The internet has done a phenomenal job in bridging the gap between small and large companies. Today, video has emerged as the most dominating form of digital content. With the global pandemic requiring people to stay isolated and maintain social distancing, the importance of video marketing has seen an increase. Companies of all sizes are looking at ways to leverage the power of video to boost their marketing strategies.
In African countries like Zimbabwe, most organizations suffer from a cash crunch and cannot afford to invest in large-scale marketing initiatives. It has led them to brainstorm on video marketing content and think of innovative practices to reach their audience. In this article, we will get to the details of how such organizations are boosting their sales with the help of video.
Use of YouTube Channel
The top YouTube channels of Zimbabwe boast a whopping 735,000 subscribers, and more brands are now leaping. Instead of uploading the promotional videos on their brand website or social media page, they are uploading them on YouTube. They later share the link to the YouTube videos in their social media handles and email marketing initiatives.
With an increase in the popularity of cross-promoting digital content, this is especially useful for businesses as they do not have to upload the video multiple times. In YouTube, when you click on the ‘Share’ option in YouTube, you will get the option of directly publishing it on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, WordPress, or any other platform.
Another reason for the widespread popularity of YouTube as a video-sharing platform is that it helps the search engine rankings of a video. YouTube is the largest video search engine, and videos uploaded on YouTube get priority in Google search listings as well. That way, the videos have better digital visibility and stand higher chances of being discovered.
Optimizing the Content
A look at some of the most successful video marketing campaigns of Zimbabwe would reveal that the content is search engine optimized. Content creators use Google Keyword Planner and other tools to identify keywords that are relevant to the video content. Such keywords are then incorporated in the video title and description for the best results.
Content creators also focus on creating original titles and adding appropriate tags to the video to improve its relevance. To increase the possibility of getting inbound marketing links, many businesses enable embedding on the video content. SEO initiatives of many brands encourage them to add videos to the product landing pages. Since Google lists pages with the video above others, such an initiative helps to improve the discoverability of the video.
Identifying the Ideal Video Length
In recent years, Zimbabwe has witnessed significant internet penetration, and more people have access to smartphones now. With this, there has been a significant reduction in the digital attention span of the average African viewer. Content is created at an unimaginable pace, and viewers take a mere 10 to 15 seconds to decide if the video is worth their time.
To cater to this changing trend, businesses in Zimbabwe are creating short and to-the-point video campaigns. Many businesses are restricting their video lengths to 60 – 90 seconds for the best reach. Others are using intro maker tools to come up with poignant intros that help to get the user hooked to the video content.
Silent playback is a growing trend in many African countries, and content creators are prompt to adapt to it. They are leveraging beautiful visuals, text-heavy descriptions, and compelling subtitles to make the video more engaging when viewed without sound. Businesses are also using exciting thumbnails to grab the attention of casual viewers and entice them into watching the video.
Educating the Audience
The literacy rate of Zimbabwe has seen a steady increase, and today it stands at 88.69%. Such a high literacy rate ensures that the audience is better receptive to informative videos, and brands are leveraging this trend to sell their products. When a business conceptualizes an innovative product that is yet to have any market competition, they are launching product demo videos to explain the need and utility of the product.
In other situations when there are multiple ways to use a product, brands are creating utility videos to illustrate the same. How-to videos that help the user assemble a product or maintain it are incredibly popular among the African audience. Some firms are creating videos to teach DIY hacks with their products and connecting with the audience.
Few service-based businesses are also investing their efforts in explainer videos where they break down complex industry subjects to layman’s terms. Such video content is assisting businesses to establish themselves as industry veterans by sharing relevant knowledge with their target groups. The viewers follow brands sharing informative content to increase their knowledge, and this improves brand familiarity.
Sharing Customer Success Stories
The culture of Zimbabwe encourages word-of-mouth recommendations, and brands are now taking this to the video marketing platform. Many brands are recording video clips of satisfied customers. Such videos discuss the biggest advantage of the product or service and talk about their experience with the brand. While some of these testimonial videos take an emotional approach, others present a rational breakdown of how the product helped save the customer’s time.
These videos are an effective advertisement for brands as they subtly highlight the features of the products or services. The business needs minimal financial investment in creating such a video and this is especially useful for smaller firms. Moreover, the average African is more likely to listen to a recommendation from someone who has been in a similar situation as them instead of a brand talking about itself. That is why the ROI on testimonial videos is significantly higher than in any other form of content.
The successful video marketing campaigns of Zimbabwe are something that the world should take notice of. The small African nation has proven to the world that financial hiccups can never come in the way of realizing larger marketing dreams.