February 27, 2021 5 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The world is still reeling over the impact of Covid-19 with many businesses counting their losses. Corporate brands have been greatly affected as the majority of them have a brick-and-mortar structure. The commencement of Covid-19 vaccinations is the long-awaited light at the end of the tunnel and businesses are gearing up to resume normal operations. Brands are exploring all means to re-engage with their audiences and video marketing remains a viable tool for that engagement.
According to a recent Cisco Annual Internet Report, 82% of internet traffic will be driven by video come 2022. But with the pandemic altering marketing communications, the dynamics of video marketing are no longer the same and corporate brands must adapt to the “new normal” to achieve favorable outcomes.
Going forward, we take a look at the recent video marketing trends that are effective for corporate brands.
Flexibility is key in adapting to change
Planning is key in corporate activities. Everything is thoroughly outlined to ensure orderliness. Marketers play by this rule in their video marketing campaigns by creating solid strategies with attention to the minutest detail. This is commendable as a well-planned marketing strategy hardly goes wrong but the story is not the same in the face of unprecedented events. Your solid video marketing strategy suddenly becomes unproductive as it plays on a different field.
The brands that are making the most impact despite the challenges of the pandemic are those that are able to make quick and spontaneous changes to their video marketing strategies. They inculcate elements of the current realities into their campaigns, speaking a language that people can relate to.
Creating marketing campaigns about physical interactions was out of place during the Covid-19 lockdown as people were home-bound and isolated. Changing the direction of such marketing campaigns would only be possible if there was room for flexibility.
Empathy is priceless
Many video marketing campaigns have one ultimate goal — to drive sales. For most marketers, their campaign is unsuccessful until it ticks that box. There is a huge gap between the point of contact with the consumer and the point of sale. Taking the consumer through the different stages of the sales funnel, successfully, requires a great deal of tact. In the past year, we reaffirmed that empathy is vital in accomplished video marketing.
People reexamined their priorities in the wake of the pandemic. Things that were top on the list dropped to the bottom as survival needs took center stage. The lockdown caused distress and products that formerly were of great value to the consumer became inconsequential. Rather than force their products down people’s throats, successful brands focused on showing concerns over the wellbeing of their audiences by creating video marketing campaigns of solidarity and compassion. They shifted their goals from making sales to offering comfort, believing that they would be remembered for being there in those trying times.
Related: How to Weave More Empathy Into Your Marketing for Better …
Taking a stand against injustice is more rewarding than staying silent
Corporate brands are driven by mission, vision, and purpose. These factors are ingrained in a company’s values. Although the values of brands differ, they share a similarity of improving humanity.
Some corporate brands have been very vocal about their values and are using their voices to improve society. Issues of social injustice such as racial and gender inequalities and police brutality have made headlines in recent times. Brands that have been very vocal against these vices in their video marketing campaigns stand out among their counterparts, winning the consumers’ trust by choosing to speak out rather than looking the other way.
An Edelman report revealed that 64% of consumers would either patronize or boycott a brand based on its position on a social or political issue. Incorporate your values in your video marketing campaigns as a constant reminder of where your company stands.
There is no better time to be creative with your budget
One of the biggest lessons the pandemic has taught us, in general, is the need to be prudent with our finances. Survival became a battle as the global economy shut down in the early days of the pandemic. Corporate organizations had to minimize their marketing budgets in order to sustain their employees and still stay afloat. Investing thousands of dollars in high-budget TV commercials was not a viable option.
Successful brands are engaging with their audiences on social media using video marketing and other digital marketing techniques. More interestingly, they are not focusing on creating their content with high-end production equipment but smartphones.
Brands had to work with whatever they could lay their hands on while everyone was stuck at home during the lockdown. The audience understood the situation and engaged with video campaigns put out by brands, including live streaming.
Related: 4 Reasons Live-Streaming Video Will Improve Your Business’ Brand …
Mobile-friendly content still rules
In a recent study, no fewer than 56% of consumers revealed that they started using their cell phones more during the pandemic. Your video marketing campaigns hit the mark when they garner more views. You deprive many people of the chance of seeing your amazing offers when your video marketing campaigns are not tailored to mobile devices. The mobile-first trend is not going away any time soon as search-engine giants such as Google are prioritizing mobile content indexing.
Conclusion
The available video marketing statistics offer considerable promise for corporate brands. With many brands vying for the consumer’s attention, corporate brands are putting their best foot forward in creating sophisticated technical aesthetics in their video marketing campaigns. But recently, we learned that the content itself is paramount. The consumer is more receptive to content that resonates with them — everything else is secondary.