The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly brought along challenging times for marketers. However, the show must go on. As a marketer, you will have to mold your strategies in a way that reverberates with the emotional and mental state of the audience. If you’re too worried about how to market in these challenging times, the first and foremost thing is planning, and it should include video. Why? You may ask. In this blog, we will discuss the benefits of video marketing during the pandemic. So without any further ado, let’s dive in.

Why Include Video Now?

Videos are the sniper bullets of marketing, i.e., it will hit the targeted audience without fail. Have a look at these stats to visualize the traction that videos can generate when it comes to marketing.

• Video-based campaigns generate 66% more qualified leads on an annual basis yearly compared to those who don’t include video.
• When it comes to brand awareness, firms, including videos in campaigning, have 54% higher traction.
• Products with videos in promotion have a 144% higher probability of purchase.

Besides, the pandemic has changed the whole online content consumption habits. People are forced to stay at home and spend a huge amount of their time online. Looking at these trends, many content creators have flooded online space with video content. It has also created huge competition for other marketers to gain audience attention. Here are a few tips to make compelling and eye-catching videos to stand ahead of the competition.

Determine your goal

Although the video is trendy in digital marketing strategies, lack of proper planning and clear objectives can hamper the entire investment made in video production. The first thing to do prior to producing videos is determining your end goal with the marketing campaign. Some of these include starting a conversation, sales conversion, signing up for the newsletter, brand awareness, and so on.

Make sure to add a proper call to action so that the goals are achieved through videos. It becomes utterly important to identify your goals as 72% of consumers prefer videos based content while introducing any new product or services. Another important aspect is being realistic with your approach and goals. Keep track of the analytics and realign your strategies whenever required.

Give Purpose to your Videos

Right now, people are worried about their safety a lot. As a business, you would like to reassure your customers regarding all the safety measures you are taking to ensure their security. According to 4As research, 56% of consumers want to hear COVID-19 messages from their favorite brands.

In most of the campaigns, you, too, would have seen or read, “Your safety is our foremost priority…”. With every brand doing the same thing, it seems like a key phrase and doesn’t have much impact on customers. Try to communicate the true purpose of your video. Just engage, support, and uplift your audience in these tough times, and you will surely ripe the fruits of it in the future.

Be Original and Authentic

People are bombarded with content every time and everywhere on social media. And the whole fight is for screen time. Every business wants to produce viral videos, and in order to do that, they start to follow the trend. But a copy of something viral will have almost zero probability of going viral again.

If you wish to go viral, stick with your strength, and then explore the possibilities. What is the benefit of a viral video if it doesn’t reflect your brand? If you don’t have a brand personality, now is the time to brainstorm and decide.

Get by with your Budget

If you are a big organization, you don’t have to worry much about the budget. Else, the budget is a big constraint for businesses. The pandemic has also forced businesses to control their expenditure as most of them are facing revenue shrinkage. As a video creator, you can make outstanding videos with an ample budget. However, it is not the case for most marketers.

In that situation, you should use creative ways to match up to the qualities of professional videos. With smartphones having 4K recording capabilities and free online editing software, you can do wonders even in a limited budget. You can also leverage live streams, Instagram, and Facebook stories to keep your audience engaged. These can be done easily using smartphones.

Include Mobile in your Strategy

Do you know that more than 50% of the people read the news via mobile devices during the lockdown period? While including videos in your marketing, ensure that it is mobile-friendly. Focus on small stuff like download time and faster streaming.

Another important thing is the platform for which you are producing the video—the different social sites support different formatting styles. For example, IGTV supports portrait mode, while YouTube is more landscape friendly. While uploading the videos, be sure that it fits with the platform.

DIY Videos

The do-it-yourself video is an almost no-cost option for video marketers. Whether you are a self-sustained business owner or Fortune 500 firm, DIY videos are a must-have format for marketers in these tough times as people are at home and need something to indulge themselves while being productive at the same time. DIY videos are the best way to add value to customers while promoting the brand simultaneously. Here are some tips for making professional DIY videos:

• Camera Positioning: While shooting these videos, many a time, the camera is kept too low in order to have better viewing angles and make visually appealing videos, keep the camera lens at eye-height, or slightly higher.
• Lighting: Videos are visual mediums, and lighting can set the mood for the audience. Adjust the lightings of your videos that complement the content that you are discussing in the video. Mention, never put your video’s subject with his / her back to any light source like a window or any lamp. For marketing videos, it is best to shoot in artificial lights.
• Sound: The first few seconds of the videos are the most crucial ones as it will decide whether the viewer watches the video till the end or not. Sound and music can be the x-factor that can aid you in starting with a bang.
• Video apps: You can use many online editors like Vidoecreek, Adobe, Animoto, WeVideo, etc. They are easy to use, and most of the features are free.

Conclusion

There is no doubt in it that as a marketer, it is a tough time. You must be facing the dilemma of being empathetic, thoughtful, and sensitive. At the same time, people should not feel like you are opportunistic. Try to strike a balance between the two ends, and your videos will surely have a lasting impression.