When it comes to business growth, financial professional marketing videos are a hot topic. The number of businesses using video as a marketing tool has increased by 41 percent since 2016, with 93 percent who use the medium calling it an important part of their marketing strategy.¹

This trend touches a wide variety of industries, including financial planning.

Why Should Financial Professionals Care About Video Marketing?

Video content consumption is increasing exponentially. People watch an average of 18 hours of online video per week—an astonishing seven-and-a-half hour increase from just three years ago.¹

This trend shows no signs of stopping. Cisco projects that by 2022, 82 percent of global internet traffic will come from streaming videos and downloads.²

Financial professionals should incorporate video into their firm’s marketing strategy to stay ahead of the trend and ensure that they’re connecting with their target audiences in a way that resonates.

Types of Financial Professional Marketing Videos: An Overview

“About Us” Videos

The relationship between financial professionals and their clients is inherently personal. Relationship-building efforts should begin the moment a prospect interacts with you—even if it’s through your website or content.

Creating an “About Us” video is a great way to bring your presence to your digital properties and engage prospects. In fact, 94 percent of people report watching a video to learn more about a product or service. Further, 69 percent say they’d prefer watching a short video to learn more about a product or service than other types of content.¹

Typically, an “About Us” video should speak to your value proposition. Provide a brief overview of what kind of work you do, who you serve, and maybe even a little bit about you on a personal level.

Embedding this video on your website’s home page or “About” page creates more opportunities for engagement and builds a stronger digital brand overall.

Explainer Videos

The explainer video is exactly what it sounds like—a video where you explain how to solve a problem that your target audience needs help with.

These videos come in many forms, from an informative animation to a more conversational style where you sit in front of a camera and talk to the audience.

Investing in these types of videos can pay off. Ninety-six percent of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.¹

While these videos can take some time to create, there are shortcuts to make production easier. One advisor utilizes blog posts as the jumping-off point for his videos, enriching the content on his website while appealing to his time-poor niche.

Short Videos

The short video is like the explainer, only significantly less lengthy—think anywhere between 15 seconds to 1 minute. This format is ideal for quick overviews, summaries, or commentaries on simple topics.

This format is especially successful on social media. Since the rise of TikTok, many social media platforms have released their own short video formats to compete—such as Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Snapchat Spotlights.

The short video can easily be filmed during your day. The more casual and authentic you are, the better engagement you’ll get. One advisor even leveraged short videos to build a large following on TikTok using this method.

Before jumping on the short video bandwagon, consider your audience. Short videos tend to appeal to younger audiences. Gen Z has been found to have an attention span of just 8 seconds—only a few seconds shorter than Millennials at approximately 12 seconds.³ Other demographics may have different video consumption habits that you should take into consideration.

Video Testimonials

The SEC’s changes to financial professional advertising regulations provide an opportunity to collect client testimonials. While written testimonials are powerful, video can bring your client experience to life.

Ideally, you want to interview a client that would connect with your target audience. In the video, they should describe how you helped them along on their financial journey and give prospects a peek into what it’s like to work with you.

Share the video in as many places as you can. Embed it on your website, incorporate it into your social media calendar, and send it as a follow-up after a conversation with a prospect.

Before creating a video testimonial, get familiar with the new SEC regulations and work closely with your compliance team.

Webinar Recordings

According to the eMoney ROI of Digital Marketing survey, webinars and events are one of the most effective client acquisition and retention tools.⁴

Considering their versatility, this isn’t surprising. Webinars can be used to attract prospects, providing an opportunity to get to know you and your brand. They can also help create a sticky client journey by bringing additional value to clients outside of your meetings.

But webinars don’t just provide value when they’re being hosted live. Once you’ve wrapped up a webinar, leverage the recording as its own content asset. You can embed it into a relevant blog post, offer it up as a piece of gated content, or even email it to clients who could benefit from learning more about the topic.

Premade Videos

If you don’t feel comfortable in front of a camera or simply don’t want to make videos from scratch, then utilizing premade videos could be the right option for you.

Many marketing automation tools contain libraries of premade content, including video, that are created with marketing best practices in mind.

Before committing to a tool like this, do your research and ensure that the tool caters specifically to financial professionals and the kind of services you offer. This will ensure that you’re getting the best possible library of premade content.

Always Measure and Improve

Video can be a great addition to any financial professional’s marketing strategy, but to get the most out of it, you need to measure performance and consider your target audience.

You may find that some types of videos resonate more with some people than others. Try different formats and distribution methods. Experiment and see what gives you the best results.

Learn more about how you can enhance your digital footprint by reading our Advisor’s Guide to Digital Content and Campaigns eBook.

Sources:

1. “The State of Video Marketing 2021.” Wyzowl, 2020. December 1. https://www.wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/.

2. “Cisco Annual Internet Report (2018–2023) White Paper.” Cisco, 2020. March 9. https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/executive-perspectives/annual-internet-report/white-paper-c11-741490.html.

3. Boger, Kris. “The Rise of Short-Form Video & the Gen Z Social Revolution.” The Internet Advertising Bureau (U.K.), 2020. October 20. https://www.iabuk.com/opinions/rise-short-form-video-gen-z-social-revolution.

4. 2021 eMoney ROI of Digital Marketing Survey, May 2021, n=188.

DISCLAIMER: The eMoney Advisor Blog is meant as an educational and informative resource for financial professionals and individuals alike. It is not meant to be, and should not be taken as financial, legal, tax or other professional advice. Those seeking professional advice may do so by consulting with a professional advisor. eMoney Advisor will not be liable for any actions you may take based on the content of this blog.

You may also be interested in...