iGB Affiliate 69 June/July | Page 51

I NSI GH T BUILD A WIN N I N G V ID E O ST RAT E G Y The opportunities offered by premium sporting events are huge, and they don’t come any bigger than the World Cup. Lee-Ann Johnstone explains how affiliates can best grab the attention of the increased traffic numbers the finals will bring BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, the World Cup will be well underway and affiliates will be clamouring to benefit from the traffic increase such a premium event brings. Video is one of the best visual mediums that you can use to rake in leads and gain higher exposure in social channels, all of which will be abuzz with sports talk. So how will you capitalise on this to ensure that your affiliate site and content strategy can benefit? Creating a video strategy that will win you commission is a good way to plan for the additional traffic uplift that the event will bring. WHY SHOULD YOU BOTHER WITH VIDEO? Quite simply because you can’t afford not to! When you consider these facts about video and how we humans interact with it, you’ll understand what I mean. The figures speak for themselves: they prove that if you’re not using video content both on and off your site to attract new customers, then you could be letting valuable traffic slip through your fingers. In a recent survey, HubSpot found that 54% of users wanted more video content from the brands that they interacted with online. The fact is, your target audience is essentially watching up to 1.5 hours of video a day. Moreover, faced with a choice of text or video, 72% of people will plump for video to learn about a promotion or service. These numbers are signif icant: they dictate that you really can’t ignore the power of visual over text when considering your site content and design updates. When it comes to improving your conversion rate, video marketing has a big impact. Studies have shown that 64% of users converted after watching a branded social media video. Videos also have a much higher reach on social media than ordinary posts. Furthermore, the medium can bring in 41% more customers from organic search and boost their interaction first time with your affiliate brand. The evidence is overwhelming: it shows that you really can’t ignore using video to get new customers engaged with your site and partner promotions. With almost two decades of digital marketing and affiliate experience gained within retail, payments and blue chip igaming brands, LEE-ANN JOHNSTO NE has a wealth of expertise as an award-winning digital marketing expert and business mentor. She is the creator of AffiliateFEST, founder of Best Odds Marketing, a strategic digital consultancy specialising in affiliate marketing, and in 2017 she launched Affiliate Insider, which offers affiliate bootcamps, business retreats, affiliate manager training and business development. iGB Affiliate Issue 69 JUN/JUL 2018 47