Why should you make video part of your customer advocacy programme? And how should you go about using video to ensure maximum return on investment? The digiio team explains all.
Customer advocacy – having your customers tell the story of your brand – is a powerful tool in your marketing toolbox. Gartner has found that more than 75% of B2B buyers consult three or more sources of advocacy before they make a purchase decision.
Why should you make video part of your customer advocacy programme?
Video is incredibly powerful. Over the past ten years, video has steadily grown in importance in online marketing strategies. HubSpot says people are watching more video online than ever before – and it continues to grow in importance. The amount of online video watched doubled between 2018 and 2022.
Since customer advocacy is so important in the buying decision and video has such amazing engagement potential, it is almost a no-brainer to bring the two together.
How to use video as part of your customer advocacy programme
How do you go about leveraging the power and engagement potential of video to enable your customers to tell their stories? And how can you make your video content deliver real return on investment?
digiio has a number of favourite ways to incorporate video into our clients’ customer advocacy programmes:
· Customer success stories. Short videos of two to five minutes which follow a standard case study format. These stories are focused on the customer and their unique experiences. Brilliant for your website, on social media platforms and for playing at events. Don’t forget to use in email marketing too.
· Problem – solution stories. Short videos of two to five minutes which outline a common problem experienced by your target audiences and showcase how your solutions have helped your customer(s) to overcome these challenges. These stories explore a particular business challenge in detail. Brilliant for your website, on social media platforms and for playing at events.
· Thematic stories. Short videos of two to five minutes that explore a particular theme through the eyes of your customer(s). This content is designed to be an opportunity to talk about your brand’s purpose or values. Brilliant for your website, on social media platforms and for playing at events.
· Sizzles. Tantalising advert-length cuts of between six and fifteen seconds that feature exciting moments from your longer videos. These are designed to play in social media feeds. They garner a high level of engagement and click-throughs to your longer-format content.
· Showreels. A compilation of some of the best customer quotes from your video customer stories. As well as playing on your website and on social media platforms, these are great for events and trade fairs.
Tips for success when using video in your customer advocacy programme
When using video in your customer advocacy programme, strategic thinking is vital. Be clear about the messaging and your objectives before you start. Video is relatively expensive to produce, so you need to get it right.
Our team’s tips for success include:
· Be clear about your objectives before you start.
· Be clear about your messaging before you start.
· Involve your customer early and keep them informed throughout the process. Make the video production a fun and rewarding process for them, so that it serves to strengthen your relationship.
· Write a great script.
· Don’t skimp on production values.
· Invest in a great sound editor.
· Add captions so that the video can be understood when playing silently.
· Understand where your target audiences are – and promote on those platforms.
· Engage your customer to help you promote your video content too.
Don’t be tempted to skimp on the production. Poor quality video doesn’t reflect well on your brand. It’s better to have a small number of high-quality videos than lots of poor-quality videos.
Ready to get started?
If you’d like to talk with the digiio team about how we can help you introduce video to your customer advocacy programme or develop your use of video further, please give us a call.
You can reach us on: 020 7902 1190