Today’s guest contribution comes from Kylie Carlson of International Academy of Wedding and Event Planning. With six online campuses globally, the International Academy of Wedding and Event Planning boasts an internationally recognized accreditation program that brings professional training to wedding planners, event planners, event designers and wedding stylists.

Video marketing has recently increased exponentially in popularity, and it’s no wonder. It is received well by mobile users, ranks highly on popular search engines, and research has shown that the majority of consumers who watch a product video go on to purchase the advertised product. There are so many ways consumers can encounter video marketing as they operate their day-to-day lives, including through social media and regular mobile and web use, that exposure is practically guaranteed. All indicators seem to support the conclusion that video marketing is the way of the future.

Recent Trends

Instant, temporary content appeals to one of today’s most powerful groups of consumers: Millenials. This generation lives on Snapchat and Instagram, and still refers to Facebook for meaningful, authentic content. Social media is their domain, and videos are now solidly embedded in every one of these outlets. The uncurated look and feel of the most popular videos is preferred over promotional gimmicks by this generation that hates feeling like someone is trying to sell to them.

Livestreaming via Facebook Live and Instagram Live is another authentic way to reach today’s power consumers. The experience is more intimate and personal, and less scripted. If you decide to take the livestream route, include behind-the-scenes moments and sneak peaks of top-secret upcoming production additions or company changes. Users love to feel like insiders, and livestreaming gives them a great opportunity to connect.

Video marketing also meshes well with email marketing. We have developed a series of five videos that go out weekly with fun subject lines and language to our prospects as part of a carefully crafted email campaign. The video emails include invitations to join a webinar series. The campaign has been a huge success.

The Future of Video Marketing is Near

Technology is playing a major role in influencing the future of video marketing. Virtual reality capability is already here, and will be used to tell stories in a truly new way. There will also be a shift from brand content, created by the business, to consumer content created by or with your loyal customers. The latter is more authentic and more likely to reach today’s buyers.

Above all else, video marketing is an effective way to build a stronger relationship with your audience that creates loyalty and eventually, glowing referrals and reviews.