According to a Creativebrief report, 72% of Chief Marketing Officers plan to “in-house” more of their marketing activity over the next three years. This means that agencies who run marketing campaigns for clients might find themselves fresh out of work unless they shake things up.

But agencies that are ahead of the game know that video is where it’s at. By adding video marketing to your menu of services, you’ll stand out amongst other agencies that are behind the times and still only offering traditional marketing services.

Why Video Marketing Is an Important Part of Any Marketing Strategy

It’s thought that 80% of consumer internet traffic in 2020 will be for online videos. With this predicted huge growth, brands are going to want to know how to make the most of their videos.

But this is just the start.

Brands that are already using videos in their marketing see a 27% higher click-through rate and a 34% higher conversion rate than those that don’t (source).

Videos are the perfect tool for capturing consumer attention (because people are more inclined to watch a video than read a page of text), boost conversions, and increase sales, so it’s no wonder that your clients will actively be seeking video marketing as one of their most-needed services in the next couple of years.

Videos are the perfect tool for capturing consumer attention, boost conversion and increase sale.

If you’re not quite sure how to sell this service to your clients, here are some ways you can do that.

1. Add Videos to Email Campaigns

Email is still one of the most successful forms of marketing and brings in the highest ROI compared to any other method.

Combine this with video and you have a match made in heaven.

43% of consumers actively want to see more video content from marketers and, in a place as crowded as their inbox, providing exactly what they want is the way to make a lasting impression.

In fact, simply adding the word “video” in the subject line of an email can boost open rates by 19% and increase click-through rates by a whopping 65%.

You can help your clients boost their open rate by adding in things like demo videos or short customer story videos to their emails.

Iconic clothing brand Patagonia uses on-brand videos in their emails to share stories with customers and prospects.

2. Video Testimonials and Case Studies

In the Content Marketing Institute’s 2018 Benchmarks Study, content marketers said that case studies were the second most effective marketing tool for meeting their organization’s goals, while video came in at #3.

With these results, it’s easy to see why combining the two types of content can really work for your brand.

Combining case studies and video can really work well for your brand.

Case studies and testimonials are both examples of social proof and storytelling, which are two of the most powerful forces in marketing. Humans love stories (we have since the beginning of time) and videos help emphasize the emotions in certain narratives which is why video testimonials can be so impactful for your clients.

Take this example from Freshbooks. It’s a simple customer success story, but it’s filled with emotion that gets transferred onto the viewer.

3. Product Demos and Walkthroughs

The last part of the sales funnel is the hardest part to get prospects to commit to. It’s easy to add items to a basket, but hitting that “buy now” button is often a step too far for some people.

This is why, if you want your clients to see sales success, you have to beef up product landing pages and tackle any objections prospects might have before they buy.

Video is perfect for this.

Why?

Not only does video have a 95% retention rate compared to just 12% for text-based information, but 4x as many customers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it.

This is where product demos and walkthroughs come into play. By actively showing prospects how they can use your client’s product to solve a key issue, you’re alleviating any worries they might have about clicking the “buy now” button.

Wave.video provides a video intro to the product that prospects can watch before they sign up for a free trial.

4. Interviews with Employees

Now more than ever, consumers want to build deeper connections with the brands they buy from. They no longer want to “buy and fly”, and would rather find a business they can turn to time and time again.

By injecting your client’s marketing strategy with ways that prospects can get a better insight into the brand, you’re dramatically increasing the chances of this.

And, the easiest way for prospects to get a deeper look into a business is to go behind-the-scenes, which is why interviews with employees can be such an effective addition to a marketing campaign.

It doesn’t have to be an all-singing, all-dancing documentary about Barbara in accounts, but a simple interview that shows what it’s like to work at the company or what the employees’ favorite aspect of the business with can give prospects a key understanding.

Motorola Solutions share a number of employee videos (or employee testimonials, as they call them) that highlight what it’s like to work for the business.

5. Share Video on Social

Video performs very well on social media. It doesn’t just get more shares that text-based updates or simple images, but it also drives sales.

In fact, 64% of consumers say that watching a marketing video on Facebook has influenced a purchasing decision for them in the past.

By sharing videos on your clients’ social media channels, you’ll help skyrocket their exposure because social video generates a whopping 1200% more shares than text and images combined – it’s a no-brainer, really.

The Power of Video Marketing

In the next couple of years we can expect video to really take off, so if you’re not offering it as a service to your clients yet it’s time to jump on the bandwagon.

Simply adding videos to landing pages, email campaigns, and product pages can do wonders for conversion rates, while customer stories and employee interviews are more likely to be shared across social media than text-based content, making them a vital part of any marketing strategy.

About the author: Ryan Gould is the Vice President of Strategy and Marketing Services at Elevation Marketing. An expert search, social and content marketer, Ryan leads Elevation Marketing’s digital strategy department, helping brands achieve their business goals, such as improving sales and market share, by developing integrated marketing strategies distinguished by research, storytelling, engagement, and conversion.

With a proven track record of energizing brands, engaging audiences and managing multi-discipline marketing teams, Ryan is a respected expert in achieving consistent results through creative design, thought-provoking narratives and innovative problem-solving. Make sure to follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter.