Does video matter? You bet it does, says marketing expert Kim Morrison

Happy New Year! We’re at the start of a new year with a lot of change going on. This time last year no-one could have predicted how 2020 was going to turn out and the reality is that there are still many challenges ahead. The ongoing pandemic, the vaccination programme and Brexit to name just the few we know about.

You might have had to pivot your business and establish more of an online presence but have you been ignoring video, hoping it will just go away? Or worse, thinking you can accomplish your goals without it?

I’m here to tell you, video is going nowhere. YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, and thousands of hours of video are uploaded each and every day. Video clips on social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and even LinkedIn enjoy far more engagement than do plain text or even image-based updates. And when it comes to training programs, most people prefer video to text—or at least a combination of the two.

Live streaming

And with live streaming video, this marketing channel has become even more important. Here are a few of the reasons why:

Live video lets viewers get to know you and your business better;

Your personality and brand shine through in ways written words or pre-recorded video simply cannot manage;

A built-in sense of urgency makes it easy to connect with your action takers;

Repurposing video for other channels is easy and super productive;

Facebook and other social networks give more weight to video, showing it in more newsfeeds than other post formats.

In addition to all of that, video is now easy to produce—especially the streaming services. Simply prop up your smart phone, log into your preferred app and viola! You’re live.

And because it’s a live, streaming video, your viewers are likely to have less of an expectation of perfection. For example, with a scripted webinar, they expect a certain polish. But with streaming video, you can get away with a much more lighthearted, go-with-the-flow style. It’s perfect for Q&A sessions, special announcements, group coaching, or anything else where you simply want to connect with your audience, and there’s no agenda.

Don’t abandon your other marketing channels

I see this happen a lot – a hot new marketing tool or strategy comes along, and all of a sudden everyone is on board – much to the detriment of his or her tried-and-true methods.

Remember, you have loyal fans on many platforms: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok or even your blog. And these fans won’t always be quick to move to a new site just to stay in touch. You owe it to them to maintain your presence on other social sites as well.

So while Facebook Live (and other streaming video services) definitely matters when it comes to your overall marketing efforts, it’s not the end-all, be-all tool that will outshine all others.

In my next article I’ll give you three tips for going live.

>> Breaking news

A quieter for news and changes to social media over the holiday period.

Facebook has launched a major campaign criticising Apple’s coming changes to IDFA, saying that they will severely impact SMBs.

Facebook is also adding AR effects and filters to the desktop version of Messenger.

Instagram has shared some data-backed insights into the most popular holiday cookies across the US. And with Covid-19 cases seeing a resurgence in some regions, Instagram has added some new alerts to ensure people remain vigilant.

Instagram has also added some new additions to your creative options in both Reels and Stories.

Pinterest has shared the details of a review into its workplace culture following accusations of racial inequity within its systems.

Snapchat has shared some new insights into rising consumption trends and usage behaviours to help in your strategic thinking.

TikTok has added a new ‘Year in Review’ option to showcase your 2020 personal top trends in the app.

Twitter is launching a new test which will show users topics, people in common, and other things that they have in common within the tweet composer.

kim@morrmarketing.co.uk