Video is currently one of the hottest mediums in digital marketing.
Digital video ad spend in the United States alone was at $41.44 billion in 2020 and is set to hit almost double that amount by 2023. All of that is fueled by buyer habits, with 84% of them reporting that a video ad convinced them to buy a brand’s product.
But with almost every brand using video, it’s getting harder than ever to cut through the noise and engage your audience — even when you have a fantastic video on hand.
That’s where an effective video distribution strategy can make all the difference.
But first, let’s look at what video marketing is.
What Is Video Marketing?
Video marketing is the use of videos to communicate with customers or prospects. And while promoting your product or service is the first thing that comes to mind, that’s just scratching the surface.
Video is effective at educating customers on a new product feature, onboarding users to your app, or just entertaining your followers on social media. Product demos, game recaps, case studies — the possibilities with video are endless. You can even send a personalised thank-you or a personalised offer to your customers.
Marketing stats also point to the effectiveness of video. An EyeView study reports that adding a video to a landing page can boost conversion rates by up to 80%. And evidence also shows that video helps pages rank higher on Google because users spend more time on your page watching the video.
But why is video so compelling?
That’s because video is far more effective at grabbing the viewer’s attention and stirring their emotions than any other medium. It can even change beliefs and build trust.
Using videos is particularly effective in the gaming industry, where keeping players engaged is the name of the game. And with so many alternatives, especially in the free-to-play space, it’s getting challenging to do.
But with video, game developers have an added tool in their retention arsenal. It can be used to showcase a player’s season highlights, recap their most epic matches or summarise their stats for them to brag to their friends. Here’s an example of how Ubisoft did it for Rainbow 6 Siege.
Any player who gets this year-end recap will get pumped up seeing their play stats for the year. It also sets them up to continue playing to try and beat that record.
Of course, effective video marketing is more than just creating a video and calling it a day. Having valuable content that inspires a user to take action or feel a strong emotion is extremely important.
You also need to have an effective digital video distribution strategy. Without it, having the most viral video won’t matter because not enough people can find it.
That brings us to our next point.
What is Online Video Distribution?
Video content distribution is where you’ll place your video so that your intended audience can find it. The “where” in this case refers to distribution channels that can host video content, such as a website, direct messaging, social media and mobile apps.
As far as video distributions go, your website is always an option. It’s only appropriate since your website is your business’s digital hub and where people go if they want to learn more about you. Consequently, explainer videos and product demos are great additions here to educate newcomers about your offerings or onboard them to a new program.
Direct messaging channels involve sending video content in a 1:1 conversation, such as email and SMS. These are often the main ways people interact with you, so it’s best to use video to encourage them to visit your website.
Social media is by far the most popular channel with potentially the most viewers. As such, platforms like Facebook and Instagram are great for brand awareness videos that help keep your company top-of-mind or attract new prospects. Ad spots on TV or streaming services serve more or less the same purpose. These video distributions tend to be part of a branding strategy.
As you can see, each distribution channel has its purpose. As a result, placing a video type in the wrong channel can reduce its effectiveness. For example, hosting an hour-long webinar on social media might not be as ideal as putting it on a landing page. And this is why you want to plan out your distribution strategy and video placement carefully.
What Is the Best Way to Share Videos?
Now that you know about video distribution channels, let’s talk about integrating these channels into your video distribution strategy. We’ll also provide you with some tips on using them for maximum exposure for your videos.
The Best Video Distribution Platforms for Business
So let’s dive right in. Here are the best video distribution platforms for businesses to leverage:
- Your website (including the blog section)
- Mobile app
- MMS or SMS
- Video hosting platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook
Your website, as mentioned, should always be your first host of choice. The reason is that many other distribution channels, such as SMS and email, will constantly direct people to watch the full version hosted on your site or blog.
We also recommend placing your video on a landing page customised specifically for that content. Remember that most people who will view your video will come from an outside source, so they need context on what it’s about. A landing page design also allows you to place a call-to-action button so that the user knows what to do after watching.
click to tweet
Fortunately, it’s not that difficult to design a landing page for your video. You can use a tool like Idomoo’s Landing Page Builder to create one from scratch easily.
After your website, email tends to be one of the most effective distribution channels. That’s because it’s a more personal and direct way to communicate with your customers. And video can increase that engagement further.
However, you don’t want to send someone a long-form video attached to an email. Instead, it’s better to create an attractive thumbnail to entice the user to click. This then directs them to a landing page where they can watch the video.
We wrote a whole blog post about how to use video in your email marketing campaign. Check it out for practical strategies you can start using today.
The Best Place to Share Videos on Social Media
Generally, questions about where to share videos on social media will have Facebook as the top answer. And the social media giant does boast nearly 3 billion monthly active users (if you round up from 2.8 billion — and why not, right?).
For many people, it’s their go-to spot for video content, from humor to practical how-to content. Plus, Facebook offers powerful retargeting and a robust video ad platform, so you’ll have multiple ways to reach your audience.
Video distributions on Instagram are also excellent since it’s a visually oriented social media platform. It’s perfect for more creative and experimental videos. LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest are also viable choices.
Whichever social media platform you choose, a great approach to try is repurposing your videos. This involves taking a long-form video and chopping it up into smaller segments. The shorter lengths give you far more flexibility in their placement, whether for an ad or a daily Facebook post. You also cut down on production time since you don’t need to reshoot videos from scratch.
You can take social media video marketing one step further with Idomoo’s Dynamic Video Ads. With it, you can dynamically change the content of the video to tailor it to the viewer’s interests and demographics.
Here’s an example from a dynamic video Facebook ad by Trivago, which highlights different goals depending on the user. For instance, if they’re parents, the phrase “Looking for a family getaway?” appears. But if the viewer is single, the ad asks, “Looking for an awesome holiday?” instead.
Why Use Personalised Videos?
Narrowing your video to the customer segment, as shown in the ad above, is definitely effective. We’ve seen a 5x uplift in CTR and a 7x return on ad spend with Dynamic Video Advertising.
However, personalisation takes it one step further. Instead of tailoring a video to a market segment, it can be customised for the individual.
A Personalised Video has the potential to skyrocket engagement. After all, a video that mentions a person’s name and displays data unique to them will not only grab their attention — it can’t fail to be relevant.
Imagine receiving your first monthly bill and getting a Personalised Video explainer like this one from BT.
Or think how engaging it is to shop around for home refinancing and get a video quote that’s not only personalised but interactive. Try it below. You can input your own numbers to play with the calculator and see what offers are available.
Even a personalised touch to an upsell video can make it more effective at converting the customer. This is what Vodafone did with their hugely successful Personalised Video campaign.
Idomoo has the Personalisation Solutions You Need
Video personalisation is at the heart of what Idomoo does. Our open platform (with lots of built-in integrations and robust APIs) allows marketers to dynamically insert data into video content that is then rendered on the fly. This guarantees that the video only shows the latest, most accurate data.
Our platform can handle these Personalised Videos at scale — millions of videos rendered 100 times faster than real time. Plus, it comes with enterprise-grade data security and Living Video functionalities. (What’s Living Video? Learn how it works.)
Of course, for personalisation to work, you need to have data on the user. In other words, it can only work for your current customers or prospects you know a little bit about, not on cold prospects. But once these cold prospects become leads and you have data on them or, better yet, they turn into customers, you can use the magic of Personalised Videos to keep them engaged.
Idomoo prides itself as one of the most innovative video distribution companies driving the future of dynamic and Personalised Video forward. Contact us today to learn more about how our video platform has served the top companies worldwide in industries as diverse as utilities, banking and higher education.
