There are two constant truths in marketing that you’ve likely heard over and over again. While both true, they’re as equally important as they are a potential conflict. The first is that “Content is king.” The second? That your prospects are inconceivably busy. But if content truly is king (and it is, my friend), and your readers are struggling on the daily to keep their heads above the information flood line, what are you to do? How are you supposed to reach them with all these valuable content pieces that you have? It's not like today's users are exactly clamoring to get their hands on one more “must-read” article, blog, Facebook rant, or even eBook for their backlog.
Understanding Content's Constant Value
We’re here to make the argument that content is still king, despite how busy your people are. We don't believe it's the notion around the value of that content that needs to change, but the way that you think about it. If you’re restricting your view of content to written words on a page, not only are you living a bit in the dark ages, you’re also limiting yourself and denying your marketing department access to a trove of possibilities for reaching potential and current customers.
Getting a Grasp on the Right Kind of Content
If you want to reach people with more content, you've got to reach them with video content. The fact is that we process visual information at lightning speed in comparison to reading text on a page. As creatures who are visual by nature, human beings process visual data at a rate that is 60,000 times fast than typed text. It’s no wonder then that people are moving towards video as a way of keeping themselves informed.
Creating Video Content For Your Audience
Video also holds sway in a busy world, especially for those on the move. When it comes to being able to do as much as possible at once, video can be processed with far less attentiveness than other mediums. You still lose a percentage of content digestion, but video content bets on a higher percent of intake, while multitasking over the dismissal of time available to take in any of the content.
As experts say whether we should or not, the reality is that most of us undertake multitasking as a way of getting through our day. Video allows us to either watch and or listen along as we work on a task simultaneously. We can also scrub through the information and quickly get to what we need, versus scrolling down a page and skimming for the information we need.
Keeping Video Content Creation Simple
While all of this is true, the reality is that most marketers aren’t filmmakers, editing pros or cinematographers. Our top skill isn't knowing how to work a camera, capture the perfect ambiance or splice, and edit the ideal sequence. But there is hope in our 21st Century world.
With all of the tools, you can get your little marketer hands on; you don’t need to need a masterclass to have high-quality output. Apps are making it easier than ever to film, edit, and post quick video content. Not to mention that your viewers don’t need a full-scale production.
Thanks to the introduction of Snapchat and Instagram, people are getting more and more used to an unpolished video that is in real-time. It’s a trade-off they are happy to make, as viewers crave more and more authentic content every day.
You can film simple product videos, explainers, question and answer videos, video blogs, tutorials, and more with your smartphone. A simple, small tripod can be rigged out of a stack of books, or purchased for about ten bucks. Smartphones even allow you to pause filming and unpause, saving you the hassle of having to edit out scene changes.
Once you’ve got your video put together, upload it to sites like Youtube (with the second most search volume behind Google), or Vimeo. These platforms will also offer you the opportunity to interact with viewers through comments and grow your audience through engagement. Most importantly, they offer you vital analytics on watch time, repeat watches, when you’re audience is falling off, and shares.
Have you made your first video yet? What are you waiting for?! Whether you want to jump in with social media stories or capture yourself from your desktop, building your VLOG followers; you don't need a light-ring and a steady cam to start sending video content to your audience. If you’ve got any questions about how to get started, ask us in the comments, we’d love to help!
