There is an incredible opportunity for advertising with video. YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are performing very well for marketers with no sign of it slowing down anytime soon.

The key to success is creating a compelling video and putting the right campaign in place. As an example, our client, Semester at Sea is crushing it on Facebook and Instagram.

Originally, they came to us looking for help to acquire new leads.  You see, after putting together a great video, they attempted to manage their own AdWords internally. However, they had very few leads to show for their efforts.

They also were unable to get exact numbers because they didn’t have accurate lead conversion tracking or phone call tracking set-up.

We helped them by getting accurate tracking in place so they could see EXACTLY what was working and where they could improve. Then we created a campaign that targeted and remarketed to 18-22-year-old U.S. college students on Instagram who had interests in studying abroad and other related categories.

We used video ads that these students could watch on their mobile devices.

The results?

We were able to create a constant stream of over 165 new leads per month for their call center operations. The campaign has been so successful, at one point, the client even asked us to pause the campaigns so their internal sales department could catch up with the high lead volume!

Since then, we have expanded the program to target another difficult to reach audience — 55+-year-old lifelong learners on Facebook with a slightly different video ad. This campaign is now generating over 50 leads per month.

The great thing about Semester at Sea’s video campaign is that they are:

  • Attracting clients to them, instead of chasing clients
  • Getting a better ROI on both money and time spent to retain clients
  • Encouraging social media shares
  • Appealing to mobile users (a huge and growing market)
  • Appealing to Google –Google LOVES videos
  • Making their content easier to consume
  • Differentiating themselves from their competition
  • Building credibility and trust
  • Boosting their conversion rates

Now you might be wondering…

What should you put in your video?

When creating your message for your video, the single most important thing you need to remember is that your prospects only care about what’s in it for them. They care about themselves, their time and their money. You need to answer these questions in your video:

  • How will you solve their problem(s)?
  • How will you save them time?
  • How will you save them aggravation?
  • How will you save them money?
  • How are you different?

Fortunately, you don’t need an expensive studio or a lot of fancy equipment to make a video. All you need is a video camera (videos can even be done with a smartphone) or a webcam, good lighting, and a YouTube channel which you can set up for free. That’s it.

You can begin introducing video into your marketing in many ways:

  1. Use it in your social media.
  2. Add it to your blog or website.
  3. Capture testimonials.
  4. Show behind the scenes at your store or office or event.
  5. Make a live video at an open house event.
  6. Use Facebook Live to stream a live message in the moment with nothing more than your cell phone.
  7. And much more.

The point is, as a business owner, video is making an impact on consumers. In fact, most marketing experts agree that video is no longer optional. So, get out there, make a video or two or seven and use it to start attracting more customers, clients or patients and increase your income.