Earned media is the hardest type of PR media to obtain.

Accessing free press is challenging for micro to small-sized businesses. People who work at media outlets get bombarded daily with outreach emails and calls, trying to sell them a ‘story’. Plus, it can be challenging trying to get in front of the right people with your message.

Accessing PR is an effective way to build brand awareness, generate leads, and convert those leads into paying customers.

But the challenge shouldn’t discourage you from trying! Leveraging media channels to promote your small business is one of the most effective ways to expose your brand to new people who’d likely be interested in your product or service, cultivate a positive public perception and drive sales.

Are you reading up on the latest trends in marketing? Do you keep hearing about content marketing and how important video is? But what is it about video in a marketing strategy that make it so important?

There are countless reasons for incorporating video in your marketing strategy, but these top 7 will have you storyboarding before the day’s end.

1. Mobile Friendly

Videos are easily viewed on mobile phones and perfectly placed to engage potential customers during their morning public transport commute and lunchtime scroll. Mobile users are opting to absorb everything from television programmes to their daily news on their device, and this trend continues to grow.

Mobile video consumption rises 100% every year. (Kallas)

With a ready and willing audience, incorporating video in your content strategy is a no-brainer.

Given the growing popularity (and current supremacy) of video as a preferred medium for consuming knowledge, incorporating video in your marketing strategy should be a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’. YouTube is the ultimate platform to house your investment in marketing content for a number of reasons:

Statistics in favour of a resounding “yes” verdict

• “1.9 billion logged-in users visit YouTube every month.”(Cooper 2019)
• “Searches of ‘how to’ videos are growing by 70% year on year.”(Smith 2019)
• “In an average month, 8 out of 10 18-49 year olds watch YouTube.” (Smith 2019)

Each week we meet with people who look after their organisations content marketing strategy. Commonly it’s one person with the title of Marketing Manager, or Content Manager, or Marketing Coordinator and they alone are entirely responsible for telling their brand’s story.

It takes a Village

The first thing they say to us is, “I can’t do it all” and trust us they’ve tried. These are highly competent professionals who are required to manage socials, traditional media ads, EDM’s and the website and on the weekly, their boss says to them “We have to be doing video!” and the content manager replies “I know!”.

Increasingly clients are choosing to document their event through video. We’ve been asked to capture everything from fashion parades, to guest speakers, charity balls, business milestones, product launches, and in-room auctions. This change in approach to event management represents a shift in strategy, and we like it!

Traditionally organising an event involves developing a budget (and blowing it!), curating a guest list, selecting a venue, arranging catering and entertainment, mapping out content and creating a run sheet.

Many businesses have started using video content marketing. Most of our clients who have used video content for the first time are surprised by how effective the ROI is. Video content marketing is progressing. Can you afford to give your competitors an advantage? Are you wondering if it is worth to consider using video to expand your business and generate more leads?

Here are six powerful business reasons to consider video which you may not have thought of.

1. Video boosts conversions and sales

A well-crafted explainer video can make a big difference to sales conversions. Helping your customer to understand more about your product and services.

2. Video is content that improves trust

The goal of providing great content is to take the user on a journey of trust. The combination of motion pictures and audio is the most powerful way to tell a story. Consider video content to be the beginning of your very own television station. This will increase the trust consumers have in your product.