Audio and video marketing are at the forefront of innovative marketing campaigns and online presences. With content consumption preferences ranging from completely passive, to totally visual, to in-ear-only, digital marketing teams around the world are facing facts and pivoting strategies. As businesses are beginning to fully understand the importance and market power of these easy-to-consume pieces of content, we wanted to share some of the best ways that marketers can use audio and video files to build successful, engaging, customer-converting brands online.
Audio: Making a Comeback in Marketing
Audio marketing has come a long way since traditional commercial or radio ads. Here are just a few of the ways that marketers can use audio to further brand efforts:
1. Podcasts
Podcasting is not a new practice in any sense, but it has gained a lot of traction in the last decade or so. As more of our devices become internet-connected, the demand for on-the-go entertainment has increased dramatically; podcasts included. For many businesses out there, a podcast can be an amazing way to share knowledge in your industry and establish yourself as a thought leader. Business podcasts also lend the benefit of being able to engage with current or potential customers.
2. Audio Ads
Savvy digital marketers are taking advantage of the recent uptick in podcast popularity in other ways. By doing some in-depth research into what types of audiences listen to what types of podcasts, you can identify where to put your money. With a well-placed audio ad that comes directly from the mouth of a listener’s trusted source, you’re likely to convert more people into paying customers. You could also find success tapping into audio ads for paid music services like Spotify and Pandora, and local radio.
3. Audiograms
Imagine a full audio file divided into small, shareable pieces – audiograms are just this. Perfect for sharing on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram, an audiogram is simply a short audio clip that’s combined with an image. Snippets of information – even audio information – is widely popular among millennials that often require a “cut to the chase” mentality when it comes to content. Just make sure you record high-quality audio to have the most positive effect!
Video: Marketing’s Golden Child
Video marketing has been making the headlines in the past few years, and for good reason. Here are some of the creative use cases that marketers are using video with:
1. Email Marketing
While email marketing usually focuses on the words being written and read, it too has started to change with the trend of more visuals. Including a short video (or video thumbnail that links to the actual video) in an email campaign is proven to lead to more engagement. Approximately half of the marketers who used video in email campaigns saw increased click-through rates, increased time spent reading the email, and increased sharing and forwarding (eMarketer).
2. Social Media
It should be a no-brainer in this day-and-age, but using video content on social media channels is a surefire way to get more customers clicking and listening – especially when you use paid social ads. What we want to emphasize is the importance of finding truly creative ways to use video marketing on these channels, rather than simply posting a tutorial video or demo reel. Experimenting with live streaming, inside looks at your company and its employees, case study-like testimonials, etc. to see what your audience clicks on the most.
3. On-Site Landing Pages
Videos have been proven time and time again to help more customers convert faster when used on website landing pages. Why? Because nothing can explain what your product or service is quite as well as a brand-friendly video, and the urge to hit the play button can often be too strong to resist. By creatively showcasing your product/service and explaining it concisely, you’ll be able to better capture new customer’s attention and convince them of your value simultaneously.
All this audio and video content can’t go far in the digital world without quality SEO to support it. Transcribing audio and video files to get the full, accurate text account of everything is the best way to ensure that your digital marketing efforts make it through the muck.
