Since I have started working in the marketing industry nearly 8 years ago now I have seen changes in different marketing trends. How can small and new businesses keep up with these trends?
When I started in digital marketing in 2011 Facebook was becoming king, and the marketing of the years past were fading away. The old ways of marketing which were once reliable were becoming the thing of the past, and new more efficient systems were becoming a thing of the future.
The most significant change I have seen is how consumers respond to brand communications, and how brands reach those consumers. As marketers we used to send more and more print items to potential consumers hoping that if we sent them enough content we would see that potential client become a consumer. Now, we use video, photo, email, and sharp design to attract our potential consumers.
Video is King
Over the last 2 years and the take over of social media, video has become king. What does that mean for a business? That means more time and energy is going to be needed spent in video. With this rise in video being needed for businesses you also get a rise in video content that is subpar and lacks a clear message. How can we fix this subpar content?
#1: Think how will this video content promote and grow my business.
When you are thinking about how it will grow your business remember that the affects of the video may not bring instant consumers to your business. However, it will help create a brand awareness to you potential consumers.
#2: What is the cost of creating a video, and how do I pick the right vendor?
Creating video content can vary based on your needs. low-end videos can cost as cheap as $500 to as expensive as $60,000 depending on many factors such as: Where it will be used, time and energy put into the video, and equipment needed to make the video. Picking the right vendor and price point is important. When you are looking for a vendor make sure to see their previous work. If they do not have work they can show you to justify their cost, then maybe they are not the right vendor for you! Also be upfront with your potential vendors and let them know your budget and expectations up front. This will help make sure that you or the vendor are not taken advantage of.
#3: Where do I place this final video I just had made?
There are multiple places you could place video content you have created. If it is an event recap or something similar you could post it on Youtube, Vimeo, your business Facebook page, or Instagram profile(If its under 59 Seconds). Or you could create ads with the video. Creating ads will have an additional cost, however with creating ads, they usually show their potential reach with a given budget. Some places you could place video ads are: Facebook, Youtube, Instagram(Promoted post, or through Facebook).
The marketing industry shifts are crazy quick and unexpected sometimes. If a business isn't on top of these trends they could be missing out on potential marketing opportunities. As a person or your business try to grasp the best strategies and tools to market yourself or your business. Remember there is more than one way to market yourself or business so try to understand some of the different ways before paying to market yourself or your business.