Everyday consumers are bombarded with visual images that surround them both online and offline. From their reflection in the mirror to the beauty of the outdoors to the visual images they see online, there is no escaping how these experiences influence their lives. Keeping this in mind, videos are among the top ways consumers are experiencing visual images through brands, businesses, and even one another thanks to the evolving trend of video animation, SnapChat, YouTube, and all other video influenced experiences. To help your own business benefit from this, consider how videos can help you both inform customers while also connecting with them unlike any other marketing tactic you have tried in the past. Brian Gibbs, President of the parcel audit recovery and parcel management company Refund Retriever, explains that, “a 45 second video is much nicer than an email with three paragraphs of information.” With both existing customers and potential clients on his target list to connect with, Gibbs uses videos to help educate his audience while also offering a face to a name, so to speak. “Videos are a great marketing tool, of course, but we find greater value in educating our customers. Every new client that signs up with Refund Retriever gets a video in our first email to them. We show the client what to expect from us and who we are, offering a face to our company,” shares Gibbs. Beyond existing clients, Gibbs incorporates videos into his website as a way to inform inquiring customers what exactly Refund Retriever can do to help them save money in their own shipping efforts, such as the one you can find here – created by a Fiverr seller. This tactic is something any business can learn from, offering the chance for brands to connect in a more personalized and engaging way than using traditional content only. To further support your own business goals in informing and connecting with customers, consider the following.
Thanks to automatic downloads, instant replays and 24/7 online accessibility, consumers can engage with your brand at their convenience whenever they want… that is, of course, if you give them something to engage with. Offering videos for your customers to view at their leisure is a great way to connect with consumers, particularly when these same consumers begin to anticipate and look forward to your next video experience. You can offer how-to-tips, educational insight, humorous perspectives, product demonstrations, informative learning experiences and more through videos – so there’s no shortage of what to offer. The benefit of these is that customers are pausing to experience your brand through your videos, therefore connecting with your brand along the way. These connections build loyalty and help strengthen sales overtime, something any brand can appreciate.
Gibbs, for example, uses videos to walk clients through set up procedures, reporting features and a variety of other procedures available to use via his company, Refund Retriever. This not only offers valuable information to his clients, but it gives him an excuse to reach out to his customers with something worth sharing. When you offer your audience valuable, engaging information, they are more likely to respond and interact with your brand – and videos can help you do this in a more personalized, custom experience unlike other marketing efforts. Using videos as part of your customer connection strategy offers endless ways for you to stay in touch… and to do so with engagement.
Since Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, SnapChat, and more offer video placement opportunities or links to your own website with videos integrated into them, connecting with customers through video has never been easier. Giving your audience a reason to slow down in their social media feeds to experience a branded video from your business is something you should absolutely aim for, helping to increase your customer loyalty, engagement and business branding. Combined with the goals of informing and connecting with your customers via video, using social media can help strengthen your marketing efforts and customer experiences. Finally, ask yourself what the most memorable or top-of-mind experiences you have had recently with a video you have engaged with. Was it memorable because it was funny? Informative? Helpful? Was it something you watched again and again… or possibly shared with others? Videos offer a connection not only between brands and customers, but also customers and potential customers. Keeping this in mind, aim to be a part of this customer connection journey… using video to help. How do you use video to support your small business? Tell us in the comments below!
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