Using Video To Humanise Your Agency
Facebook recently announced that users will be able to replace their profile picture with something a little more engaging: video. All social-media users have at one point seen a picture of themselves and immediately thought “that’s my new profile picture” and if a picture is worth thousand words, then video is worth a million – in just a few seconds users will be able to fully express their personality in a way that would just not be possible using one image alone. If the social media network’s latest update proves one thing it’s that people love video.
YouTube currently pulls in four billion video views per day, and Facebook released stats earlier this year showing that they now have over three billion, up from an average of one billion video views per day in 2014. According to ZenithOptimedia the average person will be spending an hour a day watching online videos by 2016, proof that the power of online video is clearly skyrocketing and it’s not as difficult or expensive as you might think to make video part of your marketing strategy.
When it comes to business and video most people think they have to produce a complicated, polished advertisement but, while these videos are impressive, the swiftly rising popularity of personal video based social apps such Snapchat, Beme and Periscope show that the general public are becoming less interested in high-production, high-cost content in favour of raw, unedited, personal communication. And that’s not to say you should ignore professionally-produced content in your marketing but it’s the home-made videos that bring the personality to your agency and expressing your company’s personality helps to humanise your brand which in today’s competitive market is vital. Adding personality and emotion to your marketing helps you to earn potential client’s loyalty and trust, and can be the deciding factor that wins or loses you a contract.
People would much rather deal with someone they feel they know, rather than a faceless brand and simple video is the easiest way to help them get to know you. But video alone is useless if your content isn’t engaging so here are some simple ideas of how you can use video to bring personality to your brand.
- Tips and Advice
Giving potential clients something for free is a great first step towards building that vital relationship, and making that something simple videos full of helpful, relevant advice positions you as the trustworthy and knowledgeable expert. Post these regularly on your social media sites, and when they need more in depth help on the topic you’ll be the first person that comes to mind.
- Local Tours
Why should a potential client move to your area? Use video to highlight your favourite parts, and sell yourself as part of that community. For example, where are the best places to eat? Where’s a fun place to take the kids? Or something as simple as your favourite view can really help them start to imagine themselves at home in your town.
- Personal Video Communication
Video doesn’t have to be limited to wide-spread marketing, it can have a huge impact on your client relationships when used in a one-to-one basis. When confirming an appointment, or giving updates on the progress of a sale try including a short video with you email – be sure to make it clear this video is personal by saying their name at the beginning, this instant human connection will really help to build a stronger relationship. As a bonus video helps to set the tone of a conversation, as we all know how easily the intention of an email can be misinterpreted, and services such as AgentVox.co.uk can give you the ability to include that video directly in your email, rather than sharing a YouTube link.
- Interactive FAQs
This relates back to my first point, in establishing yourself as the local expert. People will always have questions about the process of moving house, and giving them an opportunity to have them answered personally shows you are willing to go above and beyond for the client. Try hosting a Q&A with a live-streaming service such as Periscope and answer questions in real time, or allow potential clients ask questions via your website and then reply using video. These video answers can even be pre-recorded for FAQs, saving time but still impressing the client and starting your relationship on the right foot.
- Video Testimonials
Humanising your agency with video isn’t limited to the staff, what about your happy clients? Asking them film a quick video about their experiences with your agency provides social proof, and shows the type of people you have experience working with. So many reviews are fraudulent these days that having video testimonials on your website and social media assures that potential clients can trust them.
The value of personal connection can be so powerful in business, and video allows you to take that connection further. If you’re not using video in your agency now is the time to start, and it’s the simple, human touches that will help you succeed.
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