Marketers Are Missing the Opportunity In Video Right Now
I have a hot take for you all: Marketers are missing the opportunity in video.
With the rise of so many distribution platforms videos are getting the head nod they have desperately wanted for years. From low end UGC clips to polished commercials, if you are not using video like the three amigos, you’re doing it wrong. If I offend you, I’m sorry, but let me mans-plain this to you with a recent example:
If we look at the growing landscape of video in marketing, the growing trend is that people want more of it. As visual learners, we want to see it, not read about it. That is were the trifecta of video marketing comes into play and I will use the examples from the episodic work I have been shooting to showcase the importance of leveraging these three forms of video:
Amigo Numero Uno: UGC Videos
Before you go rolling your eyes about UGC video, take a deep breath and accept there is a place for UGC videos in your marketing. A MASSIVE place for these videos. The reality is most people spend their time on social media and that is where these videos shine. They are a low lift and can yield massive brand awareness if/when you use them correctly.
How to get UGC videos:
These are the cut downs and “trailers” to signal to your audience you have created or participated in something rad. These short vertical videos don’t have to sell anything, but they can. These videos don’t have to answer a question, but they can. These videos don’t have to go viral to be worth while, but that is always a plus side.
In the end, these vertical videos are about brand awareness. Showcasing and connecting with your audience. But, you already know that so I’m not going to tell you how to do your job. Below is how you get these videos, because that is my job:
The key here is to look at the overall story your brand is telling and make cut downs from the longer form content. In the case above, that is a BTS walk through of L’Auberge de Sedona is meant not meant to go viral, but showcase the hotel. They participated in the video series and these short cut downs have been spread across all social accounts bringing awareness to the brand. In the end, this is an added bonus for them, as their main focus was getting high-end photography from us while we were in Sedona shooting this project.
What type of UGC videos are worth while:
Educational
Aspirations
Viral Trends
Amigo Numero Dos: High-End Commercial Spots
High-end commercial spots showcase the polished side of your brand at select locations that you pick and choose
Amigo Numero Tres: Sponsored Documentaries / Episodic Videos
Sponsorship in documentaries and episodic videos showcase what you stand for by supporting the projects you believe in
So, why are marketers not leaning into projects that can deliver on all three forms of video?
I think marketers are missing the mark when they don't opt into documentaries that will gain them access to all three video formats.
Shoot the doc
Pull stellar clips to create a high end commercial
Cut shorts of BTS, phone clips, b-roll, etc., to engage and bring your following along
If you are a marketer and want to dive deeper into this, give me a shout. I have the track record to prove this works aka three seasons slotted on a streaming platform, over 100 cut downs into UGC vertical videos from those episodic series, an award-winning documentary... do I need to keep listing my social proof?
