Have you ever teared up watching Budweiser commercials during the Super Bowl? Do you feel in awe when viewing destination videos? Are you chuckling out loud as you see those silly dog videos? The power of video is everywhere, inspiring us to learn, laugh, and look more closely at life.
These are the same powers that travel affords us, and you can tap into them and evoke those emotions when creating your company videos. The secret sauce is creating snack-sized, easy-to-understand video.
During these tricky times, having video know-how and storytelling talent is crucial to your success. Having the right video tools for the right phase of your marketing makes the task easier.
- Each month, 85% of internet users in the U.S. watch video content.
- By 2021, the average person will spend 100 minutes every day watching online videos (a 19% increase from 2019).
- 93% of companies claim they got a new customer because of their video content on social media.
- 63% of businesses report that video gets the best return on investment on social media.
- Not a verifiable statistic, but … People have shorter attention spans than goldfish!
Marketing goals
When considering your own video strategy, here are some common marketing goals that will help you dial in to both the B2C and B2B markets. While these goals are broad, they can be conquered when you include video. Let’s explore what types can help you ace each goal. As a bonus, I’ve included some top tools to elevate your video production and save you time.
1. Define and enhance brand awareness
To help define and enhance your brand, create a variety of video styles that will capture attention and inspire people to get to know your company better:
- If you’re developing a new tour or promoting a new attraction in your destination, a teaser video will help you generate buzz and create excitement. A short (30-second) video can introduce a larger campaign, relaunch tours post-COVID, or showcase your company’s culture.
- Feature your team and happy clients, showcase your office staff, show off clean coaches, and position your company as a leader with new protocols.
- To help clients envision a next normal, use video to showcase a “day in the life” of your newest tours or behind the scenes in your attraction.
- Developing a new audience using video is a way to cultivate awareness. An “about us” video or a filmed testimonial lets your brand personality shine.
Effective video styles
Here are examples of video options and tools that can help you enhance your brand awareness.
- Livestreaming—Interview happy clients or a destination representative to paint the picture of your new tour or attraction.
Tools: Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube Live broadcasts. Presenting with a partner is easy using StreamYard or BeLive and broadcasting directly to social platforms.
- Live action—This works best for recording a person speaking or doing a walk-through tour, or for showcasing something fundamental to your brand. It can also be used for an “about us” or sales video.
Tools: A video camera and editing programs
- Photo montage/video slideshow—Use a combination of still images, music, and voice-overs to inspire emotion and tell your story.
Tools: Animoto, Magisto, Biteable, WeVideo
- Live-action screencast—Building awareness is easy when you combine an on-camera personality along with something from your computer screen. Employ this as a webinar format or even as an onboarding experience for new staff or guides.
2. Boost social engagement and SEO
Sparking social engagement can be tough these days as it takes a lot to wow social fans. Armed with unique video content, it is possible to stop the scroll. Looking ahead, people not only dream of travel, they’ll take steps to make it a reality.
Savvy marketers want to stand out in a noisy social feed by developing promo videos that invite people to take action. You can promote an upcoming live broadcast, a consumer night, a webinar, or a free resource. A close cousin to a promo video is an advertising video. Live-action videos that feature your team and clients will draw focus to a specific tour or event in your destination.
If you simply want to earn likes, comments, and shares, these vanity goals will help you build SEO as well as future ad audiences with top-of-funnel fans (fans who are new to you). Short, riveting animated graphics or videos are key!
Effective video styles
- Animation videos are made from many still images and can use imaginary characters. Travel Oregon has used anime style videos, and here’s an example. This is a perfect way to highlight a return to travel or demonstrate new office protocols for staff.
Tools: Biteable, PowToon, Renderforest, Raw Shorts
- Animated graphics are super-short videos perfect for travel tips, travel trivia, and capturing attention at the top of the funnel. Here’s an example.
Tools: Canva, Promo, PhotoShop, Wave
- Live-action videos are a great way to earn more engagement, especially when the camera is on an entertaining business owner, client, or staff member.
3. Elevate consumer trust and loyalty
In these tricky times, trust is as valuable as gold! Use storytelling videos to expand loyalty from your existing clientele while earning the trust of new clients. For example, if your company is reintroducing motorcoach tours and you’d like to showcase your protocols and roll out the welcome mat, simply let images and typography tell the story.
Another example may involve honing the trust of your B2B clients. Perhaps you have new business procedures in place or a new web tool available. Educating clients on how to use your new tools can maintain loyalty, and typography and whiteboard videos can do the heavy lifting for you.
Or imagine being able to walk a new employee through the high-level steps a new tour takes from conception to execution. This is a simple task for an explainer video.
Effective video styles
- Typography videos include stylized text that blends movement and words to express ideas. This is perfect for sharing a single concept or feeling. For instance, large, thick, vibrating words can seem loud! On the other hand, small, flowing fonts evoke peacefulness. Here’s an example.
Tools: Animaker, Moovly, Wideo
- Explainer videos can make easy work of educating B2B partners on new web applications. Running through the exact procedure makes it easy for people to follow along.
Screencast video tools: Camtasia, Screen Cast-o-Matic, WeVideo, TunesKit Screen Recorder
Whiteboard videos (to explain an overall process or steps in a sequence): Doodly, Videoscribe, Powtoon, Animaker, Toonly. Here’s an example from Doodly.
- Live-action videos that integrate satisfied clients and industry-expert testimonials will galvanize trust and loyalty.
4. Reach clients and convert prospects
Does it seem to you that attention spans are shrinking? (Uh, what were we talking about?)
Keeping your existing clients enthralled, engaged, and booking with you again is easy when you use a variety of video styles. You may want to showcase new tours, introduce a new online registration platform, or provide travel tips and FAQs.
Moving social fans through your marketing funnel and turning prospects into clients is a job for video! Imagine sharing your excitement for new destinations with a show-and-tell live broadcast, or draw attention to the value of booking through your company.
Effective video styles
- Live-action videos that feature questions asked by a prospective client can be a vital part of your FAQ section.
- Motion-graphics videos use a combination of text and shapes along with music or voiceovers, and they can shine a light on the value of booking with you. Here’s an example using Biteable. And here are examples of Powtoon and Rawshorts. (Scroll down to the video section.)
Tools: Biteable, Powtoon, Raw Shorts, Renderforest
- Live-action screencast is a great way to showcase new online tools you offer, tour registration, optional tours, or even packing tips.
Tools: Zoom, Loom
- Livestreaming video broadcasts use listener ideas and questions as a tool to shape future tours and activities.
Tools: Facebook, Instagram or YouTube Live broadcasts. Presenting with a partner is easy using and broadcasting directly to social platforms.
Creating fun, bite-sized video is a game-changer when you want to capture attention and change the mindset of social fans. If converting social fans into loyal clients is the goal, marketing is the vehicle, and video is the driver.
Which video tool will you try first?
Catherine Heeg, an international speaker and trainer, focuses on social media marketing strategies for the tourism and hospitality industry. Connect with her socially and at cmsspeaking.com.
Top photo ©pedrotalens.com/Adobe Stock