Do you want to dabble in the conversation, or do you want to drive it?
“Where do you see yourself in five years?” is a question I hear often lately.
After giving my well-rehearsed, perfunctory answer, I later bring up a question to the company I’m talking to: “Where do you see this company in two years?”
“In less than three years, 70% of all consumer Internet traffic will be video,” I point out (The Guardian, 2014). “Does your company want to dabble in the conversation, or do you want to drive the conversation? Because I’m the one who can develop, install and launch the marketing program today that will make you win tomorrow.”
By 2017, 70% of consumer internet traffic will be digital video.
While the greater adoption of video does represent a seismic shift as to how brands communicate on the Internet, many of the current fundamentals will still be in play, or possibly modified to be more effective in this platform. The content itself will need to be advertised through digital advertising platforms in addition to social media promotion. Digital content development will need to focus on the first 10 seconds as the “golden moments”, that will make or break the viewer’s desire to stick with the content, and consequently, stick to your brand.
However, the most important part: Content is king. Plus, in an online environment with limitless channels for consumers to ‘flip’ to, there had better be a lot of your content to choose from, vibrant content that tells your brand’s story in an engaging, educational, and effective fashion, which is fundamental in this new era for digital marketing.
There is an obvious need, but the next question is, “how does a brand do this?”
- First, think digital at the start of every campaign. Digital not just needs a seat at the table; they need a say in crafting the agenda for the first meeting.
- Second, take your digital team as close to in-house as possible to save on endless per-project cost.
- Third, work to remove the endless barriers to quick, effective publishing, whether it is obstructionist stakeholders, all-too-careful legal team reviewers, or other micro-management.
The marketing teams that think this way and implement these sorts of strategies will be best-equipped to deal with an online environment where video will be the most prevalent form of digital communication. The question brands have to ask themselves is, “How much of this 70% do we want to be?”
The possibilities as consumer technology and storytelling technology evolve and become ever cheaper are immense.
How much of that consumer video internet traffic do I want for my clients? All of it.
And I’m not going to stop until I get it. 
Joe Gura is a marketing communications strategist, and has a Master of Science degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from West Virginia University. Connect with Joe on LinkedIn or follow Joe on Twitter: @joegura
