As you no doubt have noticed, video is already becoming a mainstream business practice and we’re seeing savvy brands in both the B2B and the B2C space use video in innovative ways. Why the popularity of video? Low-cost tools and software for deploying video technology have made it easier to effectively integrate these innovative real-time strategies into the workplace—and these strategies have also demonstrated tremendous ROI.
According to a January 2016 HubSpot report, more than half of marketing professionals surveyed identified video as the content delivering the best ROI. More good news: The applications for video as an internal business or external marketing tool are endless, and it’s accessible to all staff, from administrative assistants to executives. It’s crucial then that modern businesses utilize video to connect and more effectively communicate with employees, to reach current and future customers, and to stay competitive in a remarkably advanced industry. Let’s explore some ways to most effectively integrate video into your business operations, and the impact that can have.
Use Video for Internal Communications, Training, and Collaboration
Video not only adds value to everyday business communication, it personalizes internal communications in a way that can have a big impact on corporate culture. New tools provide innovative ways to communicate with your workforce. For example, instead of sending the team your usual quarterly business newsletter, why not send a video message? Visual content is more personal and easier to absorb, it brings the leadership team up close and personal with the team as a whole, and employees are more likely to enjoy, and actually engage with, the content when it isn’t another block of text.
In addition to the benefits video provides from a corporate culture standpoint, video makes internal collaboration easier and more cost effective as well. When you take email out of the collaboration equation and get your team face-to-face through the use of video, it allows teams to resolve problems more rapidly, get projects completed more efficiently, and enjoy working with one another more and develop closer relationships along the way. That’s a win all the way around!
When it comes to training and ongoing education within a business environment, video changes everything. Using video helps keep your training materials evergreen, adds the element of accessibility on demand, and lets your team learn or get an update on the go, and as often as they need it. They benefit, and your customers benefit!
Foster Meaningful Customer Relationships
Speaking of customers, as mentioned above, video can not only enhance your internal collaboration, education, and training, it can also provide a powerful way to reach, and engage with, and serve your existing client base. Companies are quickly learning that posting “how-to” videos or other informational pieces on their websites not only increases customer satisfaction but also drives more traffic.
Consider adding a virtual demonstration or step-by-step tutorials on your website and YouTube channel to help customers with your products and to serve them when they need it—any time of day, not just during business hours. Not only will you be providing a valuable service, you may also decrease troubleshooting calls to your customer service line. Speaking of customer service, adding video chat functionality to your customer service team’s toolkit can often resolve customer issues more quickly and help you and your team develop closer, more personal relationships with your customers. Another win all the way around!
Harness Video for Email Marketing
Marketing professionals are starting to realize the potential in creating tailored email messages for potential clients. Per Commercial Integrator, a video attachment in an email campaign boosts open rates by 20 percent and improves click through rates up to 300 percent.
Video Can be a Sales Enablement Tool
When it comes to converting a lead to a sale, there’s a lot to be said for real-time video collaboration. Person-to-person interactions often rely on visual cues and body language to close a sale. It doesn’t matter how clear a phone line might or how precise the language in an email—almost nothing is as communicative as body language and being able to look someone squarely in the eyes when talking with them. Your business development team can take sales calls to the next level by using video, and chances are good that they’ll close more deals as a result.
Look Ahead to the Future
It’s imperative for today’s businesses to keep up with both the rapid pace of technology, and the desire for more personalized communications—from both employees and customers. As more workplaces go mobile—and companies go global—video can add have a positive impact on your internal communications and culture, help reduce costs and make collaboration easier, more efficient, more effective (and even more enjoyable), improve customer relations and service, add value to your email marketing efforts, and boost your sales results. How will your business integrate real-time, real-life content to better reach your employees and customers?
Anthony Cuellar is the Senior VP of Marketing at Diversified.
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