How Video Marketing & Reviews Generate Trust in Consumers
How Video Content Technology Took Over the Internet
In 2004, when the company was first started, watching a high resolution video more than three seconds long on a cellular device was a pipe-dream; the technology didn’t exist. In 2007, my graduate school thesis was titled, Will the Internet One Day Support High Definition Video Streaming? The thirty-five page paper was skeptical that we had the infrastructure or technologies to make that happen within the next decade.
Later that year, a video streaming service called YouTube was launched, and Apple introduced a new cellular device called the iPhone. Although the two technologies weren’t directly related, they would soon partner to revolutionize how content was captured and shared around the world. My thesis paper was quickly turned upside down as those technologies caught fire and HD video was streaming online just two years later.
In today’s digital world, ultra high resolution 4K cinema is blasted to every device on the planet with hundreds of photo and video marketing assets being thrown at users every day. Stay Epic has tried to remain on the cusp of these ever-evolving technologies, but it seems these technologies evolve by the hour.
How Video Pairs with Marketing
Video production has always been an essential element of a successful marketing plan. The speed and bandwidth of modern internet has revolutionized the ability to share photo and video content instantaneously. This in turn floods users with so much content that effective impressions have become harder and harder to achieve.
Forty years ago, infomercials flooded TV sets with thirty minute sales videos, giving advertisers plenty of time to educate their audience, highlight products or services, and showcase a call-to-action. In today’s online world, where infinite content awaits, you have less than five seconds to convey an effective impression before the user likely swipes to the next screen.
Video reviews have become a new creative element for businesses to utilize in promoting their products or services. Organic user-generated content builds trust, where obvious marketing advertisements often spark skepticism. Seeing and hearing an honest testimonial from users that have experienced that brand carries infinitely more weight than an advertisement.
Collecting and showcasing video reviews can greatly increase trust in the products or services offered, and a solid review is often the content that converts on-the-fence-buyers.
We all look at star-ratings and reviews before we purchase things online. If a company has poor reviews, it immediately deters people from completing a purchase. When it comes to collecting reviews, most people are lazy and it can be difficult to convince customers to leave a written review, let alone a video review.
So when a customer takes the time to share their experience through a video testimonial, there is an inherent desire to watch the review to see what was so compelling that they took the time to capture and share it. This organic content carries tremendous value in a well-rounded marketing plan.
When to Choose Professional Content versus UGC
Modern marketing strategies need a balance of professional and organic content. A company that only shows you commercial advertisements fails to connect with its audience on an emotional level. Oftentimes, user-generated content bridges that gap to make companies feel more human.
Professional advertisements should be utilized to educate the audience, promote products and services, and highlight call-to-action agendas. And user-generated content should be pursued where feasible, as a balanced combination of these approaches can be the foundation of a successful campaign.
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