Video can be a powerful tool for professional services firms. It allows you to convey complex messages simply whilst demonstrating your firm’s strengths and bringing your brand to life. Digital marketing expert James McQuivey estimates that a single minute of video content is worth the equivalent of an astounding 1.8 million words written on a webpage. Unsurprisingly, we’re seeing it play an increasingly important role across the sector.
Millennials – the first-generation digital natives who feel at home on the Internet – are now the largest segment of today’s workforce. In a 2018 Brightcove study, 46% of Millennials said they preferred video content over other forms of communication. So, as this generation become decision makers (and Gen Z start to enter the workforce) now really is the time for your consultancy or firm to embrace this here-to-stay trend.
What type of video shall I make?
To begin with, consider what type of content will serve you best. There are a wealth of options out there, but for a first video we suggest trying one of the following.
Explainer Video
Explainer videos can quickly and easily describe a service that may be difficult to express through writing. By using a simple narrative structure, potential clients discover what your company can help them with. Placing a video like this on your home page will give your clients a first-hand experience of your work and can increase conversion rates by an incredible 80%! (Forbes, 2017).
Case Study Video
A case study video will work hard for your brand, as it showcases happy customers and provides solid evidence that your firm can really make a difference. They demonstrate ‘social proof’ through third-party validation of your services.
It’s one thing to tell potential customers that you’re the best accounting or HR firm in the country, but until you offer examples all they have is your word. Putting together a compelling case study is one of the most powerful strategies for showing your skills and attracting future clients.
Showcase your culture
What’s it like to work with your company? Do you have enthusiastic hard working employees? By showcasing your most valuable asset – your people – you can provide clients with insight into your firm and its suitability to meet their needs. Clients want to get a sense of your company’s values and ethos, so prove that you are a trustworthy firm to those future clients. This type of content is also a fantastic way to attract new top talent to your firm.
What should my video consist of?
There are no hard and fast rules here, but observing the guidance below will help ensure you are creating appropriate content that reaches the right people.
- Keep it short and sweet. Videos should grab the
viewer’s attention and communicate your message quickly and effectively, so the
rule of thumb is to keep content under 2 minutes. Ensure your branding is consistent
across all digital assets and make sure your videos are engaging, inspiring and informative to get high viewer engagement.
- Run an audit. It’s a good idea to run an SEO
audit to find out what terms people are using to search for your services. Use
these findings to inform your video content. If you are going to host your
video on YouTube, use the website’s keyword research tool to find out what
people are searching for.
- Keep things simple. Animated videos might seem inappropriate for your firm, but they can be powerful sales tools as they use simple narrative techniques to make your services more accessible to potential clients. Try to avoid using industry jargon and speak in a language your clients understand.
- Write a script. About 20% of your audience stop watching within the first ten seconds of your video so you need to make every second count. Write out your script, starting with the most valuable information to hook as many viewers as early possible.
- Call in help. 62% of users are likely
to build a negative perception of a firm that publishes poor quality videos, so
work with the professionals to ensure you are creating polished, high quality content
that really represents your firm.
Promote, measure and remember the power of sharing
Once you have created your video, the next step is to make sure it gets seen by the right people. 25% of total shares take place within the first three days of videos being uploaded, so make sure you have a strategy in place from day 1.
Ensure you have defined goals and know how you will be measuring success. This could be through monitoring click through to your website, counting the number of views or the number of shares.
Hopefully you can see how incorporating video into your digital marketing strategy can be a powerful way to move your business to the next level and ultimately drive clients down the purchase path.
If you’d like to talk to us about how video can enrich your digital brand get in touch with us here.
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