How big data is transforming video marketing

Photo credit: Brid TV

Everyone knows the old cliché that a picture is worth a thousand words, but research in America in 2014 found that a minute’s worth of video content can be worth 1.8 million words of written content, in terms of the information it can impart and the impression it can make.

So it’s not surprising that video marketing has caught the attention of marketers of every size, and online experts are now warning about the perils of ignoring this very powerful and versatile form of communication.

At the heart of video marketing’s power is that it not only conveys many messages immediately, but the use of the film maker’s skills means that it is also a very effective method of building or supporting a brand’s identity.

Where big data comes in

Historically, it’s in this area of branding and brand-related communications that companies of all kinds have had a great deal of difficulty in measuring. It was just over a hundred years ago that the American store owner John Wanamaker first pronounced, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the problem is that I don’t know which half.”

But if Wanamaker was alive today, this would not be something he could say, largely thanks to big data. For awhile this has been quite a buzzword, not just in marketing, but in all areas from government, even to traffic control. Essentially, it refers to the huge wealth of data that organisations of every kind are able to gather from customers whenever they interact with them online, whether that means spending five minutes browsing a website, making a purchase or even posting a comment.

At the most basic level, this gives the organisation a good idea of what actually triggers a purchase and, by using more complex analytics, allows them to build up a complex profile of both their customers and their behaviour.

So what does this mean for video marketing?

Essentially that it becomes easier to target specific customers or potential customers with the kinds of video that they will find useful and motivating. So say, for example an online casino identifies its keenest poker players. By using the data they already have about them, they can offer to produce a personalised video profiling their strengths and greatest results, which the player can then share on various social media sites.

Until recently, this would have been an unconceivable piece of marketing to use, but big data makes it all too possible. There are a number of ways that its use can give the marketer greater control than ever before. For example, focus groups have long been the primary method of gathering customer information, but by analysing what customers do rather than what they say, it presents a far more accurate picture.

Combine this with the great power of showing, instead of just describing the product or service, and the true potential of combining big data with video content becomes clear to see.

So while the written word will still form the bulk of most websites and online communication, we can all look forward to seeing a great deal more personalised videos in future. And who knows? The next time you see an article like this, it could even be on film.