Why Video and Direct Mail Make the Difference

Welcome to the Dove Direct Print and Marketing Blog. Today's post, "Why Video and Direct Mail Make the Difference," discusses the changes in consumer behavior concerning which social media and video platforms consumers prefer to watch and consume, including the brief attention span that drives them to scroll for more as quickly as possible.  Add to the mix direct mail marketing as the cornerstone that better ensures those consumers are directed to the video platforms, where the magic of increased engagement lies.

First, let's start at the video platform level. There are significant changes regarding how and where consumers watch videos.  Over the past few years, video targeting for Millennials and Gen-Z demonstrate a consistent increase in usage with new platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.  That said, it's critical to understand that while the platforms are making headway into video viewing statistics, recent data suggests that not everyone is using TikTok and Instagram as their primary video sources.  A quick survey of consumers indicates that most respondents watch videos on YouTube.  That result should not be surprising in the least, as YouTube and Facebook have sufficient eyeballs to develop substantial video viewing audiences over all other social media platforms.

Our Quote of the Day: 
"Business decision makers LOVE online video because it gives them the most amount of information in the shortest amount of time." – Robert Weis




Top Social Media Video Platforms

Researchers asked the question, "On which local media platform do you most commonly watch video?" the following five platforms dominated the answer:

1. YouTube - 35%
2. Facebook -25%
3. TikTok - 19%
4. Instagram - 8%
5. Other - 13%

   
   

The remaining social media video platforms lag with single digits, including Twitter coming in at 2%, 1% each for Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and several others that hold a 6% cumulative ranking.  Now, just because TikTok and Instagram ranked third and fourth, respectively, does not necessarily mean that marketing strategies should make moves to accommodate more dollars to those platforms at the expense of investing less in YouTube or Facebook.  Instead, marketers should view TikTok and Instagram as critical content destinations in the coming years. 
 


You may ask how those video viewing numbers break out by sector; however, there is no clear industry breakdown for video.  However, a report from Networked Insights states that technology, automotive, and fashion industries fair best on YouTube.  Nevertheless, brands should keep in mind that all industries are buying into the video marketing content strategy.


Combating the Scroll Syndrome



Thanks in part to the effects of the pandemic, and most notably the lockdowns of 2020, consumer behavior has shifted.  Consumers are looking to recover or make up for all that was lost the previous year.  As a result, users are now watching videos wherever and whenever they can find a moment.  Video watching is happening in grocery store lines, at sporting events, dining out at a restaurant, during an Uber ride, or while waiting in line for pretty much anything, as the list goes on.  It's a voracious appetite that intelligent marketers will feed.

To be clear, the world will not slow down, waiting for folks to catch up.  The reverse is happening.  The faster communication delivery pace exacerbates how long folks are content to watch or read marketing content. Despite folks having time to view hours of video content, the scale of what's available culminates in the impetus to scroll for additional content immediately after any video begins.  This point drives home a critical factor.  The shorter the video, the more likely people will view it.  In other words, shorter videos can deliver more punch for the incessant, must have now, viewer demand.

Remember the video platform Vine, which at one time was all the rage.  Vine coined the phrase "snack-bites" to effectively promote the six-second video platform?  Interestingly enough, and based on data, an emerging social media video strategy suggests that marketers should focus on mastering the art of "snackable" or super short-video form content in 2021.   Marketers and brands that take the leap and use snackable videos will benefit significantly by capturing viewers who want to watch snackable content.

Meisha Bochicchio, Content Marketing Manager at Wistia, states, "Using snackable videos on social can actually drive more engagement than static images.  In addition, a recent study discovered that 60% of marketers reported more clicks from video posts when compared to static images."



The Direct Mail Marketing Companion

The American Marketing Association (AMA) reports that direct mail marketing has been rising during the past several years. Direct mail marketing is now the leading marketing medium for trustworthiness and leads the pack for response and engagement rates. Why?

Direct mail marketing incorporates VDP technology, which is short for variable digital printing or variable data printing.  VDP technology offers an extensive scope of variables when it comes to personalization.  VDP includes various data points that can be merged and created to make up an extensive compilation of demographic and psychographic markers, serving the marketing team or brand with a unique, comprehensive target list.

Direct mail marketing also provides the recipients with a direct link to any online digital destination, including QR codes embedded in the direct mail piece.  The beauty of direct mail marketing is that there are limited distractions when a recipient can read the piece in the comfort of their dwelling or business locale.  There is no online competing content, unlimited refreshes, or the desire to scroll to the next content engagement item.  In that sense, direct mail marketing can be viewed as video content's best friend.


The Net-Net



There is much more data concerning video, from content creation, video length, placement, social media viewing platforms, and of course, the primary target market.  In 2020, the public viewed more than 20 billion hours of video!  As more and more video content becomes available, marketers should focus on using video marketing campaigns to attract more viewers.  Given the amount of fake news and content, direct mail marketing can be the game-changer for attracting and engaging more viewers.  Lastly, print's VDP technology provides a higher level of personalization, which shores up the ability to deliver higher response and engagement rates.  We hope you found value in this article, and thanks for reading "Why Video and Direct Mail Make the Difference!"

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