Statistics found by recent video marketing research studies are impressive. According to Animoto's Online and Social Video Marketing Study, four times as many people prefer to watch a video about a product or service versus reading about it. Furthermore, YouTube reports video consumption has consistently grown 40 percent annually since March 2014.
As you consider ways to maintain meaningful communication with clients throughout the year while also seeking out methods to drive engagement and business growth, heed these statistics:
Adding a video to your email message increases the likelihood a recipient will click through by 200 to 300 percent;
Including a video on a website landing page can increase conversion by 80 percent;
Executives are 50 percent more likely to look for more information after seeing a product or service in a video and 65 percent of them will visit your website.
What do these statistics mean to accountants, tax and bookkeeping professionals?
The numbers gleaned from a multitude of recent research studies point to video marketing impacting your practice in the following ways:
More click throughs from those receiving your email marketing and social media messages.
Greatly improved chances of converting a prospective client into a client if a video is placed on your home page.
Decision-makers are more likely to dig for more information about your firm and visit your website after seeing a video from you.
Getting Started with Video Marketing
As an expert in your profession, getting onboard with this video movement has the potential to positively impact and grow your business. The statistics have proven 1) video consumption is on the rise, and 2) videos move people to take action.
When adding videos to your marketing mix, take care to ensure the videos are on topic and branded. People who watch should easily connect the video content with your service offerings and professional expertise. There are two options to get started with video marketing:
1. Create videos on your own. If you choose to develop video content without help from a service, start by focusing on a handful of topics you know well.
The steps required to create videos on your own may include the following:
a. Identify three to five key topics you believe would appeal to your clients.
b. Write a short video script for each topic, or engage a professional writer to work with you to write the video scripts.
c. Purchase and learn how to use video production software—for example Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, iMovie—or engage a creative or design service provider.
d. Record your audio script and create the video(s), or engage a creative service provider to handle this work for you. Be mindful of licensing rights for any visuals and audio soundtracks you intend to use.
e. Find and load your video into a video hosting service. This expertise allows more effective use of internet bandwidth. While YouTube and Vimeo are popular choices, they often attach their own branding around your video, or deliver a list of other videos unrelated to your services, at the close of the video.
f. Use the video(s) you create in your digital marketing efforts, including email marketing messages, website and social media, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
2. Subscribe to a video marketing service that delivers videos your clients have an interest in. Subscribing to video services allow you to focus on using the videos versus having to deal with the hassle of production or hosting. For example, TaxVid, a client video service, charges a nominal fee to brand and host tax-related videos. Tax videos your client may be interested in watching can include
a. Annual tax highlights
b. Federal record-keeping guidelines
c. Tips and information about non-cash donations
d. Ideas to help audit-proof their tax return
e. Commonly overlooked tax reduction ideas.
Whether you create videos on your own or subscribe to a video marketing service, give strong consideration to getting on board with this movement; the economics are favorable. Your clients and prospective clients will respond and seek you out for more information and consultation resulting in more billable service and business growth for your firm.
