The 4Ms - Much More Multi Media

Letters to a friend on social media - Much More Multi Media - Why you must include lots of video in your content marketing strategy. We call it our 4Ms strategy - Much More Multi Media.

Hi Mike,
Since YouTube launched in 2005, video has fast become the star of the content marketing world. Video is changing the way audiences engage with brands. Apps such as Vine, Periscope and Meerkat enable anyone to create proprietary videos on a budget. Even small businesses can get in on the act.

It’s a trend that’s set to continue. Developers and platforms are finding more and more ways to help brands put video at the heart of their content marketing. Video will account for almost 70% of all consumer web traffic by 2017. If you haven't yet bought into the potential of multi-media, now’s the time to start.

Here are five reasons why you should be using video …
1 The reach is enormous …
YouTube has more than 1 billion users, with the number of hours people watch on YouTube each month up 50% year on year. In fact, after Google and Facebook, YouTube reaches more people than any other site. With mobile usage set to surpass desktop for the first time this year, and mobile revenue on YouTube up over 100%, marketers are seizing the opportunity to connect with their audiences. We like Youtube but also host with Vimeo. Lot’s of choice to create awareness for your brand…

2    It’s so sharable …
Consumers are 39% more likely to share content if it’s delivered via video. Easy to digest and instantly engaging. If you want to go viral, go video. Shareability is,one of the key success drivers in any content marketing campaign, but your video is unlikely to become contagious through sheer good luck.

Creating great videos requires a sound strategy. Determine your audience and content strategy. What is it, that is most likely to trigger a response and the desire to share.

People have a variety of reasons for sharing content with their online networks, and understanding these motivations is key to achieving the largest possible audience for your campaign.

3    It helps you and your brand to connect …
With emotion playing a huge role in how B2C and B2B buyers operate, today's marketers need to appeal to the head and the heart. Perhaps more than any other marketing channel, video helps us to elicit an emotional response. The right kind of music track makes all the difference. For our music tracks, we like Music Bakery and Audio Jungle. Picking the right track, need not be expensive!

The more your content inspires and engages, the more likely you audience will be to take meaningful action. Just don’t forget to add a strategic call to action to help them along.

4    You don’t need a big brand budget …
According to our latest research, marketers are set to boost global online video spend by 22% this year. However, while brands are increasingly willing to spend more on video (particularly if targeting millennials), video marketing no longer requires a big brand budget.

Previously out of the reach of most small businesses, reduced production costs and a range of easily accessible video editing apps, allows brands of all sizes to create business relevant videos.

Perhaps just as compelling, savvy brands can also turn to their customers to create content for them. Consider Snapchat’s ‘Our Story’ for example. Used during major public events, “Our Story” splices curated, public images and videos with branded sponsorship to leverage the power of crowd-sourced content. However, the use of customer-generated content doesn’t have to be the province of big advertisers, and the general premise can be adopted by even the smallest of brands.

Just look at the success of Go Pro. A brand built on the contributions of clients. That’s great viral marketing.

5    It’s is here to stay …
Over the last year, almost every major social network has increased the prominence of visual content. With many going head-to-head when it comes to securing dominance in the video marketing space, almost all are showing preferential treatment to content hosted directly on their respective platforms.
Video marketing is evolving. Consider Twitter’s purchase of live streaming app Periscope for example. Allowing people to broadcast live video from their smartphones, Periscope (and its competitor Meerkat) have been dominating conversation about the future of video. With live-steaming offering businesses the potential to build rapport and engage customers on an unprecedented scale, Periscope’s phenomenal marketing, promotional and PR potential is only starting to become apparent.

Finally Software. What software should you use? We use Apple Final Cut for our major edits. A number of simple set ups are also available. We like Vine, Snapchat, Hykoo and two great Adobe products, Adobe Slate and Adobe Voice.

I hope this helps, I will be in touch next week with another letter in the Series ... Using Social Media to boost your profile and your business,
Warmest Regards,
John