The key to engaging any target audience is to be accessible where they are. For the younger generations, this means using video marketing.
Gen Z and Millenials grew up watching videos on mobile devices, tablets, and computers, so it’s no surprise they’re comfortable with this format. In this article, you’ll learn some surprising facts about how the younger generation consumes video and discover vital tips for creating successful video marketing campaigns.
How Gen Z and Millenials Consume Video Marketing
Generation Z, generally considered to be born between 1997 and 2012, makes up about 20% of the U.S. population. They spend significant amounts of time on social media. On average, Gen Z spends most of their time on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, with as much as 24 to 48 hours a month spent watching TikTok alone.
Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, recently surpassed Baby Boomers as the largest group of U.S. consumers. They spend at least as much time watching videos as the younger Gen Z. Millennials are more interested in videos that teach them new skills.
Millennials have more buying power than Gen Z. Twenty-three percent use videos to research products and services, and 85% purchase products after watching videos about them.
Gen Z and Millennials prefer shorter videos, with 61% watching videos of one minute or less daily and 50% watching videos between two and five minutes.
Many U.S. consumers born between 1981 and 2012 use social media and videos to learn new skills and research products and services. They spend hours every week watching videos. To get their attention, that’s where your business needs to be.
Three Benefits of Video Marketing
In addition to putting your business in front of up-and-coming consumers, video marketing benefits your business in the following ways.
1. Video Marketing Can Improve SEO
YouTube is a search engine second only to Google in terms of the volume of users. Users looking for your products and services can find you when you create videos and optimize them with keywords and hashtags.
When your YouTube or TikTok channel reaches a certain momentum, the platform will begin recommending your videos to people interested in similar topics, which can grow your channel at lightning speed.
2. Video Marketing Builds Brand Awareness
Video marketing is a great way to build brand awareness with younger viewers. A well-made video will help potential customers learn more about your company and its products, services, and staff. You can build relationships online with helpful how-to videos, uplifting stories about customers or employees, or behind-the-scenes videos that connect people to your brand.
Video content has long been considered an effective tool for building trust among consumers because it feels more personal than other forms of advertising. Video marketing can help you reach a wider audience and expand your business’s reach.
3. Video Marketing Can Increase Conversion Rates
Video is more engaging than other search engine marketing (SEM) types, such as display marketing or text-based paid search. Eighty-four percent of marketers surveyed say video helps generate leads.
Types of Video Marketing
There are several ways to use videos to reach your target audience. To identify content that will engage your younger viewers, consider how they use your products and services. Ask questions such as:
- What motivates younger buyers to purchase from us?
- What problems are they solving?
- What do they value about our products or our brand?
- What questions do we repeatedly hear from younger buyers?
Based on the answers to these questions, you can select from any of the following video types:
- Product demos
- Expert interviews
- How-to videos
- Explainer animations
- Vlogs
- Customer testimonials
- Behind the scenes
- Live webinars
- Humorous shorts
Essential Keys to Effective Video Marketing
Viewers of all ages want videos that are engaging, clear, and deliver a sense of the brand’s values or authenticity. So how do you create that for your brand? Here are ten essential keys to remember as you plan your video marketing campaigns.
Make Your Videos Relevant
Pick one meaningful and relevant goal for your younger buyers for each video. Include something interesting or useful, like the answer to a question or an important insight that will help them use your product better.
Reel Viewers in from the Start
You have between three and ten seconds to grab your viewer’s attention before they scroll on or click away. Do not save the best for last; open strong and deliver your message.
Keep Your Videos Short and Punchy
Younger viewers prefer videos that are either one minute or less or between two and five minutes. You will lose your audience if your videos are too long.
Optimize Your Videos for Mobile Devices
At least 52% of Gen Z and Millenials watch video content on their smartphone. You lose half of your potential audience if you’re not optimized for mobile devices.
Focus on Stories
On social platforms, video marketing competes with entertainment rather than interrupting it. When you create videos that focus too much on sales, you’re reverting to the old style of interruption marketing, which is not as effective on social media platforms.
Instead, engage your audience and bring them through an emotional or intellectual journey. The most watched videos tell stories that connect with the viewers. Help them understand what your company offers and what it can do for them.
Use Closed Captions
Not everyone watching will be able to hear the sound. Closed captions guarantee that your audience can see your message even when the volume on their phone is down.
Closed captions ensure that people who are hearing impaired, in a busy or loud environment, or are not native English speakers can still follow along with your content. Research shows that as many as 85% of videos on Facebook are watched without sound.
Optimize Your Videos for Search
Even if you are listing your videos on YouTube or TikTok to run pay-per-click (PPC), social media advertising, or discovery ads, optimizing them for search is essential.
Choose the keywords in your title and description carefully so that the words and phrases match common search terms. You can learn more about keyword strategies in our blog Campaigns, Ad Groups, Keywords, and Ads—How to Set Yourself Apart.
Show Some Personality
The younger generations engage with companies that reflect their values. Don’t be afraid to showcase your company culture. If your company or staff is involved in the community—show that off! Personality and personal interest are engaging.
Put Your Customers in the Spotlight
While being on camera isn’t in everyone’s comfort zone, many people love to see themselves in videos. You can invite your customers to create videos using your products or while receiving your services. Let them know their videos will be shared on social media. You may be amazed at what they send you!
Customer videos can also be a great way to get shares and likes since your more outgoing customers will want to show off their videos to friends and family. This puts your brand into the newsfeed of a larger audience.
Create an Eye-Catching Thumbnail
YouTube allows you to upload an image file that will display as a static image before your video plays. It’s called a thumbnail.
If you don’t upload your own, YouTube will pick a random moment from the video and display that instead. However, that is a wasted opportunity!
The thumbnail to your video is its first impression. Create a relevant, accurate, branded image that grabs viewers’ attention and interest.
Close With a Call-To-Action (CTA)
Anyone who has watched your whole video deserves a CTA. What next step should the viewer take? Make it specific and effortless for them to do.
Examples include:
- Subscribe
- Shop Now
- Watch This Video
- Start a Free Trial
- Find Out More About the Product
- Tell Us What You Think (Poll)
For a short video, a single CTA at the end is enough. However, if your videos are at least five minutes, you’ll want to have one in the middle and one at the end. For even longer videos of ten minutes or more, place one CTA after about 2 minutes, one halfway through, and one at the end.
Platforms for Video Marketing
Video marketing is an increasingly important component of digital marketing. To reach younger viewers, you will want to target social media platforms. However, you can also use your videos in paid search ads on Google and Bing.
YouTube has the largest audience on any video platform. It is a powerful search engine. Recently, YouTube has added ‘Shorts,’ which are shorter, vertical videos similar to what viewers find on TikTok. You can read more about YouTube in our recent blog.
TikTok has a smaller audience but commands the younger generation’s attention for hours a week.
Instagram is also very popular with Gen Z and Millenials. It is designed for short videos of 60 to 90 seconds, although it is possible to post longer videos.
You can display your video ads on YouTube, Google, and Bing through SEM and PPC advertising. Discovery advertising on Google lets viewers see your ads across a vast partner network, for example, while playing games on their mobile apps.
For Younger Shoppers, Video Is the New Normal
If you’re looking for a way to reach the younger generations and expand your business’s reach, video marketing is essential. You can tailor videos to fit your business and target audience, which makes it a highly customizable and creative marketing platform.
As long as your video marketing is unique and engaging, it will resonate with your audience, build awareness, and bring in leads. Luckily, you don’t have to do it alone! Connect with our experts today if you want help formulating a video marketing strategy or understanding how to use it to promote your business.
