5 Ways to Use Video to Connect With Customers

You’ve probably noticed the surge in online video. It’s being touted as the hottest content marketing trend, Harlem Shake videos have saturated the Web and it makes us all wonder if more video isn’t just what we need to stand out.

But there’s a difference in seeing the power of video and truly using video to push your brand further and make it more connected.

I sit in a lot of conversations about online video. It’s not only something I’m particularly interested in, but it’s something my agency considers a core and beloved part of our marketing mix. So I’ll admit, sometimes when I hear the current conversation about video I get a little stabby. Because while marketers are starting to understand how great video is, they’re not truly using it.

It’s time to push your video marketing to the max. Sure, video is a great vehicle for those unboxings, the product views, and your customer testimonials, but that’s not all video is capable of.

Below are five different ways to use video.

Have you heard of Vsnap? If not, it’s a tool that allows you to record short video messages to share with your audience. The company views these video snapshots as a way for businesses to feel and act more human. And you know what? Vsnap actually practices what they preach.

Every time someone follows Vsnap on Twitter, community manager Trish Fontanilla sends them a video recognizing them and saying thanks.When one of their community members tweeted they were having a bad day, Trish sent him a video message to cheer him up.(If someone is chatting about them on Twitter, Trish will hop into the conversation and say hello when it’s appropriate, of course).

She’s actually become a little Internet Famous simply by using video to connect with the company’s friends and users. These videos may only take :30-:60 to create, but they show users Vsnap thinks they matter.

Using video for customer support or just to say “thanks” may not be scalable or appropriate for every business, but when can you use video to be more human?

Maybe it’s a video sent at the end of an event you’ve hosted where you thank people for attending and invite them to keep in contact. Maybe it’s a video message when someone completes their first order. Or their 10th. Or after they’ve left an impactful blog comment. Look for opportunities to be human.

I could pen a 10,000 word manifesto about the effects of childhood bullying. I could cite stats, share personal stories, and recount the number of tears I’ve shed as a result of people hurting my feelings. But you know what? It wouldn’t be nearly as impactful as this anti-bullying poem video created by Shane Koyczan. You wouldn’t feel my pain the way you feel his when you watch that video. The story wouldn’t stay with you as long.

That’s the power of video to provoke. They’re visceral. They make people feel and experience things words on a page cannot.

What messages are you putting out there that might be best suited for video than other medium? Where could your message be more thought provoking, more entertaining, more emotional?

We’re in an age of storytelling. Where customers want to know not only what you did, but how you did it, why you did it, and who helped you do it. They want the story. Why not tell that story through video?

Use video to introduce your team and its values, to share “behind the scenes” footage, and to visually stimulate your audience.Create mini-stories around your product or service’s key features to focus on your key messaging points and highlight important benefits.Show how that campaign came to life, how the character was designed, or where the concept came from by documenting your company process and how you work.

We’re seeing a lot of companies use video as a way of telling their brand story. Why? Because it works. The same way the “extra footage” holds people in theaters longer, the extra footage around your brand keeps your brand engaging and interesting.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I need to see something before I truly understand it. It’s not that I don’t appreciate you explaining what it is your product or service does, but I won’t fully grasp it until I see it in action.

That’s what video does.

For those of us in complicated industries (i.e., anything involving the Web or technology), using video to simplify concepts can make the difference between someone understanding what it is you’re all about and them walking away confused.

For example, what’s more confusing than the healthcare industry? Almost nothing. That’s why Stay Smart, Stay Healthy uses whiteboard videos to explain difficult concepts and make them easier for their consumers to grasp.

That video accomplishes what no amount of written words could. It makes healthcare understandable to the average person.

Or maybe it isn’t your industry that’s confusing, but your business. Maybe you’re a cloud-based company or you do something that most people aren’t comfortable or familiar with just yet. By using a video to simplify your company message/purpose, you help people feel less intimidated by what you have to offer. They don’t see the jargon, they only see the benefit. They see you.

Rather than dedicate resources to creating sales videos, why not create something your audience will not only enjoy watching, but will want to share? Our consumer’s time has always been valuable, but in a world where attention spans are shorter than ever, creating video that entertains while it informs (or just entertains) ensures your brand stands in a user’s mind and that you’re leaving them with a positive brand impression.

Why did Harlem Dance videos go viral? Because they were short, they were fun, and they included a formula that didn’t require a huge time investment.

Your audience loves video. They love to consume it, to share, and to be part of it. How are you using video in your marketing?

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House of Mufflers and Brakes Launches Innovative New Vyral Marketing Video Service to Tell Customers They Offer Much ...

Omaha business owner Rick Bettger has a branding problem that he’s been working to resolve with Vyral Marketing’s education-based video service. Through a series of personalized, attention-grabbing videos, Bettger is able to get the word out there that House of Mufflers and Brakes offers much more than just mufflers and brakes.

OMAHA, Nebraska, (PRWEB) February 25, 2013

In an unsteady economic climate, few business owners can afford any unnecessary customer detractors. House of Mufflers and Brakes owner Rick Bettger has begun strategizing a new marketing plan that incorporates a Vyral Marketing customer data-base video marketing series designed to tell customers and potential customers that despite its name, his business offers much more than just mufflers and brakes.

Omaha’s House of Mufflers and Brakes is a long-established company with seven locations in and around Omaha. Owner Rick Bettger has been trying to overcome the limitations of the business’s name that he believes contributed to a dip in sales in 2012, when a combination of factors affected the auto repair industry. While the Bettger’s marketing strategy update is still being developed, he has wasted no time in tapping the potential of the Vyral Marketing "done-for-you" video service to spread the word that House of Mufflers and Brakes is a full-service auto repair and supply business.

“What the Vyral Marketing service does, in addition to keeping us in touch with our customers, is it gives us the opportunity to show our customers and potential customers that we offer everything they need related to auto repair except body work and transmissions,” Bettger says.

Bettger’s video blogs, which run between three and four minutes on average, offer viewers tips on everything from routine car maintenance to alignment, tires, shocks, struts and catalytic converters. House of Mufflers and Brakes offers oil changes and engine replacements, and almost everything in-between.

Bettger puts plenty of personality into each video, which he says he has the time to do because Vyral Marketing does everything else for him.

“I like the idea of them managing the process, maintaining my customer database, creating the emails, editing the videos, managing the structure of the page – all I have to do is film it, and I find a lot of value in that,” Bettger says.

Bettger says the consistent method of creating and distributing the videos to his customer database is extremely effective in getting his message out there.

“I know the more we contact our customers, the better,” he says. “The auto repair and service industry has a legacy of distrust from consumers that is difficult to overcome.

“In our business, it’s really about community and trust, and the video blogs we produce certainly help establish a sense of trust between our customers and us,” Bettger says.

Bettger also appreciates the analytics he can access readily that tell him how many people have opened the emails containing each video, and how many have viewed the video. The Vyral Marketing package is part of Bettger’s marketing plan revamp, which will include a new website and possibly a company name change.

I know people are following the videos because we get a ton of great feedback on them – they allow us to project personality on the company,” Bettger says.

Frank Klesitz, CEO of Vyral Marketing, says that the education-based videos Bettger makes are creative, quirky, and informative – a perfect combination for capturing and maintaining the attention of customers and potential customers on the House of Mufflers and Brakes database – the company’s number one asset, according to Klesitz.

“We help Rick and all of our customers get more sales from their entire customer database with minimal time expenditure,” Klesitz says.

To learn more about Vyral Marketing’s video blogging service for business, request a free consultation, visit the Vyral Marketing website, call 1-800-323-9974, or Email frank(at)getvyral(dot)com.

About Vyral Marketing:

VyralMarketing.com was launched in 2009 by Frank Klesitz to provide “done for you” education-based customer database marketing services to businesses and independent service professionals. Vyral Marketing offers a cost-effective complement to traditional advertising that results in more referrals and repeat sales. Businesses who follow the Vyral Marketing program for 12 months can expect at least 10 percent of their customer database to buy again or refer others.

For a flat fee of $525 per month, Vyral Marketing customers receive video editing, custom article writing, social media marketing, Email marketing, and personalized feedback and coaching. In 2012 alone,135 Vyral Marketing clients recorded more than 2,600 videos for distribution to their customer databases. Each Vyral Marketing client receives a monthly coaching call to receive personalized topic recommendations and scripts upon request. Vyral Marketing also provides a staff of video editors, writers and administrative personnel to handle the entire process, including distribution to the client’s customer database via Email and social media.

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