Video is quickly finding its way into every industry as a means to reach marketing goals and tell each brand’s story in an easily digestible and enjoyable way – which can be quite a feat for industries that sell products the common consumer may not completely understand (or be interested in).
In fact, in our report, Navigating the Video Content Marketing Landscape, we found that 56% of marketers are currently implementing video in their content strategy, and an addition 61% planned to do. Check out how these seven industries are using their pivot to video to create content that is relevant, effective, and worthwhile:
1. Manufacturing
A whopping 81% of marketers surveyed that are working in manufacturing said they’re already using video in their video marketing strategy and plans – that’s more than any other industry that we surveyed, and much more than the average percentage of total marketers using video. Why is that? Well, manufacturing is an exceptionally crowded industry, and video is a great way to set one firm apart from another, drive home each product’s value proposition, and connect with customers on a more personal level.
Here’s a video that MSC created in the Wibbitz platform about their aerospace manufacturing products:
2. Finance
Banking is often intimidating. Online transactions can feel risky at the best of times, and sometimes money is just a sensitive subject. But whatever the underlying psychology, it has become absolutely crucial for financial institutions to foster a sense of trust for their clients. Financial companies are turning to video to build and support that confidence in their customers.
Explainer videos can help customers get to know a banking institution itself, or can provide walk-throughs of common transactions like making deposits or setting up payments. And as market news unfolds and financial institutions digitize to keep up with the times, video content brings customers up to speed while holding on to the momentum of that calm, collected confidence. All in all, financial institutions are collecting more data about customers than ever before. Video marketing for business could include original content to help individuals feel more comfortable and at ease when doing business with big banks.
Here’s how Go Banking Rates uses explainer videos to entice consumers to use their credit cards and reap the rewards:
3. Public Relations
The lines drawn around public relations’ role in media these days have become blurred. That’s why PR firms are taking the content reins into their own hands by creating their own high-quality, highly effective videos. As video becomes the expected medium for communications campaigns across the web and on every social video marketing channel, PR firms are ensuring they don’t get left behind.
Instead of sharing video content created by other businesses and brands, PR firms are increasingly bringing the video strategy in-house with video marketing software. Some companies are even forming their own production studios specifically to support this push towards original video content. And since public relations professionals are responsible for building awareness and driving word of mouth for their clients, maintaining ownership over every stage of video production and distribution makes it easy to lean hard on video strategy with a streamlined process and total creative freedom.
4. Real Estate
The shape of the real estate industry is changing thanks to the internet. But with a seriously saturated market and tons of platforms listing and re-listing the same properties, real estate professionals are turning to video to help make their portfolios stand out against the noise. Real estate agencies are using video to gain traction on multiple angles within the industry, from video tours of real properties to profiles spotlighting outstanding agents on their teams.
More generally, real estate pros are putting videos to use to educate viewers on about complex topics that touch the industry, like explainers on securing mortgages and news reports on market trends. Millennials (who are accustomed to and demanding video at every turn) now form the largest market segment of homebuyers. Research also shows listings get 400% more inquiries compared to those that don’t. Video content straddles all the priorities of a savvy real estate agent today.
5. Healthcare
Healthcare is a complicated industry, so it’s no surprise that healthcare providers at every level are using video to help their customers understand the bigger picture and the smallest details. From selecting insurance plans to getting the most out of benefits, health insurance companies are using video explainers to walk customers through the decisions and features that impact their lives and their family lives.
Meanwhile, doctors and hospitals create custom videos to talk about common procedures or even cover trends in local medicine, like preventative measures to protect against a heavy flu season or the right steps to prepare for travel to popular vacation destinations. Medicine can be an intimidating and often faceless field, and video is helping professionals across the entire healthcare industry provide better customer service at scale. With friendly, helpful videos, healthcare companies can get better connected to more customers and provide meaningful, relevant content around the topics they wonder about most.
6. E-commerce
Online shopping is a constantly growing and developing industry thanks to the power of the internet in today’s digital age. But as retailers rely more and more on e-commerce shops instead of brick-and-mortar stores, customers are inundated with opportunities to buy and product advertisements that follow their activity across the web. Especially when it comes to products, video is a powerful way for sellers to help their selections shine.
Mega-retailer Zappos uses product videos so customers can get a 360 degree view on their new shoes before buying, for example, and Amazon sellers can upload videos of their products to stand out in a crowded market. From a branding perspective, original video content also helps customers get a sense of the ethos around the company more generally—it’s never just a pair of shoes, it’s a lifestyle. And that lifestyle takes shape for potential customers in a beautifully designed, highly produced video clip.
7. Travel and Hospitality
As online shopping has become increasingly popular, distinguishing between the many travel and hospitality options available on the internet is harder than ever before. It can be hard for customers to tell hotels apart as they choose their accommodations in a new city, and still photos of exotic foods only give a taste of the full experience of dining in a restaurant in person.
Video content bridges that gap by giving customers a more in-depth look of what hotels, restaurants, and travel experiences are really like, all before booking. Travel and hospitality brands can use video to focus on what makes them unique and enticing, and eye-catching visuals communicate the ambiance of a location better than even the best selection of adjectives. Video is especially powerful for restaurants and food businesses, since social video marketing platforms have made darlings of recipe videos, cooking demos, and behind-the-scenes clips of the world’s celebrity chefs.
SmarterTravel created this video in the Wibbitz enterprise video platform to promote their all-inclusive tour of St. Lucia – and give us all a serious case of the travel bug: