In this month’s blog, we’re going to explore how investing in professional voice over services can boost your business – even during an uncertain period.
It’s fair to say that the past year has been an uncertain one for most businesses.
The pandemic – and subsequent national lockdowns – has caused a dramatic change in consumer behaviour, meaning that businesses have had to rapidly respond to the new and ever-changing demands of the market.
As I’m sure many business owners and leaders know too well, this uncertainty has also led to businesses choosing to slash budgets across areas like marketing and content production. These actions have tended to be led by the idea that saving money in ‘less business-critical’ areas can help create a buffer in case of a loss of new business and/or overall revenue. Sounds logical, right?
Well, perhaps not. According to Craig Mawdsley, joint chief strategy officer at AMV BBDO, writing for Google, while it’s a smart move to try your best to “spend through” the recession and “hope your brand emerges stronger,” the unique challenges presented by the pandemic mean it’s ok to scale down marketing if you don’t have the resources right now. However, what is vital is that you think about how you plan to get ahead as soon as some form of normality resumes.
“[…] When the restrictions are lifted (or if you’re one of the lucky brands without restrictions), you should be fighting with your finance department to get the funds to hit the ground running,” he advises.
2021: The year of video marketing?
Should you take Craig Mawdsley’s advice and plan to up your marketing activity immediately – or as soon as it’s viable – which channels and mediums should be driving your strategy for 2021?
If industry predictions are anything to go by, then 2021 is set to be dubbed the year of video marketing. According to HubSpot’s State of Video Marketing report, the pandemic has “overwhelmingly” increased the amount of online video people watch.
The report found:
- People watch an average of 18 hours of online video per week. (This is an increase of 2 hours per week compared to 12 months ago, and an incredible 7.5 hour increase per week across the past 3 years.)
What’s more, marketers are seeing that video marketing is having a positive impact on ROI.
- 84% of video marketers say video has helped them generate leads. (Up 1% from last year)
- 91% of marketers feel video is more important for brands in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
We know that video marketing as a strategy has been growing in importance for years. But, due to the unique circumstances of the past year, it’s obvious that it’ll only become more crucial for 2021.
This engaging, easy-to-digest format is perfect for positively repositioning your brand.
However, one thing to note is that video content marketing takes planning and little extra investment to get right.
That’s to say that there is a vital element you may be forgetting from your video content marketing strategy that’s sure to supercharge your brand message and boost engagement – and in turn, business.
Enter: voice over.
How investing in voice over services can help
“The data tells us people are looking for two things right now: help and comfort,“ says Craig Mawdsley.
“If you’re able to help them to navigate the current situation, tell them about that. But they also want joyful distractions — things to make them smile in times of hardship.”
The idea is to think and sound like a human being for your customers. And perhaps the most effective way to do that in video content is through voice over services.
For example, animated video production company Explain Nija predicts that 2021 will see the growing popularity of companies using animated explainer videos; “to promote their products and services creatively, educate customers about how to use them, onboard new employees, and for dozens of other corporate and marketing purposes.”
For this type of content, helpful, clear and trustworthy voice over will be key to its success.
What’s more, as customers look to brands to deliver human storytelling, we can also expect to see a rise in voice over with a distinctly conversational and friendly tone. This will foster that all-important “comfort” that Craig Mawdsley believes customers are seeking, particularly during and after the pandemic.
Why voice over services can boost your business
The message from marketing leaders is clear: Today, companies and brands must bring the human touch to their marketing if they’re to inspire brand loyalty.
They must speak to their customers on their own level like humans.
And what better way to do this than through utilising the very best voice over talent in your video content?
Why not tell us about your project and allow us to advise you directly?