (not paid actors) and a location that was provided for free. These days its all about the content, so if your messages are strong and engaging then we can work around everything else.
We provide a retail business video service for just £500 which gives businesses a fully functional promotional video for use on websites, social media and more. If you think it’s going to be too expensive then get in touch and talk us through what you’re after and we’ll give you the best options for your budget. Don’t just assume that you can’t afford it!
2. Our Customers Don't Watch Videos
Yes they do. You might have your reasons for believing this whether it be age, user habits, traditional buying processes but they are watching video. There are so many channels and opportunities to view video that the chances are that your target audience is watching video somewhere, at some point during their day.
Here are some general stats:
- 82% of Twitter users watch video content on that platform
- YouTube has over a billion users, almost one-third of total internet users
- 45% of people watch more than an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos a week
- Internet video traffic will be 69% of all global consumer Internet traffic this year
- By 2019, internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer Internet traffic
The overriding message is that video is everywhere and people are watching it. If you really don’t think that your customers aren’t watching videos then ask yourself why. Is it not being used in your industry? Are there videos out there that just aren’t engaging enough? If your business can create a video that tells the customer exactly what they want to hear, addresses issues or questions or communicates key messages then it will be watched. You just need to know what to say and where to distribute it.
3. I Don't Want To Be On Film
We get it. There’s a reason why we are on the other side of the camera too. Being on camera is not everyone’s cup of tea but there are ways around it. Maybe you have staff who do like it and are willing to be the face of the business. Or you could show everything you want to show and then use a professional voiceover in the video instead. But if you’re really intent on using a video for marketing and don’t want to be seen in it at all then think about an animation video for you business instead. It can get your message across in an engaging, visually interesting way and there’s no embarrassment on your part either. This is exactly what Lookers Vauxhall did:
4. Nobody Will Watch It
Yes this is a possibility and often happens when no planning has gone into the whole video production process. However, if you think about not only what will be in the video but also where you plan to use it the notion of nobody watching it won’t be an issue. This goes back to knowing your target audience and knowing where they congregate, digitally of course. Rather than just putting your video on YouTube and hoping for the best, you need to be proactive. You could upload it to Facebook natively and then think about pushing the video through Facebook ads and targeting specific demographics. Or if your audience is on LinkedIn, think about using that platform to publicise your video. Don’t however, give up on YouTube. Set your video up as a pre-roll advert and target it at specific audiences. The video below for our event filming service gained 1500 views in two weeks from a pre-roll advertising campaign.
5. My Marketing Manager Doesn't Like Using Video
We hear this one a lot and its often trying to convince the powers that be that a video for marketing is the way to go. Usually it will be a combination of the previous four reasons why they don’t use video for marketing but often its the one that holds the purse strings that needs to be convinced. I’ve worked in places where the manager is too scared of change or is threatened by new ideas that might make them look bad! Either way, hopefully some of our reasons here will help convince them that using video for marketing is the way forward. Its worth looking at what the competition is doing and what’s happening in your industry.
It’s understandable why some businesses still aren’t using video for marketing and promotion but as more and more people consume video in their everyday lives then as a marketing tool, the medium can’t be ignored.
Blog writer: Adam Snelleksz is the marketing director of CMA Video and has worked in marketing for over 20 years. He has worked in video production in Birmingham for five years with CMA Video and has been using video for marketing for nearly 10 years. He also set up the video TV channel Blues TV, the official online channel of Birmingham City Football Club. Some of the projects that Adam has used promotional videos for include the Birmingham Half Marathon, the European Gymnastics Championships and the World BMX Championships.
Our video marketing blogs have been recognised as one of the Top 50 Video Marketing Blogs on the internet. We hope you enjoy reading them and gain valuable insights into what we do here at CMA Video and show that we’re not just another Birmingham video production company but we do more from animation videos to event filming, video strategy to social media video campaigns.
