“Video is the most powerful way to drive marketing strategies.”
That unequivocal statement came from Paul Casinelli, director of product marketing at online video platform provider Brightcove. Casinelli spoke to the crowd at this year’s Marketing&Tech Innovation Summit in New York. He says that video is an integral tool that helps drive the customer journey; it leads consumers through channels, content, and eventually to a purchase.
“Video has the ability to make a serious impact on driving results,” Casinelli explained. “It helps increase ranking in search engines, increases time on sites, and increases conversions.” In fact, he says that video boosts organic traffic by about 157% from search engines, prompts a 105% increase in time spent on a site, and leads to about 2X the number of conversions compared to a site with no video.
Casinelli stressed that today’s customers are completely different than those of yesteryear. “The world is changing,” he explained. “Today consumers are viewing video on many different devices. So as a marketer, make sure to meet those expectations of great video on different devices; provide great experiences everywhere.”
To provide those great experiences, Casinelli said that marketers need more than video clips; they need an entire strategy that includes branded video hubs and portals infused with a social media element. “[For the viewer], a video portal should be a place to discover new things to engage with. Then push those video clips to social.” He says that video’s synergy with social promotes video sharing: “You’ll get more mileage out of your content.” Casinelli just warns marketers to make sure that the video portal speaks to the voice and mission of a brand, which he says will encourage and edify potential customers about a company’s products.
But if creating an entire video strategy and portal bolstered by social media seems overwhelming, Casinelli had this to say: “Your videos don’t have to be overproduced. Broadcasting videos are held to a higher standard. Just start devising your video strategy. Provide clean, professional videos that tell your brand’s story. Those lower-cost videos will still have a great effect on your brand perception and ROI.”
Casinelli does say, however, that marketers must make relevant videos and then track their performance. Once that data is in, he says to rev up what works and simply cut out what doesn’t. “Know the macro-level analytics: performance metrics, traffic sources, popular days for content. But also know your micro-level measurements: Know what’s engaging and what’s not. Understand your audience.”
He says that, bottom line, video works.
“It’ll increase your engagement and conversion rates,” Casinelli said. In his final words to an audience of about 150 industry professionals, he had this advice: “Just make sure to always track performance. Always push to a social channel. People are excited to consume content, and then share.”
