Using video for marketing and having some fun in doing it

Here at Buzz we’re on a bit of a mission to get more of our clients into using video for marketing.

You see, online video is even more popular now with over 72 hours of video being uploaded to Youtube every minute.

More importantly, Youtube is the world’s 2nd largest search engine (behind Google) and the world’s 3rd most widely used website (behind Google and Facebook). But fewer than one in twenty small businesses will even contemplate using video for marketing online.

Now you might think something along the lines of: “Ah yes but our profession doesn’t lend itself to video” or “We don’t like having ourselves being video recorded” or (even worse) “Video would never work for us”.

In response to that I’d encourage you to watch the video below from the Dollar Shave Club:

I think you’ll agree that it’s very different from the typical shaver ads. But this video has had over 11 million views on Youtube alone and has captured the imagination of marketeers around the world. Not only that but helped to launch a seriously profitable business.Another ad that has captured the imagination of those in marketing is this one from the founder of Bebo Michael Birch.

Now we know that this kind of approach won’t work for all kinds of businesses but there is no reason why you couldn’t inject a bit of humour or fun when using video for marketing.

But with that in mind, even serious safety films can have a quirky and funny approach. As this safety film by Air New Zealand shows:

OK, so not many of us have the budget of Air New Zealand (or a handy Oscar-winning film director and his studio) but we would always encourage you to try and have some fun while delivering a serious business message.

The key is this: video gets noticed and helps you stand apart from your competition. Videos get remembered. And, if they do capture the imagination of your audience they might just go viral and win far more that you can imagine.

So, have a go at using video for marketing and see what happens. You never know; you might just enjoy it.