For years marketing has been shifting from a broadcast model to an inbound model.

The internet and the power of search engines has put the locus of control in the customers’ hands. They are now free to decide if, when and how they interact with companies on the internet. As a response, companies have shifted their marketing efforts from sales pitches and spin to customer education and value-added content that establishes them as subject matter experts. This new approach has spawned a massive proliferation of web marketing content. As this trend continues, companies are noticing more and more competition and finding it harder to cut through the noise.

Last week, Brightcove sponsored a webinar series called Conversation to Conversion with Trip Kucera (Sr. Research Analyst at Aberdeen) and Steve Rotter (VP of Marketing, Brightcove) to discuss how video is playing a role in this new marketing world.

The webinar I attended (Lights, Camera, CAlls to Action: Taking Content Marketing Rich Media to the Next Level) was largely focused on findings from a recent study that compared the strategies and practices of content marketing leaders to companies straggling behind (followers). Leaders were defined as companies that required far fewer website visits and leads to convert a customer. This probably isn’t a news flash for most, but the first big reveal was that the content marketing leaders are using more video than the followers. But what else differentiated leaders from followers?

Here’s a quick summary of video best practices:

1. Not Just For New Content - They are looking at older content and transforming it into video content.

2. Video Channels - They are showcasing videos in the form of a video channel that exists on their website and not YouTube. Check out their Citrix website example. The views they are getting are no slouch.

3. High Production Values - They are recognizing that production value helps drive engagement! This really isn’t a shocker. No one likes to watch something that looks crappy.

4. Used In All Parts of Customer Lifecycle - This includes company/product awareness, customer conversion, customer nurturing, sales closing & post sales.

5. Featured On Home Pages - Traditional home pages with copy are taking a back seat to prominently displayed videos that create a strong first impression. This approach also helps shift a prospective customer from a fact finding mode to a listening mode.

6. Interactivity - They are integrating video into their entire website experience and making them interactive. Some widely used examples are clickable links (calls to action and others), email gates, and QR codes to launch the video on a mobile device.

7. Professional Grade Video Hosting - It’s all about controlling the user experience and that doesn’t real work with YouTube’s agenda. Specifics include video stream performance and quality, flawless integration with all types of devices, customization of video player, robust analytics and ability to add interactivity without any programming.

8. Emphasis On Mobile - Did you know that more iPhones are sold every minute than babies being born? Mobile is only going to get bigger. Leaders are factoring in website content strategies based on the assumption that many will be interacting through a mobile browser.

9. The Power of Story - one of the key advantages of video over other media is the ability to tell a story. Leaders in content marketing not only recognize this but capitalize on it. I couldn’t agree with them more.

So there you have it…that’s what the big boys are doing. How does your video strategy compare?