How Video Can Help Your Business During Covid-19
Learn how video content can help you connect with customers and continue building your business while keeping everyone safe this winter.
The warmer seasons offered more open space to accommodate guidelines and regulations brought on by the pandemic this year, but with the latest spikes in COVID-19 cases coupled with the onset of winter, we are being called to adjust once again.
At best, companies large and small can use this as an opportunity to apply the lessons learned earlier this year, and choose to adapt and develop better ways to connect with audiences and maintain business.
Why is video content a good solution?
In the last decade, online video has become the most preferred content for both marketers and consumers. More than 85% of consumers want to see more videos from brands and businesses they support and almost 90% of video marketers report that video gives them a positive ROI.
The value of video quickly rose to the top because of its captivating nature. While being easily consumable, video is also the closest, most accessible medium we have that embodies real life. But this year has brought new meaning to video, as it has become an essential tool for us to stay connected with one another in our personal and professional lives.
In a time like this, there is a greater need for companies to engage with customers digitally. The distance from the pandemic has left many people feeling isolated, but video offers a creative platform to communicate in a more fulfilling way. Everyone is experiencing this pandemic in some way, so it is a good time to get real with your customers and come together in this shared experience.
Below we will explore the different ways your company can use video to improve communications, innovate business and sales, and provide greater support to your customers at a distance.
We’ll consider the following:
Safety Statements
Procedural Updates
Sales Process
Virtual Events & Celebrations
Quality Video Production
Safety Statements
Show your customers that safety is important to you.
A safety video is the easiest way to show customers how your company is maintaining safety surrounding the pandemic. Many companies sent emails to update customers with safety information, but videos have a stronger impact and build greater trust than text-based updates.
Bring stronger reassurance to your customers by showing them the ways your company keeps certain spaces or processes sanitized, employee safety practices, social distancing, and the like. The focus could be on a handful of things depending on the industry.
A good example that is particularly useful for businesses in the food industry is to show customers your safety efforts both in the front and back of the house.
Also, note that video is a great way to communicate within your company. Training/safety videos are extremely useful and effective for employees (i.e. procedural expectations, safety, instructional, etc.).
Procedural Updates
Has your company updated any processes during the pandemic? Depending on your business, a process update video could increase understanding in ways that bring you more business. These videos will build confidence for more customers to interact and support you while also streamlining your updates with less confusion. Fewer mix-ups will occur with a quick explainer video highlighting details on your socials or website.
You should consider creating a video for these types of updates:
transitioning/relying on more e-commerce
contact-free services, such as curbside/delivery
social distancing or other customer cooperation measures
the point-of-sale process
shifts in customer experience due to COVID-19 & seasonal changes
Sales Process
Don’t underestimate the power of video and sales.
This is an opportunity for your company to adapt your sales by creating high-quality, virtual shopping/buying experiences for your customers.
Purchasing patterns have shifted greatly to online shopping during the pandemic. In fact, The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development conducted a study entitled “COVID-19 and E-Commerce”, and more than half of their respondents now shop online more frequently. And it’s not unlikely that number will continue to grow into next year.
As mentioned before, video is the most effective way to grab attention online. Using video on landing pages, in emails, or other digital spaces is proven to boost engagement, retention rates, ROI, and more. Sarah Nochimowski, a marketing director, describes how video acts as a stand-in salesperson in the online world, resulting in increased sales conversion [1].
Some examples of how video can support and transform your sales:
high-quality demonstrations and models of products and/or services
customer/client prospecting
customer follow-ups
client testimonials
FAQs video
product reveals / new releases
friendly introduction videos for client handoffs
post-sale thank you
Virtual Events and Celebrations
Use video to bring life to virtual events and celebrations.
Instead of skipping special events or celebrations due to the pandemic this year, use video to build your brand while also engaging customers in a fun way. For example, this summer Noble Bison Productions produced a video for St. John’s Cathedral that highlighted their inclusiveness as a virtual celebration of Pride month. See below:
Virtual events/celebrations can help capture a broader audience than you may have had in previous years with on-site festivities. Video content is proven to get 1200% more shares than text and image content combined [2].This is a chance to get creative and see how video can transform the ways we would normally operate, especially during these upcoming holidays. For instance, local businesses can collaborate with one another to put together a virtual holiday or street market experience for the community.
Examples of virtual events and celebrations:
company milestones
holiday events, parties, etc.
fundraisers/drives
tournaments
games/contests
workshops
Quality
Quality is the foremost aspect of video production.
Even if you have interesting things to say or show, it is extremely difficult to keep viewers’ attention when the video or audio quality is poor. If you don’t have the necessary resources for this, consider working with a local production company to create crisp, high-quality content that will strengthen the engagement and intent of your videos.
Not only will a local Denver video production company have top-notch equipment, including cameras, lenses, lighting, and mics, but they can also help you storyboard, scout locations, hire talent, and more. Having a video production company that you work with regularly can build cohesive branding and consistent quality that your customers will appreciate.
Conclusion
To conclude, video has become both a necessity and a great opportunity for companies to survive the effects of the pandemic. Video is a more effective means to share valuable information, bring your brand to life, and engage with customers than any plain-text version.
There is great value in humanizing your communications. People need to know you are still there; show your face and let them hear your voice.
Also, remember that the aim of these videos is to build more potent relationships with your current and prospective customers, so make it a point to be authentic to yourself/brand. People can easily see through phony content.
Noble Bison Productions is a local Denver video production company. We are currently offering COVID-19 video packages and payment plans to businesses here in Colorado. Please feel free to contact us to inquire more about those or with any needs you have – we are here to help!