Lateral Marketing: Definition

Lateral marketing involves the creation of an innovative product (or service) that will have a certain feature different from other products or services offered by the competition. The difference, however, is not in the features related to design or price, but in the specific added value that will satisfy the consumer’s additional need, making the new product completely different from the competition, even incomparable.

Taking into account the life cycle of a product (or service), the use of lateral marketing causes a given product to “regress” to a position of growth, and thus gives the company a chance to extend the life of a given product and the related financial and branding benefits.

Nowadays, consumers are inundated with various offers of the same products. For many, it is a real challenge to choose a product, without thinking about it and spending time reaching for new products from the shelf and reading labels, and finally putting something into the basket. Or, as is the case with online shopping, spending time scrolling through store websites to choose your target product.

The same challenge faces entrepreneurs who try to differentiate themselves from the competition. Although the products they offer seem to be different, for example, have a different color, smell, more or less premium price, they are advertised differently – they ultimately satisfy the same need or set of needs. And when it comes to meeting the needs of consumers, then the concept of lateral marketing comes in, according to which the company should seek new opportunities for products / services so that they can also meet other needs that were not previously taken into account, and thus differ from competition.

The areas of application of Lateral Marketing

It can be said that Lateral Marketing is about “reinventing the wheel”, ie adding to a product (or service) a certain characteristic that will make it meet new consumer needs (previously undiscovered). The issue of positioning an offer in lateral marketing can be divided into three levels:
– market level – elements such as needs, target customers, new situations or applications;
– product level – an innovation introduced in the product itself, application, packaging, brand attribute or in terms of purchase;
– the level of marketing tools – i.e. innovation at the level of price, promotion and distribution.

Relatively simple ideas can guarantee a strong competitive advantage and a leadership position in a given market. The goal of Lateral Marketing is innovation on one of the above-mentioned levels. So it is enough for the company, based on research and analysis of consumer needs and insights, to implement an innovative idea, thereby changing the product / service itself and surprising the competition.

Lateral Marketing – application examples

The best known examples of the use of lateral marketing are those at the product level. The introduced innovation involves changes to the properties, functions or features of the product, thanks to which it will stand out from the competition’s products. And so, for example, from the point of view of the need, the new product will satisfy the “old need” (that is, the one for which it was ultimately created) and the new one, for which it was updated, thus becoming a completely new product, such as e.g. Kinder chocolate egg, to which a toy was added inside – thus changing the chocolate for children into a surprise egg, in which, apart from chocolate, you can find a toy – usually the one on the top that every child wants to have.

In the case of innovation in the use of the product itself, we will meet an example for slightly “larger children”, which can be an inflatable beach ring, previously used only for swimming, and when enriched with additional space for a beer – it becomes an inseparable gadget of many beach goers. Innovations introduced in line with lateral marketing do not have to be that crazy and complicated. An example are the product modifications themselves, such as yoghurts, muesli or other “sugar free” or “vegan” products.

Examples of lateral marketing in services may be the method of providing the service itself, e.g. adding additional time to provide the service – “we also deliver packages at weekends”, “we are also open at night”, etc. Moreover, adding a distinguishing feature to the basic offer, such as . a dedicated supervisor, the ability to refer to the price, if there is a cheaper product somewhere on the market, etc. are also examples of lateral marketing.

Examples of the use of lateral marketing at the level of marketing tools include, for example, the method of distribution (change or a new place where the customer can purchase the product or use the service), eg “now professional hair dye also in your home!”.

Other lateral marketing techniques are:

– substitution – consisting in changing or removing several elements and replacing them with others, or imitating some elements with another.
– elimination – complete removal of several elements in a given product,
– combination – adding one or more new elements to the basic product while keeping the other elements unchanged,
– inversion – adding “no” to one or more elements – that is, often eliminating a disturbing element, such as earphone cables, making them wireless,
– exaggeration – consists in enlarging or reducing an element in the product so that it differs from the standard version,
– switching – consists in changing the order, e.g. in services, to the benefit of the client.

Lateral Marketing – how to apply in a company?

The use of an innovative approach to the product itself, market or marketing tools is one of the best ideas that a company can come up with and it is a slightly different approach from SEO or SEM advertising that works in a very competitive market. It is worth noting that this innovation does not have to be spectacular, but should rather work for the benefit of the client and meet his needs. Introducing such innovation requires, first of all, an analysis of the market, customer needs and its path, both offline and online. It is worth supporting such a quantitative analysis with a qualitative analysis and then tackling it at meetings with the communication department. Carrying out innovations according to lateral marketing is a long process, but its effects can be very positively surprising!

Chatbot – what is it?

One definition gives:
A computer program designed to simulate conversations with human users, often over the Internet.

Chatbots have been around for many years. The first of them was created in 1966 under the name ELIZA. He was supposed to parody the behavior of the psychoanalyst, who mocked the patient, often repeating his statements in the form of questions. However, only recently have companies started to pay attention to the business benefits of their use. The real merit for popularizing chatbots, however, should be attributed to Facebook, which allowed them to be integrated with their messenger.

Depending on how the individual chatbots have been programmed, we can divide them into two main groups:

Simple chatbots
They operate on the basis of a previously prepared set of keywords that they are able to understand. Each chatbot reaction to a particular query must be designed separately by the programmer. If the user asks a question without using one of the known keywords, the robot will not understand the query and will usually respond with a “sorry, I don’t understand” message.

Advanced chatbots
Self-learning algorithms were used in their design. Instead of using pre-prepared answers, chatbot creates them on an ongoing basis, based on flexible rules and their knowledge. All customer queries are saved for later processing. Nevertheless, in this case artificial intelligence does not work perfectly, and preparing such a chatbot requires a lot of work. It must be admitted, however, that great progress has been made in this area. The proof is the world famous voice conversation of the Google machine with people who wanted to reserve a place at the hairdresser. It perfectly imitated even momentary reflection in the style of “mmmmm” or “eeee”. People were convinced that they were talking to another person. She definitely passed the Turing test.

What encourages users to interact with chatbots?

According to one study, the main factors are:
– Productivity – chatbots provide quick and effective help and access to information.
– Entertainment – chatbots entertain people by giving them funny tips, and help to pass time when users have no classes.
– Social and relational factors – talking to bots gives some people the chance to talk without being judged and helps work on conversation skills.
– Curiosity – many people are interested in the very idea of “talking programs”, which encourages them to interact with them.

Let’s move on to how chatbots can help your business grow:

Answering questions
The simplest and most popular chatbot application is to make it an interactive FAQ. Chatbot filled with answers to individual questions will be particularly useful in situations where customers use a particular jargon. He will be able to answer the most common questions, leaving the employee service for really demanding cases.

The introduction of a chatbot will also help you improve your visibility on social media. It is difficult to make the customer service team be able to answer any query on the platforms on which you are present. Even if you succeeded, it would be rather time consuming and, consequently, expensive. Chatbot, in turn, can be active 24/7. This will not only save employee time, but also maintain better communication with customers and improve statistics related to reply rate.

Reduction of operating costs
Service and contact with clients (current and potential) takes time and generates costs. However, according to Paraphrase-Online.com research, implementing virtual advisors or chatbots helps reduce customer service costs by up to 30%.
Of course, such solutions will not completely replace people. Chatbots will successfully deal with simple and repetitive tasks, so that employees can be assigned to more complicated jobs.

Collecting and analyzing consumer data
Your chatbot is a great tool with which you can collect customer information. If you don’t really have a specific reason for doing so, you won’t be willing to complete the survey. Chatbot approaches feedback collection in a gentler and natural way by entering relevant questions during the conversation.
Additionally, thanks to the use of machine learning algorithms, your chatbot can analyze opinions and other information that it collects from users. This will give you better insight into what they really want. It will also help you improve your marketing strategy to focus more on your needs.

Personalized customer contact
Customers don’t always know what to do to find information that interests them. In fact, they may not even know what they are interested in. Maybe they just heard about your brand and decided to take a closer look.

Therefore, chatbots integrate with social media, collecting data about each person with whom they interact. When a user enters a specific query, chatbot can respond by offering personalized advice based on purchase history and customer preferences.

Even if chatbot does not use such a solution, it can get to know the potential customer better with a series of questions.

Streamlining the payment process
Advanced chatbots use features that allow them to make payments. Customers can pay for their products without leaving the chat interface. Bots that store the payment details of regular customers significantly improve the ordering process for subsequent products.

Summary

Chatbots are undoubtedly a useful tool in business and their popularity will grow. They help to meet recipients, adjust marketing activities, reach new consumers and save employees time. It’s definitely worth using their options as soon as possible. Chatbots currently support businesses, but in the near future it may turn out that … they will be businesses themselves. An example is the movie “Her”, where the hero enters into a conversation and is connected with an advanced algorithm (woman’s voice) managed by a company that was established to provide satisfying, platonic relationships in a world in which interpersonal relations were qualitatively getting worse . Sounds familiar? Ha! Maybe the demand for such a service is just around the corner.

Mailing vs. SPAM

An incorrectly prepared e-mail may go to the SPAM folder. To distinguish valuable emails from spam, spam filters use a special algorithm. They take into account, among others:

– message length,
– email content (pornographic content, including sex keywords, 100% free),
– graphics to text ratio,
– the number of recipients,
– message subject.

Of course, spam filters also take into account other factors, but these are the most important of them. Then the algorithm gives each of them a certain number of points – when they exceed a certain threshold, the message goes to the SPAM folder.

It is impossible to say unequivocally how exactly these algorithms work and what to do to prevent the message from being sent to spam. Spam filters are being patched and improved on an ongoing basis, and the algorithm is changing rapidly due to the active activities of spammers and data scammers.

According to data from the Paraphrase Online Team, as much as 57% of mailing messages go to spam. How can your newsletter not share the fate of badly written emails?

Make your email marketing effective!

Maintaining customer satisfaction is key to any business. The more satisfied the subscriber to your newsletter is, the more likely you are that he will not automatically delete your messages. Notorious deletion of messages may result in some newsletters being classified as SPAM. What’s more – some users, irritated by mailing, mark it as spammy messages themselves. How can you increase the delivery of your emails?

– Group recipients and make sure that you provide tailored offers.
– Send only offers that realistically meet the needs of your subscribers.
– Do not spam. Choose your newsletter shipping time carefully and try not to send it too often.
– Encourage clicking before opening.
– Don’t keep subscribers by force – let them unsubscribe from the newsletter.

Effective email marketing: 7 simple rules for success

Encourage action before opening! We’ve examined 10 billion messages. Our report shows that emails with topics containing 1 to 3 words get the highest Open Rate, i.e. the rate of message openings. Short titles are more interesting and usually stand out from the rest.

Remember to change the number of words in the message from time to time. Recipients quickly get used to specific forms. Surprise them!

Check who opens your emails!

The most popular systems for sending newsletters will show you who opens your emails. Why send a newsletter to people who haven’t opened a single email from you in a year? Make sure that the list of subscribers includes people who are actually interested in what you send them. Divide customers into target groups – segment!

Subscriber segmentation is the basis. First, divide your customer base into specific target groups, and then, based on data analysis (e.g. user activity), select groups that: regularly read your messages, click on the links you send, can become your potential customers (e.g. based on historical data). On this basis, match the content of emails to the behavior of specific groups of recipients. Also remember to group your recipients by email hosting providers. Only in 2019, more than one billion new accounts registered on Gmail. All because the advertisements there are unobtrusive, effective and very effective, and the system perfectly filters SPAM.

You can group customers based on: purchases made from you, active opening of messages or information they have left by subscribing to the newsletter (gender, age, education).

Use the data that recipients have shared with you – personalize it!

Subscribers can leave a lot of data about themselves when subscribing to the newsletter. In addition, e-mail marketing systems will provide you with further data that you need to analyze to run effective e-mail marketing. These are among others:

– deliverability,
– openness,
– CTA click rate.

On this basis, you will determine which target groups are dormant leads and which will come back to you for shopping (for such people it is worth preparing something additional, such as discounts for regular customers) or simply like reading messages from you, but do not click links. In addition, demographics alone will provide you with enormous knowledge about your subscribers.

Based on the collected data, personalize titles, content, graphics and CTA. Anticipate what particular groups may like, as well as use data from nationwide reports on the purchasing behavior of individual segments. Thanks to this, you’ll more effectively meet their needs and tastes and preferences.

Write simply and succinctly but also catchily!

The modern recipient is tired of the number of messages and information that surround him. Try to limit the content and graphics in your messages – provide subscribers with the most important information that may interest them. However, try not to do it too intensely. Limit the message to one or up to two important pieces of information. Three or more different information can prevent the recipient from remembering the most important thing you wanted to tell him.

Remember to keep the shape of the letter F when arranging information in the message. The modern recipient mostly scans the text, and according to research conducted by dr Philip Benson and David St Clair from the University of Aberdeen, the reader’s eyes follow the track, forming the letter F.

Give your subscribers free

Give something to your most loyal subscribers. These can be unpublished tips, graphics to print or discounts. Give them something that will make them feel special and make your newsletter prestigious. Remember, however, that the more people get such freebies, the less prestigious the newsletter will be. First try to honor some subscribers this way (segmentation will be useful here).

Test campaigns and analyze effects

Testing your mailing campaigns is an absolute must if you want to run effective email marketing. Check before sending that all elements of the message are displayed correctly and that there are no errors in the content. Check what messages look like on devices with different screens (laptops, smartphones, tablets). Create several versions of the same message and send it to different groups, and then save subscribers’ reactions to individual versions of the message. Check the Open Rate indicator and click-through rate of messages and links in the body of the email. Low OR may indicate that the message was qualified as SPAM. It can also mean that the title did not encourage subscribers to open the message. In turn, low click-through in CTA may mean that you need to change CTA because it doesn’t encourage you to act.

Pareto principle.
Use the Pareto principle. According to her, 20% of workload generates on average 80% of profits. Translating this into effective email marketing and subscribers, it is easy to calculate that 20% of regular customers who are subscribed to the newsletter can give you as much as 80% of profits from email marketing. So let’s save the addresses of people who regularly click on links and buy from you to reward them for loyalty (segmentation and prestige).

Do you already know how to do effective email marketing?

Effective email marketing is based on 7 main activities, thanks to which you have the chance to create a list of valuable leads.

To increase your mailing profits, you must first of all remember to segment and personalize the message content. In addition, make sure that the recipient can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Test, analyze and do not be afraid to experiment with the appearance and content of your emails. Maybe one word will actually prove to be the key to success to increase OR and click-through rate on links? Or maybe your recipients prefer standard message titles? You will learn all this by using tests and analyzing the results.

Be creative, but do not overdo it with information overload. Try to contain the maximum information in the minimum content. Try new things, and don’t be afraid to give your subscribers so-called giveaway – in thanks that they are loyal to you (you can find out by checking data from mailing systems). Try to stand out as well as respond to the needs of target groups that you have created within subscribers as much as possible. Well, analyze, analyze and analyze again. Be creative, but do not overdo it with information overload. Try to contain the maximum information in the minimum content. Try new things, and don’t be afraid to give your subscribers so-called giveaway – in thanks that they are loyal to you (you can find out by checking data from mailing systems). Try to stand out as well as respond to the needs of target groups that you have created within subscribers as much as possible. Well, analyze, analyze and analyze again.

Ideas for free gifts for loyal recipients: dedicated, short articles that will not be published anywhere else, earlier access to the new offer, graphic designs for self printing, dedicated offers, dedicated discounts and vouchers, invitation to a special action, invitation to ambassador/testing.

Affiliate program – what is it?

The affiliate program is the alternative name for affiliate programs run as affiliate marketing. It can be described as internet marketing technique, which involves conducting activities not directly by the seller, but by independent marketers and publishers.

How does the affiliate program work?

The affiliate program is based on cooperation between the seller and partners. Its essence is the advertiser (seller) delegating marketing activities to partners. In return for the effects of their activities, they receive commissions.
It is worth emphasizing that the partners have virtually unlimited possibilities of action. They use available techniques and methods in any way – so that the developed strategy brings the expected results.

Participants of the affiliate program

Although the core of the affiliate program is the advertiser and publisher, there are more participants.

– Advertiser (seller) – informs about the promoted product and provides a specific creation.
– Affiliate network – provides the received creative to publishers.
– Publisher (partner) – places product information in the form of an affiliate link.
– User – clicks on the affiliate link and goes to the advertiser’s website and then purchases.

It is worth emphasizing that partner programs are also possible without the affiliate network. However, many advertisers choose to use it because:

– allows advertisers to establish relationships with publishers,
– manages tracking,
– manages payments.

Types of affiliate programs

Although the essence of how affiliate programs work is actually the same, there are different ways of billing between the advertiser and the publisher. That is why three main types of affiliate programs are distinguished.

Pay Per Lead (PPL)
Pay Per Lead should be understood as payment for a specific action that the user will perform after clicking on the affiliate link. It can be e.g. filling out a form, leaving contact details, subscribing to the newsletter, etc.

Pay Per Sale (PPS)
Pay Per Sale is a type of affiliate program that focuses on sales and purchases. This means that the publisher receives a commission from the advertiser when the user clicks on the affiliate link and makes a purchase. The remuneration is a percentage of the value of the subject of the transaction.

Pay Per Click (PPC)
Pay Per Click is a type of affiliate program in which the settlement is based on clicks made by users. Payments are made regardless of the number of products sold. Due to this fact, there are few affiliate programs settling on such principles, because they often do not translate into sales effectiveness.

It is also worth emphasizing that there are two types of affiliate programs:

– one-level – the publisher receives remuneration only for its own activities,
– two levels – the publisher receives remuneration for its own activities and the activities of the team it created.

The important role of affiliate links

When talking about affiliate programs, mention should be made of affiliate links. It is thanks to them that the user gets to the advertiser’s website, and the publisher receives remuneration.

An affiliate link is a unique URL that redirects potential customers to the advertiser’s website. Thanks to this, we know what part of the sale comes from the affiliate program. The advantage of affiliate links are unlimited possibilities of use. It is a comprehensive tool that can be used regardless of the type of marketing activities. These types of links can be placed in multiple channels at once, e.g.

– blogs,
– YouTube channels
– mailings,
– social networks,
– discount websites,
– thematic websites,
– internet forums,
– search engines and product comparison websites.

Affiliate program – where to start?

If you are a salesman and want to achieve your goals, you must first create an affiliate program. The next step is to invite publishers to participate. Although you can create a publisher network yourself, it’s better to get started with affiliate network support. It provides all the technological facilities, tools for publishers, as well as tools that allow you to track statistics useful during campaign optimization.

If you’re a publisher, you can search for advertisers on your own or, as with sellers, join an affiliate network. Thanks to this, you will not only gain access to active partner programs, but also the certainty of proper settlement of sellers.

Affiliate programs – is it worth it?

Affiliate programs are a marketing technique that has mutual benefits – both from the advertiser’s and the publisher’s point of view.

Low advertising cost
The advertiser bears much lower advertising costs because the publisher is responsible for conducting marketing activities. Depending on the type of program selected, for example, the seller may only be billed for sales, thanks to which he ultimately bears a lower cost compared to independently conducted advertising activities – even if the sales commission is quite high.

Chance for an attractive salary
A publisher participating in partner programs has a chance to get a high salary. It is adequate to the efficiency of marketing activities, which motivates to intensively promote the product. It can use any tools – so as to ensure the highest possible conversion.

– Definition
Usability in SEO Copywriting is to provide users with the information they need in an accessible way when preparing content for positioning. This is one of the more important features of SEO texts that copywriters sometimes forget about when creating texts with relevant keywords, but without answering the questions that bother readers. Without usability, content will not have adequate substantive value that will allow the reader to choose the right product or service. At the same time, it is an important element of web usability, i.e. all factors determining the functionality of a website for users using it.

– Application in texts
When creating content, the copywriter should be aware of what the user can expect, what issues raise his doubts and what he is looking for online. Then he should try to fulfill them in a clear, clear way so that his message is understood by a person who does not have extensive knowledge in a given topic. Remembering usability and wondering how to write SEO texts correctly, you should also take care of other elements affecting web usability, i.e. a properly created visual layer of the text and its availability on the site.

The most important features of useful content for SEO Copywriter

We will briefly present in this text some of the most important principles that SEO Copywriter should follow in order to construct statements that are useful to recipients of their content that meet the principles of web usability. The basic activities that are used to create content that fulfills the task of usability are:

– simplicity of communication and compliance with the KISS rule,
– creating a persona, i.e. a portrait of a potential recipient of content,
– providing only useful information for users,
– adapting the content to the rules for creating texts for the Internet.

The simplicity of the message

An important feature of usability and web usability is the creation of content that will be simple and understandable to the average user. When writing about car batteries, for example, it’s impossible not to use professional phrases related to its construction and parameters. However, this should be done in moderation and ensure that every user, even one who has little knowledge in the field of motoring, can obtain useful information for their needs. The KISS rule is connected with this, in the light of which texts should be created without unnecessary additions.

KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid) is currently one of the important principles not only of SEO Copywriting, but also of the entire marketing industry. These words are already over 50 years old and are attributed to Kelly Johnson. It was an American aviation engineer who recommended the construction of machines in such a way that any mechanic could cope with their maintenance and repair. This quote became so universal that it later found its practical application in many other areas of life.

When applying the KISS rule, it is worth remembering to be moderate in creating content, according to the advice: “Write straight, but not simply!”. When creating content in an accessible language, you must remember about the language correctness. The simplicity of the message can not be associated with stylistic or linguistic errors, as well as indecent words!

Creation of the persona

Creating a persona is a very important step in creating content that complies with web usability. This is a portrait of a typical recipient of our content who will be interested in using our services or buying a product. By performing this action before writing the text, we will know what our potential customer is looking for, and thus providing him with the information he needs to make the right decision – that is, take advantage of our offer – will be easier.

By creating persona you will know the basic information about your standard client: how old he is, what he does professionally, what interests he has, as well as many other features that will not only help to achieve user satisfaction and increase sales results. They will also facilitate SEO Copywriter writing texts and allow you to create a text scheme that will be useful and valuable in terms of web usability.

Facebook can also be a useful tool in creating persona. Thanks to the data contained in this social network, we can have a clear picture of users responding to our business: likes, commenting and sharing our posts.

Providing relevant information

It often happens that we read a text with several or even several thousand characters, but after reading it we have the impression that we have not found anything interesting. It is very possible that we will not get through it, because most of the content will be useless to us. The so-called. “Pouring water” certainly does not promote the usefulness of SEO texts and web usability. The copywriter should include the substantive issues to the maximum extent possible. The previously mentioned persona is connected with it, thanks to which it is possible to determine what information the potential customer will be looking for and such data should be received.

Content creation in accordance with the principles of webwriting

The place in which we publish content determines how they are placed so that they are most useful to the user. In the case of websites, such rules are set by webwriting, i.e. the technique of creating content for online needs. The features of utility mentioned earlier are closely related to it, namely simplicity and brevity. It is also worth applying other web usability principles:

– include the most important information at the beginning of the content to attract the reader’s attention,
– use short sentences, without multiple constructions,
– use friendly formatting: short paragraphs, headers, as well as bullets that will draw the attention of “scanning” the content of the recipient,
– use visual materials: photos, graphics or multimedia.

Summary

Caring for usability in SEO Copywriting, which is an important element of web usability, is one of the most important rules for people writing texts in terms of positioning. Without complying with it, the texts can become completely useless to the recipient. Therefore, it is worth following the following guidelines:

– When writing SEO texts, you should focus on a maximally simple and understandable message, and at the same time correct in terms of language.
– It is extremely important to create a persona, i.e. a portrait of the universal recipient of our content, thanks to which it will be easier for us to adapt the appropriate content to users. At the same time, it will affect the effectiveness of our activities.
– Users want only useful information, so you need to limit the use of unnecessary content that is not related to the topic.
– Adapt the content to the rules that prevail on the Internet – prepare texts that are visually attractive, including multimedia materials, containing the most important information at the beginning of the text, using webwriting and UX writing techniques that affect web usabiility

UX writing is a writing technique that complies with User Experience, i.e. the user’s experience on the website, adapting the content to the usefulness of the recipient. You can read more about UX writing in the future text of our web usability guide.

The usability of content is only one of the elements, although very important, belonging to web usability. We will describe this issue in more detail in one of the next texts on our blog about positioning.

Americans are one of the busiest nations and for some life goes on to the rhythm of 12-hour work, short free time and sleep. Leading such a lifestyle, it is very difficult to find time to read long advertising texts, carefully study the benefits of products or learn about the detailed history of the company. You should also take into account the fact that youtube is the second largest internet search engine in the world, and many people looking for information or advice, will choose video-guides rather than long blocks of texts. Among others That is why it is worth thinking about video content marketing strategy, which can bring a real increase in company profits and greater recognition.

Video content marketing – where to start?

Similarly to traditional text advertising forms, video content marketing is used to promote the brand, create a coherent image of the company and products, and engage the recipients appropriately. However, visual materials have the advantage over “Gutenberg’s invention” that they are much easier to code in the minds of buyers and can be shared freely. Marketing videos can also stimulate customers to create their own materials, which will tie them to a particular brand more. Video marketing content should not be identified with advertising spots, which since the 1940s began to appear on television and from the beginning had to use the abbreviation due to high antenna prices.

This type of online marketing can afford to play with form or longer materials (although the internet also likes speed – according to research, recipients believe that the perfect instructional video should have about a minute). He can also take various formulas – from an interesting story about the company’s beginnings, through the so-called testimonials and ending with interesting reports. Thanks to such activities, you can escape from the marketing cliché and establish a positive relationship with the client – when an advertising film is published on Youtube, it can be rated, commented and shared, which promotes interaction with the recipients.

How much does video content marketing cost?

To attract customers thanks to video marketing, you need to spend more money than is the case with written forms of promotion, which are ordered for a small amount of money in content agencies. Of course, you can try to run an effective video marketing campaign yourself – but you’ll need the right ideas, scripts, equipment, actors and a lot of free time. Ordering an interactive agency film strategy is not cheap, but the game is worth the candle, because 74% of customers reveal that they once made a purchase after watching the video materials published by the company.

Types of advertising video materials

Video content marketing is developing so rapidly that it has already acquired its own genres. The most popular of them are:

Tutorials – Many private Youtube users decide to share their knowledge by recording tutorial videos from their favorite areas. Some gentlemen talk about how to lay tiles, some ladies give advice on makeup or fashion. Your company can also share with the recipients various video guides related to your industry. By giving the customer something of their own, the image of his brand warms up.

Testimonials – this type of advertising video material invites its real customers who are already kind of lovers of your brand. An honest story about your relationship with a given product or service and about the life changes that have been made thanks to them makes an impression on the recipients. If such material is implemented in an unpretentious way, it is easy to convince new customers thanks to it.

Funny / emotional movies – nothing draws the attention of the recipients like emotional and humorous advertising materials. Such movies can be very short and good, as if they were an incentive for the recipients to create their own materials. With a little luck, you can create a low-cost series that will be viral.

Reportages – this type of video content marketing activity requires a lot of investment and is intended for larger companies. In this type of materials, a scrap of reality associated with the brand is selected and the reportage is based on it. It does not display the strength of its company’s assets or products, but shows an interesting history of a man, place or phenomenon, talking about his brand only casually. Recipients respect content that is not just a marketing shell.

Summary

Research clearly shows how much internet users are focused on receiving video materials and content marketing texts are less important to them. In order to increase the recognition of your brand and the number of visits to the company website, it is worth investing in effective video content marketing.