Video marketing has been one of the big trends of 2012, establishing a real resonance with B2B marketers. Claire Weekes looks at the top 10 developments that have pushed the medium forward this year…
Earlier this year, we predicted that video marketing would be one of the hot trends to watch out for in 2012 and by all accounts it has been, with B2B brands trying out a whole host of new technologies in order to help boost their digital campaigns.
As the year draws to a close, we take a look at 10 of the most exciting developments in video technology that forward-thinking brands are already adopting. If you haven’t dipped a toe into the water yet, make 2013 the year you integrate some of these ideas into your marketing mix.
1. A mobile audience
Mobile phone consumption is probably enabling the biggest rate of change in the way marketers engage with their audiences. More and more web videos are being watched on mobile devices rather than via the traditional desktop computer, a fact the introduction of 4G download speeds is only likely to accelerate. “As mobile moves into 4G, the distinction between lower quality mobile content and high-quality desktop versions will be a thing of the past,” suggests Simon Baker, corporate account director at ITN Productions. “There are also opportunities opening up around dual screens. Consumers of content are increasingly using a phone or tablet while watching TV. I’m sure you will soon be able to pause a film on one device and then resume viewing it in full quality on another.”
As a result of how sophisticated mobile phones have become, no longer is a B2B brand’s audience merely switched on to video content while sat in front of a computer between nine and five. These days, the power of video technology on our handsets means we are potentially receptive to consuming content via this format at any time of day or night.
2. The HTML5 revolution
HTML5 technology has revolutionised the way in which video content can be shared across devices – a coup for marketers looking to push out their videos via multichannels.
With HTML5, video output can be directly embedded into web pages that generally work with mobile, which means the HTML5 page seen on a computer will typically work on a phone screen. “This change will see more companies moving their websites into HTML5 responsive designs, allowing the site and content to automatically optimise for mobile, tablets and PCs,” predicts Baker.
3. DM with a difference
Thanks again to mobile phone technology, incorporating video footage into direct mail brochures is not as complex or as costly as you might think. Remember when Moonpig advertised a video card service whereby downloading an app and hovering your smartphone over a greetings card played a video message? The same technology can be applied to any form of direct mail. “This can add an element of quality and excitement to a communication,” says David Croucher, motion graphics designer and video editor at IAS B2B Marketing. This approach also offers up the chance to film short, personalised messages to recipients.
4. Let’s get interactive
The possibilities that augmented reality can offer up to B2B marketers are far reaching. “Imagine filming a short clip on your phone prior to a meeting and leaving a card that gives a highly personalised augmented message. We are also starting to see Aurasma (augmented reality technology for mobile) being used more and more as a call-to-action within brochures, linking directly to online landing pages, giving the videos we produce a more interactive platform,” says Baker.
In a grand gesture that perhaps gives a glimpse into the future of the use of this technology, earlier this year General Electric (GE) staged a holographic gaming experience that enabled players to virtually construct, examine and explore a full-sized jet engine. During a six-minute game entitled ‘Throttle up’, tradeshow delegates were positioned in front of a 32ft x 20ft holographic installation on which 200 individual components appeared to be floating in outer space. Using simple arm movements to control the parts, the player manipulated these elements to construct a complete jet engine. Once achieved, the life-size engine could be rotated by a sweeping motion, allowing it to be viewed from any angle.
5. Analyse this
In the past, there have been limitations when it comes to tracking an audience’s engagement levels with a piece of video content due to restrictions within the programmes required to play them – for example, Flash requires bespoke action script code to track a users interaction with a video.
However, as Croucher explains, analytics are now more trackable thanks to the introduction of HTML5 technology, which allows a greater degree of video tracking and analytics that work on multiple devices. “We can gain more valuable data about the user journey than we have been able to in the past. Most importantly, we can now track who exactly has watched a video we’ve sent them, how far they watched before they paused or stopped, what they engaged with next, and more,” he says. “This is very relevant in B2B marketing as we are not trying to engage with as many people as possible like in B2C campaigns, we are trying to target a select few decision makers. Being able to see the identities of these people and their viewing habits is very beneficial, meaning we can look at the data and tailor future communications to the individual needs of that user.”
6. Live on air
What was perhaps, two or three years ago, viewed as a cheap subsidy for a real-life event is now actually seen as a cutting-edge and innovative way to reach out to audiences for all kinds of reasons. “Live streaming is a chance to create a real ‘appointment to view’ for shareholders, customers, suppliers and employees alike, using simple web plug-ins to hyper-distribute content – including direct social opportunities such as ‘hangouts’ on Google Plus,” says Jasmine Athwal, associate director at 3-Monkeys. “This could include a new product reveal, a press conference or a seminar. The rapid growth in smartphone and tablet penetration allows businesses to give their audiences a choice in where, when and how they view video content.”
“Video provides a very engaging, fluid, human viewing experience and is easy to consume. We’re seeing clients use live video a lot for streaming breaking news, enhancing offline events and making discussions with remotely-located presenters possible,” adds Morgan Cantrell, senior marketing programmes manager and product manager at BrightTalk.
“Invesco has a great live quarterly roundtable video called ‘Invesco Interactive’ featuring Bloomberg TV’s Tom Keane. It brings in some of its top fund managers and allows for live audience questions that are woven into the event. The series provides access to experts that viewers would rarely get to experience without this format and Invesco has embedded it nicely into their website along with shorter form highlight reels from the recordings,” adds Cantrell.
7. Webinars come of age
Webinar technology has come of age in the past 12 months, with the technology that powers these platforms becoming ever more reliable and user friendly. More and more brands are now realising webinars are a lucrative way to engage and interact with large audiences, that go beyond just cost effectiveness. Far from replacing the traditional event, webinars can increase reach and provide longevity – a recorded webinar can be seeded and integrated with other collateral to give it reach far beyond the audience that engaged with it on the day.
“Creating a video-enabled virtual environment for people to explore can be a highly engaging tool for remote marketing. It has been used very effectively in the Middle East, with some universities creating online campuses. Students can watch lectures and interact with peers and tutors,” notes Baker. There’s no reason the same video environment couldn’t be created for a B2B audience – to educate them about new technology and facilitate peer-to-peer and product expert discussions, for example.
8. Social partners
Social media platforms have helped the online video industry to really take off, because they provide a free and easy way for brands to host and share content. There is much research to suggest that social networks are now one of the key influences when it comes to making purchasing decisions. The good news for B2B marketers wanting to gain impact on social media channels is that video can be far more engaging for them than text and images. “For that reason, it can also be far more valuable, not least of all because widespread sharing and distribution will also drive inlinking, which in turn helps boost natural search rankings,” says Athwal.
“Video on social media platforms can have far more cut-through than just text or images and is more likely to be shared,” agrees Baker. “However it is important to make your films with your audience in mind. For a LinkedIn audience, think about sharing thought leadership and insight, for YouTube you are better aiming for highly visual content that has the wow factor.”
9. The viral effect
There are lots of creative ways B2B brands can achieve a viral-like status for their video output. When the services of VoIP provider ShoreTel were praised by customers at the recent Call Centre Expo, ShoreTel worked to get the most out of the exposure by seeding the video. Footage was linked back to a press interview and article, as well as ShoreTel’s own YouTube video. All videos were placed on YouTube and LinkedIn by ShoreTel’s salespeople and business partner, Armstrong Communciations, who owns its customer relationship management.
“All of this created a viral impact for both awareness, and lead generation to reach specific audiences,” explains Daniel Bausor, MD at Famous4Communications, which works with ShoreTel.
Matt Warnes, creative director at digital video agency The Peloton, is a firm advocate of YouTube. “Brands in the past have been scared of putting video on YouTube – they’ve felt it creates a forum for people to make negative comments so they either don’t put films up or disable the comments. But it’s a great way to start a conversation so don’t just ignore any criticism – keep on top of the comments, defend your position rather than be afraid.” He adds, “The SEO potential of YouTube video is enormous – don’t just hide your videos on your own microsite.”
10. Poll action
It’s difficult to make a poll look exciting, after all most consist simply of pages of text and tick boxes. However, with the creation of video solutions this aspect of your marketing function can become more dynamic. Video polling generally takes the format of a host-fronted Q&A, whereby they put the questions to the viewer who then clicks to answer. The advantage is a genuinely more engaging format in which to ask prospects or clients for information.
“Video polls are new and exciting. It gives you a great opportunity to communicate with customers or potential customers on a much more human level – yes it’s a bit more expensive than having a simple text poll but it shows the viewer that you care a bit more. Excitingly, there are also technologies now available that allow polls to develop based on the answers given; polls can branch off to different questions based on answers rather than simply being linear,” says Warnes.
So what’s next?
So what’s next for video marketing? Simon Baker, corporate account director at ITN Productions, offers his view “Companies have well established print brand guidelines but these do not often cross over well into the on-screen space. At this point the trademark takes on other attributes such as movement and sound.
“I predict video brand guidelines and graphics toolkits will begin to be the norm, with each new film reinforcing the brand and bringing it to life, rather than having a branding exercise for each film which is often the case.
“In B2B markets, we will continue to see an increase in access to high quality, business-related video content viewed on mobile devices. Trends such as ‘Bring-your-own-device’ will remove technological barriers to the consumption and sharing of video content that helps senior corporate employees to research and solve business related problems.”
