If you are a business looking to tap into digital marketing then embrace video content – but don’t try making it yourself. That’s the advice of Dublin startup Estivus, which specialises in producing video content for companies.

Founded in 2017 by Mark Murphy (pictured), Estivus supplies promotional and social media videos, motion graphics, digital signage and live streaming services. Murphy counts Johnson & Johnson, Bank of Ireland and the Freshly Chopped healthy takeaway franchise among his customers.

Murphy also runs a web design and digital marketing agency called Juvo. Both businesses are based in the same office in the Digital Hub in Dublin 8, but operate separately.

“Around 90% of all web traffic these days is video,” says Murphy. “You can get 60 times more information into a short video than you can in a block of text and the engagement is 300% higher too. If you’re looking to expand your business through digital marketing, you’ll get 10 times the results if you include video as a part of the plan.”

Estivus’s most popular service is MyBusinessFinder, an online business directory where companies use video to pitch themselves. A 60-second video there costs €300, while longer and more premium video options cost €600. For these types of promotional videos, Murphy stresses that the key to success is short, concise and engaging messaging.

In Association with

“You get the best results when you know exactly what you want to say. For example, combine it with the announcement of a new service, some special offers, or a change in location. Competitions that request likes and comments can be an amazing boost for your business when you combine it with video.”

Biggest Mistake

The biggest mistake businesses make when dabbling in video marketing is thinking that they don’t need the help of others, Murphy adds. “Often, a company’s first attempt at video might be done entirely in-house and that’s where mistakes get made.

“Don't try doing video yourself if you've never done it before, and certainly don't listen your best friend’s uncle, whose daughter did a video course in transition year and reckons she can make a video for you.

“It pays to use people who know what they are doing. Having bad content on your page can be just as damaging to your business as having a bad review, and if it's the first thing people see when they click on your page, then you've potentially lost a customer out of the gate.”

Murphy predicts that businesses will increasingly turn to bespoke video promotions in a bid to be seen and validated on social media. “Social media is all about real people. You’ll see a lot more businesses expressing themselves in bespoke video, rather than stock-based content.

“With all of the competition out there, users just don’t have time to slow down and read about what makes you stand out. You have to show them and the most impactful way to do that is with engaging video that expresses the core of your brand.”