Social Distancing Makes Marketing with Video More Important Than Ever

We've written a few times now about the importance of marketing with video. However, as social distancing continues to impact all of our lives on so many levels, the importance of video marketing for your design business has grown significantly. (And, perhaps, exponentially.)

As we mentioned in a previous post, it's already true that remote conferencing and video chat apps make "social distancing" the norm for many of us. Video conferencing has now become true for many interior designers who more commonly work with clients face-to-face. This newly enforced need to work remotely has likely led you to reimagine how you can build relationships with prospects (and current clients) when you are unable to appeal to them in person. (Or, perhaps more accurately, not allowed to do so.)

Even as many of us wonder if the craziness will ever end, you should take steps to preserve your business for the future..

The Value of Video Marketing as a Social Distancing Tool

The good news from all of this is: People who've never before attended an online meeting are becoming familiar with using video conferencing apps. They're also becoming ever more comfortable grabbing information that matters to them from platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and other video sites. (Of course, they're also getting plenty of sketchy dis-information; but hey, we'll just leave that subject for another time and place!)

As a way to limit the spread of contagious diseases, keeping social distancing involves the simple tactic of keeping extra space between yourself and others in typical situations where you might interact. Grocery shopping, working in an office, and going to school have all become a bit scary, as has sitting in a prospect's home, and sharing your design ideas.

This begs the question then of how all of this could enhance the value of video marketing. Well, as the fear of personal interaction has grown, so has the importance of video for promoting your marketing message!

According to online video production sites like Animoto and Biteable.com, video drives traffic to your website. This increases the odds of visitors being comfortable interacting with you remotely.

Online marketing has always been about one thing – making connections. Yet, people are feeling isolated right now, which is why viewing online videos has jumped exponentially in the past few months. Knowing this, a sharp interior designer can put this valuable information to use in their interest – as well as in the interest of their clients and prospects.

Which Types of Video Work Best During Social Distancing

According to NBCNews.com, "YouTube says its data show more than 500 percent increases in views on March 15, compared to the daily average for rest of the year, for personal activity videos with the terms "at home" or #withme. Videos on meditation (55 percent), cooking (100 percent), and working out (200 percent) also increased in mid-March compared to the same time last year, the platform said." (emphasis added)

While we're recommending you use video conferencing to meet with clients and prospects, it's also important to mention how valuable it can be to share videos on social media and your website.

Why? Because videos get attention and increase interest in you and your business! According to Biteable.com, there are 11 types of videos that are getting the most attention right now:

1. Interview/Q&A

2. Behind-the-Scenes

3. Feature/Product Video

4. Live Videos/Live Streams

5. Promos and Deals

6. Giveaways and Contests

7. User-Generated Content

8. Announcements/Reveals

9. Events

10. Breaking News/Trending

11. Tutorials/How-To Videos (these have always been a great idea!)

These subjects are hugely popular during lockdowns, as so many folks are looking for new types of entertainment or quality information. If you can use a variety of video presentations to present your services in a positive, informative fashion – and offer real value in them – you're far more likely to see substantial results!

How to Make it Happen!

The most effective videos have some common characteristics:

• Entertain, inspire, or educate: Rule number one is to make your video valuable! Aim to either educate, entertain, or inspire.

• Be attention-grabbing: If your video's not engaging in the first few seconds, your fans are likely to keep right on scrolling. Add an eye-catching title card and aim to grab viewers' attention in the first 3 seconds.

• You may not need sound: Make sure your video works well without sound (most videos on social media are on mute until the user chooses to turn on the sound). If you want people to listen, encourage viewers to tap for sound in the video description or captions.

• Use captions: Lots of pages have success with completely wordless or text-only videos. But if the dialogue is a must, add captions so viewers can follow along.

• Keep it brief: Short videos tend to perform best on social media. We're talking 2-3 minutes tops on Facebook and Twitter. Instagram only allows videos of up to one minute, though the old upper limit of 15 seconds is still often a good length to aim for.

• Try interesting angles: Bird' s-eye or drone videos, 360° views, Go-Pro action shots…try making videos that offer viewers a seldom-seen view.

• Let 'em repeat: Videos on Instagram loop automatically, as do short videos on Facebook and Twitter. Take that into account when you're creating them — you might even want to try a seamless loop that viewers won't notice.

• Be creative: There are so many fun apps that make it easy to create professional, visually appealing videos, especially for Instagram, though you may want to post on other networks too.

If this doesn't answer all your questions about how and why the value of marketing with video has increased as a result of the pandemic and social distancing – or how you can use it to promote your interior design business, then Get in touch with TD Fall today.