6 reasons why corporate video is so important

You’d have to be hiding under a rock to have missed that today, corporate video plays a pivotal role in building brand awareness, boosting sales and recruiting the best people.

It’s blasted its way into the top position as the most powerful medium for persuasion.

Industry by industry, platform by platform, corporate video in all its glorious forms has spread like wildfire; lighting brand-shining sparks into otherwise boring, ho-hum content.

In this blog, we’re diving deeper into the ‘why.’

Why corporate video is so important and should be a non-negotiable part of your marketing strategy.

1. We all love a good (video) story

What is it about a video that draws your visitors in?

It’s as basic as our human desire to connect at a deeper, more emotional level.

It seems we’re hard-wired to respond positively to the human element of a narrative.

And that’s what your corporate video should be.

Focused on connecting with real humans.

In Hubspot’s Ultimate Guide to Emotional Marketing, they explain how emotional responses to marketing actually influence a person’s intent and decision to buy more than the content of an ad or marketing material.

Out of 1,400 successful advertising campaigns, those with purely emotional content performed about twice as well (31% vs. 16%) as those with only rational content.

Video is unmatched for its ability to create an emotional connection

Let’s look at a simple, ‘corporate marketing’ example.

Imagine you’re looking for a home builder.

You’re browsing websites just to see who you click with.

On one website, you hit play on a video – and there’s the MD of this business sharing his story.

His conversational tone as he talks about starting on site when he was three or four years old and following his builder Dad around on building sites draws you in straight away.

You learn that problem-solving is one of his strong points. That he really enjoys the challenges of juggling trades, materials and weather to get your home built – and he doesn’t let anything delay that.

You can see his passion. He just loves building houses and goes above and beyond for his customers.

In the video, there are also a couple of customers talking about their experience – and everything they say aligns with his words.

Emotionally, you just connect.

Whether you’re competing for market share or employees, your video’s story-telling, trust-building content is the strongest way to make an emotional connection.

Just make sure that your video story stays focused on what your viewer will care about.

That every point you want to get across delivers the benefits – not just features – loud and clear. 

2. Video builds trust & humanises your brand​

Using corporate video production to humanise your brand is less about making a sales pitch and more about building relationships.

Because trust always comes first.

Apart from a face-to-face meeting, your video is the most effective way for prospective customers or employees to get to know you. To like and trust you.

How to add trust elements in your video​

It’s in our DNA to connect with faces and empathise with expressions.

This empathy takes you a step closer to building trust.

So one of the easiest ways to build trust is to include the faces behind your brand in your video.

From a relaxed video chat with you and/or your business stakeholders, we can pull out the messaging that your audience will tune into.

• When your viewer can see the real humans who work on and in your business sharing their passion, commitment and how they help their clients, it sparks a gut-feeling response.
• When employees share what they love about working for your company, the prospective employee you’re onboarding feels reassured.
• When customers share how you solved their challenges and how great you are to work with, the potential customer viewing your video can imagine themselves in their place.

More than just getting the facts, you’ve built trust.

Now you’re memorable. You stand out.

The result? A competitive advantage over your competitors.

3. Your video encourages website visitors to stay​

Your visitor has found your website, but will they keep exploring?

Probably not.

Averagely, 95% of your website visitors will land, have a quick look – then they’re gone for good.

That’s not a great stat.

You can check your own statistics in your Google Analytics by looking at your new and returning visitors.

Whatever your number, it’s a sad fact that most of your website visitors won’t return.

When you’ve worked so hard to get those visitors to your website, what more can you do to keep your visitors there?

This is where your corporate video comes to the rescue.

The numbers prove – and reassure – that adding a video to your website is one of the best ways to stop high bounce rates. (And make Google happier.)

Your video encourages your visitors to pause a moment, rather than skimming over your page.

Tips to hold attention for longer

• Position your video high on your web page, preferably ‘above the fold’ so it’s seen before having to scroll
• Don’t have videos that live in the body of a page autoplay or you might annoy your viewer away – let them click that play button themselves. (Videos in the header section can autoplay, preferably without sound)
• Your first ten seconds are precious – don’t waste those seconds on a logo. Instead, get straight into a strong benefit, an eye-catching scene or ear-catching music
• Use captions – otherwise, you’ll quickly lose the viewers watching without sound

Every extra second you gain is a precious moment to share your corporate story in a way that connects with what your audience will tune into.

To create a deeper connection with your brand.

And remember you when it comes time to buy. 

4. Your competitors are creating videos​

If your competitors have a website – and you don’t – you’re out of the race.

If 86% of businesses now use video – and you don’t – you’re way behind.

To stay relevant in this hyper-competitive market, you need to be producing the quality video content that consumers want – and expect – to see.

These are your competitors.

They’re busy creating branding, marketing and recruitment videos to boost their SEO ranking, attract new visitors to their websites, and increase conversions.

Are you in this race for market share? Because you don’t want to get left behind.

What types of corporate video will work hardest for you?​

Today’s corporate video is any video you produce to either connect with your customers and prospects, or to recruit, induct and train employees.

For customer-facing videos, I’d prioritise a corporate overview that includes you/your people – but with the strongest focus on what makes you different and how you help your clients. Think ‘you’, not ‘we.’

A case study video is also at the top of my recommended types of video for effectiveness, because it’s so easy for the viewer connect with how you solved another customer’s challenge.

With the job market so competitive right now, recruitment videos are having a very big moment. So if your priority is attracting staff, a recruitment video is a stand-out way to boost quality applications.

An explainer or how-to video for your process will give your viewer the confidence to take the next step.

5. More customers buy after viewing your video​

The numbers don’t lie.

More customers buy after viewing your video, improving your return on investment. (R.O.I)

Here’s a snapshot from the Video Marketing Statistics report by Wyzowl;

• 88% of people say that they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video
• 87% of marketers say video has helped them increase traffic
• 81% of marketers say video has helped them directly increase sales

How do you measure your video’s ROI?​

Video analytic tools will tell you.

• You can measure video views
• You can measure total watch time and average completion rate
• You can measure how engaging your video is
• You can measure if, after watching, your viewer clicks a call-to-action link

What matters most is setting goals for your video and measuring them.

6. Google ranks video highly​

There are several reasons why Google favours video content in its ranking algorithm.

• Video on your website reduces bounce rate and increases the amount of time your visitor hangs around
• When this dwell time increases, it tells Google that your content was what the person was looking for
• Google pays attention to what’s known as user signals. Things like dwell time, and bounce rate indicate to Google that the person is engaged with the page. Using a combination of both video and text on a page as opposed to text-only, increases engagement, and sends positive user signals to Google, which improves your ranking

There’s a clear pattern here. Google wants searchers to find content that’s most relevant and useful to them.

Because video content is a more engaging experience for your website visitors, Google rewards this with improved SEO ranking, which drives more website traffic.

7. What a powerhouse corporate video has proven to be​

It’s the most powerful medium to deliver brand credibility and boost the confidence of a prospect who, up to now, was browsing and didn’t have a clue – or care – who you are.

1. When you put your video to work, you’re tapping into the power of story-telling​

There’s no better medium for conveying emotion – adding depth to the relationship before there even is one.

2. With video, you build trust and an emotional connection ​

Unlike copy, where it’s easy to misunderstand – or totally miss – the intention behind your written words. (Like that text where you’re not sure if the sender is cranky or just concise.)

Your video story is a giant leap towards a relationship with your viewer, with clear messaging and your brand personality shining through.

3. Your video is an invitation that’s hard to resist​

Video makes it so easy for your visitors to hit play – and stay. You’ve put up a stop sign to slow down their fast trajectory as they speed scan your page.  – and stay. You’ve put up a stop sign to slow down their fast trajectory as they speed scan your page.

4. You stand tall amongst competitors​

86% of businesses now use video.

That’s a clear message that video works for them – and that it needs to be in your content mix. It’s a matter of survival in a very competitive corporate jungle.

That’s a clear message that video works for them – and that it needs to be in your content mix. It’s a matter of survival in a very competitive corporate jungle.

5. More customers buy after viewing your video​

With that magic mix of story-telling and benefits to your viewer,  more of your prospects will become customers. to your viewer, more of your prospects will become customers.

6. People like video content, so Google likes video content​

The mysterious Google algorithm is always evolving, with an intention to make the browser’s experience better, longer and more relevant.

No wonder video content gets a Google tick.

 P.S. Don’t just upload your video – follow these checklist steps to optimise your videos first