Why video matters to your accom
Should I be considering promotional video content for my property? The answer is yes..
Estimates show that over 75 percent of content on the web and social media will be video based by 2020. Bespoke commercial video content is no longer an option, it’s a must for any marketer that wants to succeed.
In this competitive, digitally-driven world people are constantly bombarded with tons of information, differentiating yourself and getting cut-through as a property has become more and more challenging.
Potential guests no longer make blind decisions when making a booking: they actively look for information and referrals to ensure they make a choice that’s right for them, and it’s our job as marketers to influence these touch points throughout the customer enquiry.
There are many benefits to creating promotional video including building brand equity, enhancing brand awareness, boosting SEO (organic website traffic) and that’s not even touching on the viral sharability associated with social media platforms. What one needs to remember is that ‘creative video content’ allows you to take the prospect on a journey and to tell a story far more efficiently than any other medium.
Small to medium property marketers are slowly grasping this invaluable marketing solution but continually overlook the distribution part of the strategy, and in turn don’t see return on investment (ROI).
All too often, I see money splashed out on video production and then it only appears on their website, social communities and perhaps a YouTube page – the results (or lack of them) tend to show.
A solid video content distribution strategy covers all elements of ‘Paid’, ‘Owned’ and ‘Earned’ media channels: it’s not a case of build it and they will come.
Video content is the best way to fill the top of the funnel and drive prospects through to booking and advocacy – that’s a given, but you need to utilise and leverage a combination of other channels including search, display, remarketing and social.
And when all these elements combine – bookings do come.
Amazon recently reported that adding video to product descriptions increased purchase prospects by 35 percent. This leads us to the million-dollar question – how do you put your video in front of the right audience?
Now, we touched on ‘Paid’, ‘Owned’ and ‘Earned’ strategies before… let’s start off with ‘Owned’ as this is your own network and doesn’t require expenditure. These channels include social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or even Snapchat for the younger market.
You should also utilise your website and its users to distribute your video content – possibly through a blog post that includes the video that drives traffic to it through social communities, newsletters and website links.
This will drive organic traffic to the video and index on key search engines and search engines love multimedia content.
Then there are ‘Paid’ channels, and before you start huffing and puffing about cost efficiencies – as video content is so engaging (or should be) – paid video distribution is extremely cheap when done right.
Channels include video pre-roll advertising through ad-words on YouTube and google partner sites including ‘Catchup TV’. With established audiences, smart remarketing and similar audience targeting this channel delivers a fertile ground to cost effectively distribute commercial video, and you only pay for a full view.
YouTube is the second largest search engine and the third largest social network in the world, and well over half of advertising revenues are digital formats.
Online advertising revenue has reached $2.1 billion for the first quarter of 2018 in Australia and video advertising is driving this growth.
Video is up 38 percent in Q1 2018 reaching $320 million, and now representing 42 percent of total display advertising.
Last but not least, ‘Earned’ is the organic amplification through shares on social media, email, text and other forums. Before embarking on this strategy however, consider your target audience and which channels they are likely to be using. For some verticals certain channels are just not efficient – think Millennials.
Remember its not just about creating a great marketing video, it’s about getting it out there. When planning production always include a distribution budget to allow promotion through all relevant channels. This, combined with promotion through your owned channels will drive earned exposure and compliment all your digital marketing endeavours to ensure you get a solid return on investment.
Dave Wright is managing director of Principle Media Australia
