Holiday Videos That Drive Online Traffic
It’s time to get started on your holiday season marketing. This year, we suggest creating a video (or videos) to connect with your customers.
The benefits of video are clear. A study conducted last year by Google revealed that more than a quarter of shoppers (26 percent) rely on online videos as their source for gift ideas. According to a survey by BombBomb, which offers video email marketing software, 81 percent of senders get more replies when incorporating video in emails, 68 percent convert more leads, and 56 percent get more referrals.
Send out a happy holiday video greeting to showcase your products as gifts, announce a holiday promotion or simply wish season’s greetings to your customers with a creatively designed video that touches the heartstrings.
If you do send your video out via email, a couple of things can increase your open rate:
- Include the word “video” in your subject line so people know it’s there.
- Choose an attractive thumbnail image and incorporate a play button to encourage viewers to click on the video.
- Opt for an animated gif, which will attract more attention than a static image.
- Share the video on your social media platforms – and post it on YouTube, with appropriate metadata so it will show up in relevant search results. Ideally, create a YouTube channel with multiple videos to educate and engage customers, building brand loyalty.
What makes a good holiday video?
- Stay away from the hard sell. Instead, use the opportunity to build more personal relationships with your audiences. You don’t need a big budget to create a heartwarming video – think of all the cat videos you’ve seen. Aldi, a global discount supermarket chain headquartered in Germany, created a heartwarming, feel-good video last year that showcases its products without overt salesmanship.[youtube id=”wzsMiCBzciY”]
Department store retailer John Lewis creates feel-good videos each year that are low on sales and high on emotions. Last year, #Man in the Moon generated 47,770 tweets within the first four hours of release.[youtube id=”wuz2ILq4UeA”]
Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s similarly focuses on emotions and not on products in its 2014 ad about the Christmas cease fire in 1914 between the Germans and the British forces on the front lines in World War I.[youtube id=”Jdobquf1zms”] - Make it fun, personal and lighthearted. Vidyard produced a video, “Nothing for Christmas,” starring its own staff members lamenting the workday errors that cost them their holiday gifts for the season because “Somebody snitched on me.”Norton, the online security company, created a series of video ads starring Santa in a tirade – “everyone’s getting coal – because his “Naughty or Nice” list was hacked, is being held for ransom – and was leaked. As the ads illustrate, computer security is important for everyone. [youtube id=”5lxeQAOym9M” parameters=” “]Shipstation customer Johnny Cupcakes created a snarky but simple video ad touting its Johnny Cupcakes Snowtube as the antidote to same-old, same-old Christmas gifts.[youtube id=”bn55oSFdgGI&list=FLQWztEo7LcayJJbYyMtkbAg”]
- Offer a takeoff on a well-known holiday theme or song. The Aldi video mentioned above parodies the song “My Favorite Things” from Sound of Music to get its point across. You can spoof the Grinch, Scrooge, Rudolph or the perennial favorite, “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
- Anticipate your customers’ needs. Create a holiday video gift guide with gift ideas for that hard-to-shop-for relative we all deal with every year. Or offer educational content that shares such information as recipe ideas and party tips. Helping customers spurs brand loyalty.
- Make it simple. Actor, writer and humorist Nick Offerman created “Yule Log,” an ad for Lagavulin, his favorite brand of whisky. The content? 45 minutes’ worth of Offerman, whiskey in hand, sitting next to a crackling fire while looking at the camera.[youtube id=”LS-ErOKpO4E”]
Consider adding a call to action to your video. Offer viewers a gift — maybe a free eBook or white paper — or direct them to resources that will help them get through the stressful holiday season successfully.
Video is more than a marketing tactic. It can also encourage customer engagement, which can boost sales, brand impact and loyalty.
