The Internet was built on words. Now, the Internet runs on video. Facebook alone has overtaken YouTube as the place where the most video watching minutes are spent.

While this is great news for companies in the direct sales industry that highly benefit from social networking, it also means that the quality of your video content has more to compete with.

Sitting on the train, in the bathroom, or during class, anyone can access autoplaying video content while scrolling through their feed. Even students scroll through Facebook timelines while in class, something that video marketers are taking advantage of by including large engaging captions that transmit the message to the viewer even if they have the phone on mute to avoid getting a personalized lecture from their professor.

The reach of video marketing is only getting greater every day: entire advertising networks rely on videos to display advertisements in mobile games. Some even REQUIRE you to watch a video before moving on to the next level. They’ll go as far as showing you a video ad that plays before a “video marketing tutorial” video you are trying to watch. 

Don’t let the overabundance overwhelm you.

One of the many benefits of working with various direct sales companies over the years is not having to convince them of the importance of video.

When there is a new frontier, direct sales is quick to adapt: whether it be through door to door marketing, home gatherings, internet marketing, and video marketing, you can always count on the direct sales industry to hop on board innovative technologies while also staying faithful to tried and true foundational principles.

When holographic displays become the norm, you can rest assured that a direct sales company will find a way to leverage THAT as well. After all, colonizers in Mars will still need nutritional supplements and vitamin water.

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s talk about how to stand out in our current marketing landscape with your video projects.

Use People

No, don’t TAKE advantage of people, but if someone is passionate about your products, use them for a short testimonial. A good 60-90 second testimonial can work great on it’s own, and you can always splice it up into shorter segments you can use for social media content. You don’t need a fancy studio or a soundproof room. Go where they are, where they live, or where they work and try to capture them in their natural habitat.

Social proof DRIVES direct sales, so testimonials need to be a part of your larger video projects, as well as smaller social media clips. In spite of numerous trends and advancements in video production, a talking head will always help capture the attention and trust of a viewer.

Get Behind Your Business

People are curious. They want to know how it’s made. A behind-the-scenes look at your business and products goes a long way in establishing trust. Let the viewer be a part of the process, from inception, to production, to deployment. This shows not just who your company is, but it communicates a lot about your product, your company, and your company’s culture.

There is no point in trying to “hide the magic”. This connected generation thrives on knowledge. Who are you? Where are you? How do you make your product? These are all questions that engage your viewers if you can answer it in a compelling manner through the use of creative video and content.

Duct Tape

It needs to stick. You don’t always have to blow the viewer’s mind. You just have to present your idea, your culture, a project, in a way that will allow the idea to linger. Many of the videos we make here at Diemer Marketing Group are instructional in nature and our younger, more “artsy” video editors aren’t always feeling creatively stretched when doing these type of projects. But that is where our secret sauce lies. No matter how simple or straight forward, we always challenge our producers and editors to find something “sticky” or newsworthy to give EVERY video an extra push.  You can still find a way to include elements that break the mold, whether it’s through a new camera effect, animation graphic or by creating a special prop effect (see the football through the caption effect below).

Direct Sales is full of visionary enterprises that have turned ideas into movements. Compelling content, consistent branding, and engaging video are the best way to keep the movement rolling and your people energized.

Clark Diemer leads Diemer Marketing Group, a diverse group of marketing professionals striving for excellence in the quality of their service, while working to ensure the best results for their clients. Direct sales companies of various sizes rely on their expertise for video production, website development, CSR initiatives, video brochure development and other creative marketing solutions.

Learn more about Clark and the Diemer Group in this recent SCP Associate highlight. Be sure to also watch the sample videos provided.