Why Video Marketing Worked for These 5 Brands

Are you viral? Did your video go viral yet? Are you so viral you’re border-lining on meme-status?

Video marketing isn’t about taking a company from unknown status to a viral overnight sensation. Instead, it’s about creating a series of branding videos to get the word out, create awareness, and get people excited about your message.

Truth is, nothing scales a business faster than video marketing. Literally, in 2019, people spent 84 minutes a day watching online videos. Mobile ads spiked five times higher and quicker than desktop. Websites with videos on their landing pages saw 800% higher conversions than those without.

Want real-world proof video marketing works? Here are five top brands that experienced incredible results and why:

1. L’Oréal

SproutVideo calls L’Oréal, “…the most watched beauty brand…” In 2016, it boasted 126 million online views for its videos. This level of engagement can be attributed to their inclusive marketing strategy appealing to and reaching more women, and more of their target demographic.

In addition, L’Oréal’s branding videos run the gamut. They deploy multiple, simultaneous campaigns with varying goals. And they’re great at broadcasting their philanthropic ventures. So socially, they’re on point.

Having lots of videos translates into lots of views. And their video content is evergreen, meaning it’ll always be viewed, accessed, and engaged with. L’Oréal’s marketing clout is undeniable. Their videos are creative and innovative. The company’s strategy is effective at underpinning its video marketing success and it shows in the metrics.

2. Lowe’s Home Improvement

Lowe’s appeals to millennial home improvement enthusiasts with a do-it-yourself TV series called “The Weekender.” Why millennials? Because millennials spend a whopping $2 trillion annually. Also, millennials are the first generation to have social media as children. They’re a social set. Lowe’s video marketing strategy is focused on their social media interests.

The company uses the show to tell the story of their brand. Authenticity matters. Arguably, it’s critical to any digital marketing strategy and to developing new and exciting content. “The Weekender,” for example, is filmed on site and in the real homes of real people. The idea is that every project is completed in a weekend.

Each video ends with a nice call-to-action for folks who need more in-depth help completing their home improvement project. Lowe’s reports great success with 3 million cumulative views. All told, viewers spent upward of 12 million minutes with the Lowe’s brand.

3. Airbnb

These guys have mastered the art of making viral-worthy branding videos for video marketing campaigns. They’ve recently taken to the 360-degree feature on Twitter and Facebook, respectively. Traditional in-home tours are now more engaging than before. Prospective customers can view the entirety of the space being offered without ever setting foot in the place.

They also love to feature videos created by their clients on their Facebook page as part of their video marketing. Basically, they get their clients to do their video-making work for them. They then take those and create targeted marketing campaigns. However, you can’t deny it’s authentic stuff!

Airbnb is all about the feels. They just love the warm and fuzzies. It’s their angle. And it seems to work just fine. Their “Welcome to Airbnb” video has more than 5 million views.

4. Red Bull

Red Bull grew wings and grabbed Facebook—and every other video platform, by the proverbial horns. It doesn’t stop there. They’ve nailed real-time video marketing with special branding videos. Theirs are made of a lovely mixture of extreme sports and real people doing what they love.

In fact, they completely upended their marketing plan despite the fact it was working just fine by internet standards. You may remember Red Bull sponsored Felix Baumgartner’s epic, supersonic freefall from 128,000 feet in 2012. They went from sponsoring the occasional hit to producing an ongoing stream of content. Views blew up. Engagements continue to skyrocket every day.

Does it work? Well, yeah! Red Bull’s Crashed Ice event went live and reached Facebook’s global audience, earning over 2 million visitors in the process. YouTube called it among the most shared branding videos on its platform.

5. Taco Bell

Taco Bell videos are being driven by Facebook, boasting 92% of video views directly from the platform. These branding videos are down-to-earth and take the viewer on a fun journey. Taco-centered posts get plenty of laughs. And laughs turn into likes, shares, and chatter.

Taco Bell’s relatively new to digital marketing, having only started with it in 2011. Today, their presence is internet-wide and they’ve become an inspiration to other brands.

Video marketing gives your brand social proof. Be it a cross-platform strategy or focusing on your target demographic. It’s taking over in a huge way. Today, an average of 100 million hours of video will be watched on Facebook alone.

All this to say: If these brands are doing it, what’s stopping you? Sure, these guys have huge budgets, but they also have one thing in common. They made branding videos an essential part of their digital marketing protocols.

Video is still very much alive. It beats with a heart like you do. Start right now. Include it in your marketing plan right away. And get an edge on your competition.

Learn from the giants. Experiment and take risks. But above all, keep working at it.