Video is quickly becoming one of the most popular digital content formats. In a mobile-first world, video ad formats allow advertisers to reach their audience with highly targeted messaging across social media platforms and various websites.
The Benefits: 1. Optimise Reach and Awareness
Video is currently the fastest growing online media. Since the launch of Youtube almost 13 years ago, video has come a long way. Live streaming, for example, is a trend that is growing from strength to strength. It allows you to promote your brand and share content in a more interactive manner, by reaching out to your audience in real time. Not to mention 365 Video, a type of live and augmented reality. According to Forrester Research, people retain 58% more with both visual and auditory stimulation, so its no wonder video marketing is thriving!
There are so many options with regards to video that are now available to marketers. Think YouTube, Instagram/Facebook Stories and Instagram/Facebook Live. This means that the more platforms you have to share your video, the more opportunity lies to reach a larger audience.
2. Amplify Your Marketing Message
Creating a video is the perfect opportunity to show your brand’s face. For example, interviews with employees/customers or behind the scene looks into the workplace will provide your audience with a better idea of what your property is all about. This will increase their trust with your brand and in turn, will amplify your message to them.
Furthermore, we all know how important it is to ensure your marketing strategy is mobile optimised. Video is an ideal format for mobile-users. There are various platforms such as Facebook, which are becoming predominantly mobile first and are enabling advertisers to use various types of video to build their brand.
Developing Strategies:
1. Categorise & Maximise Material
It is important that you consider your important verticals, such as Weddings, Rooms, Spa and Golf. Tailor your video content accordingly to them. However, it doesn’t have to be complicated! A good tip is to maximise your existing material. For example, use photography that has already been taken. Another idea is to bring previously written articles or blog posts to life. If you already have an interview with an employee posted, accompany it with a video to give your audience a proper sense of who they’re getting to know.
2. Audit & Budget
Do you already have a YouTube channel? If so, you need to clarify whether it is up to date or if there is obsolete content there. Consider things such as logos and branding, which may have changed since the last video.
If you are starting from scratch, do you have a budget available for video marketing strategy? Things such as production costs and advertising costs need to be considered. If you have a low budget, perhaps you might consider researching various media partners that specialise in hotel/resort videography. Media partnerships brings mutually beneficial publicity without a hefty cost.
Putting it into Practise:
1. Catch & Captivate
It’s commonly said that humans now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish. Whether it is true to this extreme is unconfirmed, but we are certainly more impatient than ever before. This needs to be taken into consideration whilst creating a video. For True View formats, people can chose to skip after five seconds, therefore the first five seconds of your video are key. Prioritise getting your message and branding across before anything else in the video. This in turn will catch the eye of the viewer and you will have a larger chance of captivating them to continue watching.
2. Cut & CTA
Furthermore, this study carried out by Wistia confirms that due to today’s impatience, the longer your video, the less engagement it will have. In other words, shorter ads work best to captivate your audience. Try to cut your content down to no longer than two minutes. Now that you have caught your audience’s attention with an engaging video, it’s time to include a clear call to action button. Let them know what to do next!
3. Tailor To Your Audience
Another important factor you need to consider when creating a video is that you are targeting the right audience. This can be done through the use of Google Analytics, which you can read more about here. Once your target audience has been established, think about the marketing ‘funnel’. In other words, tailor your content to your audience’s decision making process.
4. Experiment
The best way of establishing what video format works best for your hotel is by experimentation. Try a variety of formats and then track and measure the statistics that come with it. For example, how are people engaging with your video content? Track the amount of views, likes and shares to see what your audience best engages with. Once this has been reviewed, you will know what route to go down when creating your next one!
Conclusion
As the technology world evolves, so should your marketing strategies. The popularity of consuming information through video is growing at a rapid rate. Are you currently using video to optimise your audience’s engagement? If not, follow these guidelines and put your video marketing strategy into practice today!
