Flow Communications

For anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock for the last few months, it should be impossible to look at the image on the right without recognising the words to the tune of Gangnam Style, the viral K-pop sensation that became the most-watched video in the history of the internet.

Psygangam

As much as the catchiness of the tune contributed to its success, the video also played an important part, especially in solidifying Psy’s celebrity status, and in the popularising of his I’m-on-a-horse dance moves.

Online video has meant that music videos (including local ones) have made a comeback, but it goes a lot further than that. Videos are also important for companies that want to market themselves online.

Why video?

Video content is a great addition to any website. These days, attention spans on the internet are short, and people don’t like to read lengthy articles (in fact, if you’ve made it this far, give yourself a pat on the back). However, we’ll happily click on a video.

Video can be used in all manner of interesting ways:

  • To demonstrate a product or experience that your company offers
  • To show people the human face of your company, or a lighter side of your business
  • To promo an event your company hosted or attended
  • To elaborate on your company’s CSR messaging and other branding messages

Video keeps your audience on your website for longer. It helps your customers to feel more engaged with your brand, and it improves your click-through rate and search traffic. Videos are also totally shareable on social media networks, allowing more connectivity and reach across platforms. Here’s one I filmed for Table Mountain’s official New7Wonders of Nature inauguration ceremony:


Of course, here in South Africa, a lack of affordable bandwidth is still an issue for many consumers. But that is changing (as can be seen by our participation in various memes). Also, more people are willing to upload and view video content on their mobile devices, and will use their airtime to do so. So, if you have a mobile channel in your online strategy, start thinking about how video can be part of the offering.

Here’s another event-based video I filmed for Etana Insurance (which can also be accessed via their mobile site):


Like most things in life, you could spend a lot of money to get a perfectly crafted, professionally polished product – or you could start with some basic DIY stuff. That’s what most people on the internet do. No less than 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and most of that is just footage of cats and babies. Just kidding! The point is that people are already looking for video content when they go online, and if you can offer something quirky and fun, your brand will stand out.

It’s not a one-stop solution; rather, it can complement your existing content: share videos on Facebook, embed videos in your blog posts, and include them in a newsletter. That’s what we did with this video featuring the staff of the Two Oceans Aquarium:


And if a man who sings in Korean and dances like a horse can get a billion people to watch his video, you can too.

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