Around 40 years ago, three little known British musicians penned the lyrics to Video Killed the Radio Star – a song inspired by the influence of technology, particularly video, which was on the verge of changing everything.
The song made history as the first video ever aired by MTV, yet almost half a century later it retains relevance for content marketers.
You see, video is changing everything today, or at least changing our marketing strategies – and 360 video marketing ideas are leading the way.
The age of video marketing
We know that video is one of the most effective types of content marketing and has experienced significant growth over the last year or so.
Hubspot says that 43% of people want to see more video content from marketers, with more than 51% of marketing professionals citing video as having the best ROI, compared to other types of content.
Video is where your audience is at, especially on social media – with Facebook users watching 100 million hours of video every day.
If you want to better engage your audience, you need to include video as part of your social media marketing strategy.
The rise of 360 videos
Incorporating video into your content marketing strategy is a great start but if you want to really make an impact, you should try 360 videos.
Last year we saw exponential growth in the use of 360 videos and VR technologies on social media.
With 360 cameras becoming more common and accessible, an increasing number of brands have turned to this type of video to give them a competitive edge.
An interesting study from Google found that while 360 videos aren’t as readily viewed as standard video content, its click-through rates are higher.
Google concluded that viewers may not always be in the mood for the interactive experience of 360 videos but when they are, they are more likely to engage with the brand, and take action.
At MavSocial we’ve watched this growing trend with interest, which is why we recently added the ability to publish 360 videos on Facebook via our platform.
How does Facebook 360 video work?
Publishing a Facebook 360 video starts with using a video camera capable of recording all 360 degrees of a scene simultaneously. A 360 camera seamlessly stitches together the shots of multiple cameras.
The resulting footage gives the audience the ability to turn the view in any direction and experience the scene as if they were actually there filming it themselves.
In short, when it comes to 360 videos, the user is truly in the driver’s seat, not the cameraperson – they get to decide their own experience – and us marketers know the power of personalized content.
When you publish your 360 videos to Facebook, your video will be marked with a 360 logo and feature navigational tools so the user can easily choose the perspective they want to see. You will also be able to set points of interest in your video.
On a desktop computer, users navigate using their cursor and on a mobile device, they can either drag with their finger or tilt their device.
So how do you make 360 videos work for your brand?
360 video marketing ideas
When planning your 360 video, you should consider what specific experience are you trying to give your audience that you can’t give them in other content formats.
Do you want the user to feel as if they are attending a live event?
Do you want your audience to be in awe of some amazing scene or landscape, like the Northern Lights video below?
Is your intent to give the user the chance to enjoy a thrilling experience that they’d never likely have in real life?
Perhaps you’d like to give the audience an exclusive behind-the-scenes view of your brand or business.
Here are some ideas to inspire your 360 videos.
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Showcase your brand
There are loads of ways you can bring your brand to life through 360 videos. This may involve a tour of your workplace, showing the life-cycle of your product, or highlighting a location associated with your brand.
The Belmont Farm Distillery gives a tour of its facility while sharing its brand story and interesting facts about how the products are made.
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Highlight a live event
If your brand is hosting or involved in an exclusive event, 360 videos can be used to give users the chance to feel they are actually there themselves.
NBC gave football fans a sneak peak of the stadium before the Super Bowl – something they’re unlikely to experience in real life.
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Feature adventure
Not all of us are adrenaline-junkies but most of us are intrigued by extreme stunts, sports and action scenes.
Give some thought to how you could incorporate some form of adventure into your brand and feature it in a 360 video.
The below video from BMW remains one of the most popular 360 videos with 3.5 million views – and truly immerses the audience in the brand experience by putting them behind the wheel.
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Leave the chair
Many brands engage in some form of video blogging, but it usually involves sitting in a chair or standing stock still.
Why not vlog using 360 video? Move around during your video blog to highlight interesting locations or features around you.
Vlogger Casey Neistat, who has more than 8 million YouTube subscribers, gave a unique 360 view of the Oscar red carpet.
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Create a short film
One of the biggest content marketing trends is the move towards original and custom content.
360 videos provide an opportunity to create your own short films in an incredibly engaging way.
The West Ham football club in the UK gave a cinematic 360-degree treatment to a tribute to its old training ground and created the below short film.
Dive into 360 video
You can start engaging your audience with unique interactive experiences, and transform your content marketing strategy with MavSocial’s Facebook 360 video uploading and scheduling features. Sign up for a free MavSocial trial today.
