2017 is touted as “The Year of Video Marketing”. More than the latest glib sales term of the week, the latest research has revealed very compelling evidence to support this claim:
- 78% of people watch videos online every week, and 55% watch videos online every day.
- 500 million people are watching Facebook videos every day.
- 59% of Senior Executives agree that if both text and video are available on the same topic on the same page, they prefer to watch video.
- A massive 81% of people feature their video on their brand website.
- When marketers included a video in an email, the click-through rate increased by 200-300%
In short, video now dominates your customer’s online activity. Not using video as part of your marketing campaign, website and your social media is like not communicating in the same language as your customer. It’s like making a speech in a rare African dialect, when you audience’s first language is English. Put simply, your customers can’t hear you.
Where you have outdated or under-performing video that needs to be replaced, or if you don’t have any video content and understand how important is now is to add to your marketing arsenal, we have pulled together 5 tips for approaching Video Production specifically within Banking and Finance Industries:
1. Speak to your customers directly
The quickest and most effective way to build trust with your customers is to talk to them peer to peer. The age of being talked at by scripted and cold impersonal sales messaging is over. As human beings we communicate with so much more than words, physical body language tells your customer so much more than a line of text or even a still photo. If you can’t stand directly in front of your customers, then video is the very next best thing.
2. Teach your customers about services you provide
Long paragraphs featuring unfamiliar vocabulary can be a big turn off for customers. Suspicion about what is being hidden in the small print, or embarrassment about being unable to understand certain products will deter your customers from exploring services you offer. Using video to visually demonstrate the services helps your customers to not only more easily comprehend what you are offering, but it can also present it through the point of view of the customer. This helps the customer envision how it can be directly applied to their personal situation. Seeing a product’s immediate benefits makes the customer’s decision to purchase easier still.
3. Share your company’s philosophy
What makes your company different from your competitors? At the heart of those differences is your core philosophy and values. Your way of approaching the industry in the manner that you do, and why. Video is a powerful tool. It has the power to produce an emotional reaction in the viewer, it can communicate the very heart of your brand.
4. Educate your customers about your commitment to servicing them, and your community
This concept puts your customers front and center – it helps you to express their value to your company, as well as firmly places your company is a position of service. These videos demonstrate all of the small (and large!) ways in which your company provides a service, focused on the benefits to each and every customer. It should feel “personal”, a chat to camera by a charismatic, warm and authentic host can be an effective approach, speaking either to the camera (the customer/viewer) or to a customer within the video – the everyday man/woman with whom the viewer can immediately identify with. Here is also a wonderful opportunity to introduce any community focused efforts your company engages in; a local charity, a food drive, sponsoring sports teams, etc.
5. Introduce customers to your team
Your team become stars! Treat your customers as a member of the extended family and remind them that there are human beings behind the brand, real people they can trust. Whether it’s your employee of the month or a series of interviews with staff (“A day in the life of…”), these types of videos foster a sense of familiarity and loyalty in your company, and can also be used as incentives for recruitment efforts.
If you’d like to explore any of these ideas, or any other element of corporate video production, don’t hesitate to use the form below to connect, or find out more about Front Runner Films here. We have years of experience, with a succession of successful corporate video and commercials for financial companies. We understand the specific needs of your industry and look forward to finding out about the unique heart of your brand.
