Why You Need to Use Video in Your Black Friday Marketing Plan
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are not far away, and customers are hungrily preparing for deals. The nature of the shopping holiday continues to change, as people are increasingly shopping online and from mobile devices. As a result, your business needs to develop a unique approach to reach these shoppers. The best approach is to develop a powerful Black Friday marketing strategy that leverages video. Video, when done right, differentiates you from competitors by strategically positioning your brand in the customers mind and enabling people to connect emotionally with it.
Video is powerful
Video is the best way to reach mobile users during the shopping season, but beware: Not all videos are created equal. The most effective videos tell stories, embody your brand, deliver valuable content. The goal is to walk your audience through a memorable, meaningful experience that creates emotional ties to your brand.
If your carefully crafted video is available on the right channels and expertly timed to reach your audience, it will be remembered by viewers. Video is the preferred medium for maximum message retention, as viewers retain of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text. Quality video is a must-have in your marketing arsenal this holiday.
Black Friday is changing
More people are shopping online. In 2017, online Black Friday sales rose 18%, hitting a record $7.9 billion. Purchases from mobile phones were up 29% in the same year, marking the first time mobile purchases surpassed those made on desktops. In 2019, we can only expect online shopping to become more popular, meaning your business needs to utilize the channels where its shoppers are.
Choosing the right type of video for your strategy
Remember when we said not all videos are created equal? This is important for selecting which videos to incorporate into your Black Friday marketing strategy. Certain types of videos are better suited for mobile and social media, and thus for reaching mobile shoppers. Selecting the right types will create the most buzz, catch your customer’s attention, and leverage mobile and social sharing to promote your brand. And the stats show that sharing is powerful: 92% of mobile video viewers share those videos with others.
Three types of video well suited for mobile and social media are Product Videos, Brand Videos, and Commercials. Let’s look at each type in more detail.
Types of video to use in your marketing strategy
Product Videos
A product video showcases your product and helps the audience understand how your product or service can fit into their personal or professional lives. Your product video should be long enough for a full explanation, but short enough to keep the viewer’s attention. Research shows that product videos work; Consumers who view a demo videos of a product are 1.81 time more likely to make a purchase than non-viewers. Create a product video to share a fresh, new take on your product line or introduce a new product with an exclusive Black Friday release date with a video.
Brand Videos
A brand video highlights your brand’s values, beliefs and philosophy to help create a personal connection with your audience. Brand videos are powerful. Even if a consumer watches a video for under 10 seconds, the video still helps increase brand awareness and purchase intent. This type of video is particularly useful for captivating interest, raising brand awareness, and generating leads. When customers bond emotionally to your brand, they make repeat purchases and become brand loyal. Educate potential customers with a brand video posted on your social media platforms and website.
Commercials
Did you know 64% of consumers make a purchase after watching branded social videos? This is where commercials come in. A commercial generates awareness and hype around your brand, service, or product in a more traditional video ad. Your commercial, if created with quality content and placed in the right channels, can be extremely effective for lead generation. As a creative way to introduce your brand into the minds of customers, they are designed to grab attention, energize and excite. Commercials are typically short and highly branded to convey personality. Place a commercial on social media and coordinate the timing with your Black Friday sales promotions.
Don’t forget…
Whichever video you choose to incorporate into your marketing strategy, remember to craft it carefully. At Simple Story, we create stories that walk people through an experience. It is this immersive experience that customers will remember once it’s time to shop for Black Friday.
Ready to get started? We can help. Give us a call or drop us a line.
While you’re at it, take a look at this article about the best tech websites!