Why Brands Should Be Using Video Marketing to Target Rural America
Video is a powerful form of communication that continues to grow in relevance and effectiveness. If a picture is worth a thousand words, think about the worth of a video. There’s a lot of reasons video production should be on your radar to help you effectively reach rural American audiences. In this article, we’ll discuss why video should be an important component of your marketing strategy and ways you can strategically and creatively leverage video to grow your brand and business.
Why is Video Marketing so Effective?
There are many factors that contribute to the success we’re seeing with video. First and foremost, videos are easy for viewers to consume. Videos are able to communicate a lot of information in a short amount of time. Videos can easily be viewed on mobile, handheld, desktop or TV devices. With the growth of video on demand and social media channels, videos can be watched on viewers’ terms, further improving their reach and effectiveness.
Think about the platforms that have grown over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, social media video and OTT (internet streaming TV) have seen significant increases in usage over the last few months. According to Smart Insights, it is estimated that internet users will spend 100 minutes per day watching online videos in 2021.2
Video content also builds brand trust, which is important when communicating with a rural American audience. Brands that produce high-quality videos are able to showcase their brand personality and culture, in addition to boosting their credibility, brand awareness and brand recall.
Another reason videos are so effective is because they are easy to share. Well-produced videos invoke emotion with viewers and drive them to take action. Viewers watch a video and then want to share that emotion with their friends and followers.
Ways to Strategically Leverage Video Content
There are several ways brands can strategically leverage video content to get the most bang for their buck and maximize the return on their investment in content creation.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – Based on the performance of video, search engines often give video content preference within their algorithms for displaying search results. Some things to keep in mind for video SEO include incorporating video transcripts, using engaging thumbnail images and strategically developing video titles and descriptions optimized for search.
Website and Landing Pages – Strategic and well-produced video content is very effective in driving viewers to action. Video on landing pages are capable of increasing conversion rates by up to 80%, according to Hubspot. Additionally, 90% of customers say videos help them make buying decisions.4
Social Media – Videos make great content for social media. The performance metrics of video on social media are just as impressive as social media usage metrics. According to Lemon Light, video viewers from a Social Media Week survey reported they obtained 95% of a message after seeing a video on social media.
Digital Advertising – Video ads were reported to be the #1 way consumers discovered a brand they later made a purchase from.3 Video ads can be placed on a variety of digital platforms and targeting capabilities continue to improve. In addition, KPIs and ROI can be measured accurately through analytics.
Email Marketing – According to Hubspot, just the word “video” in an email subject line can increase email open rates by up to 19%. Also, because video is so effective in driving viewers to action, video improves click rates and conversion rates.
Video content can be very effective in reaching and engaging a rural American audience. Additionally, there are several ways video can be leveraged to make the most of your investment. How can you leverage video to grow your brand and business?…and…Action!
Sources:
