Pandemic Marketing: Why Video Holds the Key to Success
Updated: Jun 11, 2020
For businesses up and down the country, there’s no question that the coronavirus pandemic has permanently altered the marketing landscape. Research undertaken by Marketing Week uncovered that 62% of marketers say Covid-19 has caused ‘radical’ or ‘significant’ changes to the customer journey.
Companies across all industries have had to adapt to the shift towards online and contactless consumer behaviours. Regardless of the target market, video is proving to be the key to reaching customers in this new environment in which we find ourselves.
How Businesses Are Pivoting Their Operations and Marketing
With many businesses unable to function as they once did, pivoting has become the only option to survive. Leading restaurants have become takeaway businesses, clothing retailers have become online-only, and many other face-to-face operations remain closed. Those unable to quickly establish an online presence will struggle, even after restrictions are lifted. Customers will continue to be wary of venturing out to physical locations.
Concerning marketing, all businesses have had to bolster their online promotional campaigns to make customers aware of their new versions of operations. But merely making an announcement on a Facebook page is not enough. Instead, promotional videos have been proven time and again to be the most effective strategy to attract new customers and convert existing clients.
Why Video Marketing is So Powerful for Businesses During the Pandemic
All of us, including ourselves at Gray Media, have been increasing the time we spend on online platforms. Whether or not you’ve been furloughed, the advent of becoming trapped at home for large portions of the day has forced us all into bingeing more online content than ever before.
Time spent on video-friendly social media platforms has skyrocketed under lockdown. YouTube alone has doubled viewing time from 15 billion minutes a week, to 34 billion. Facebook has increased the number of daily active users (DAU) to a record 1.73 billion, an increase of over 10% compared to the same months last year.
When it comes to online advertising, video is the format that engages customers in a way that no other can. Ok, we may be a little biased, but the statistics are unequivocal. 93% of businesses say they’ve landed a new customer thanks to a video on social media, while 84% of marketers report that video has helped them to increase traffic to a website.
Video is so successful because you can convey your company’s message so much more effectively. What do you think would have more impact? A short text-based Facebook post detailing that your bakery has moved to an online-only business model, or a promotional video that shows the new ordering process, in a step-by-step explainer video using real people?
If you thought the latter would be more productive, then you’re right in your assumption since 94% of video marketers say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service. What’s more, 90% of consumers say video will help them make buying decisions.
Ok, so now you’re convinced that making a video campaign is the best course of action, what about promotional video production during the pandemic? Is it possible?
Restaurant Promo Video
Promotional Video Production During COVID-19
If you’re desperate to use a promotional video to convey the launch of a new product or service as a result of your business pivoting, or you’ve spotted a unique business opportunity entirely, then there’s no time like the present.
You may be thinking that promotional video production was halted as a result of the pandemic, and you’d be right in that initial assessment. Just as was the case with many industries, video production projects were halted across the board as companies figured out a way to safely conduct themselves in a ‘COVID-secure’ environment.
But we are delighted to announce that we have now reached that point by developing a robust safety protocol that complies with government guidelines as well as the COVID-19 advice of our governing body. Here at Gray Media, we are using now user smaller crews, ensure all crew members wear PPE, and enforce government social distancing policies wherever possible during filming.
Our superior commitment to the health and safety of our teams has helped us to get back up and running before many others, allowing us to serve clients looking to create promotional video content for their online marketing channels.
We understand the powerful impact that video can have on your customers. In a time where you have to do what you can to survive as a business, a well-executed video marketing campaign could make all the difference.
From development to production; we take your initial vision and transform it into fresh, compelling video content for your audience. If you’re looking to take a positive first step for your business as we enter the “new normal,” then don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss your ideas.
