A picture may be worth a thousand words but when it comes to marketing, pictures (or video in particular) are proving to be worth a great deal. Using video as a primary marketing tool is now recognized as one of the top marketing trends this year.

The pandemic changed marketing strategies during 2020 when businesses were forced to close and onsite events were cancelled. Searching for alternative ways to reach their customer base, business owners chose video as a way to highlight products, build trust and engage buyers. Marketing researchers see the trend continuing as consumers look across and within multiple advertising platforms for product information.

Video in marketing proves useful in demonstrating products as well as producing interviews and testimonials for one-on-one connections to buyers. It also provides a platform for blending virtual events with live interaction and is easy to share.

While almost everyone today possesses the electronics and capability to produce good videos, marketers still advise that professional quality video remains a good return on the investment.

Video marketing reaches its full potential when crafted to demonstrate the benefits of a product or service and create a feeling of trust between buyer and seller. Video supports good storytelling about a farm business, the families or partners involved, the quality of the product and how to use a product for peak performance.

Some direct marketers feature harvest scenes, production clips, cooking demonstrations and interviews with owners and partners as key pieces of video marketing. They also combine video with other advertising formats to create a full overview of the business.

However you choose to use video-based marketing, it’s wise to be selective about where and when you post your clips. Marketing advisors see an off-shoot trend as “culling the reach” of already saturated media sites and concentrating advertising and promotion on fewer targeted sites. Combining your marketing with other business, hospitality or tourism group efforts offers target audience building regionally or by trade and industry sectors.

Working through the complexities of a changing marketing environment challenges owners and managers to create new ways to reach buyers. Using video messages continues as a key element in reaching current and potential new customers. Along with strong visual messages, the storytelling needs to reflect a strong message of quality, trust, interest and consistency.

As you plan out and implement marketing this year, consider how you will convey your story to all customers and if using more video will be a part of your strategy. If so, pictures will become worth quite a lot.

The above information is presented for educational purposes and should not be substituted for professional business or legal counseling.