Video is becoming an increasingly important component when it comes to online marketing. If you’re not yet using video as part of your marketing strategy, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. This blog post will discuss the importance of video content and some tips for creating a successful video marketing strategy.
Video has a lot of options for conveying information to your consumers. Rather than relying on text-heavy instructions, product demos and process guides seem to work better in video format. Video marketing helps companies discover new customers while delivering entertainment that users can’t get anywhere else.
That makes it a win-win for all involved.
Why Prioritize Video in Your Marketing Strategy?
Some brands give too few resources to video marketing. Others may overlook video entirely, claiming it’s too expensive or ineffective. But these businesses are neglecting a crucial fact that’s impossible to ignore: Consumers are watching more videos online than ever before. Ignoring this is ignoring a massive chunk of potential customers.
Take a look at the numbers: Over 70% of customers say they’d prefer to learn about a product or service by watching a video. And in fact, 84% of them say watching a brand’s video was the determiner that convinced them to buy.
Video is potent in the digital product realm, too. Almost 80% of people said a video convinced them to buy or download a digital product.
But it goes much deeper than those numbers. Video lets you build a human connection with your audience that you sometimes can’t do with e-books and blog posts. A high-quality video establishes trust while giving you an engaging opportunity to demonstrate expertise and authenticity.
And when you hit the mark with video, people are more likely to share the connection. The reach of a single successful video can drive traffic, leads and revenues up far more effectively than other marketing strategies.
It’s probably why, over the last three years, the number of brands using video as a marketing tool has risen from 63% to 86%.
The Biggest Benefit of Video Marketing
There are many apparent reasons for investing in a sound video marketing strategy, but the most significant benefit you may not have considered is search engine optimization. SEO is the foundation of your entire digital marketing efforts. And while video content increases engagement and conversions, it also has a real impact on SEO.
Google’s search algorithms are looking for two things in content: quality and search relevance. To rank well, you need to create compelling content that meets the needs of the people searching for your targeted keywords.
These days, Google doesn’t only scan your website’s text content; it looks for other media types. If your website contains rich media and quality video content, it signals to Google’s algorithm that your site is robust and informative. And that means an immediate boost to SEO.
Another significant factor that Google’s algorithms pay attention to is the length of engagement — how long users stay on your site. If you’re pulling in traffic, but that traffic doesn’t stick around long, Google assumes your visitors don’t find your content valuable. And your search rankings suffer for it.
Video keeps people on your site longer than any other content type. They’re far more likely to check out a video clip than read your site’s blog post history. All the time your visitors spend watching videos delivers more SEO juice.
How To Create a Video Marketing Strategy
So, how does one get started with a video marketing strategy? It’s not easy, but it’s definitely worth your time and effort.
1. Determine Your Goals
Any new marketing effort begins with goals. Video is the same. It would help if you precisely determined your objective for your video marketing strategy.
Some brands put the majority of their advertising efforts into video. They might start with content for product pages and then expand their video production onto social platforms. Others may focus their efforts on social media alone. Figuring out where to start and what you want to focus on can help clarify your goals.
You also want to determine what part of your marketing funnel to focus on. In a perfect world, you’d want video content for every stage of your funnel. But you’ll want to determine which location is the most important to focus on in the early stages.
Here are a few example goals you might align your strategy toward:
- Creating brand awareness
- Increasing website traffic
- Improving SEO
- Improving online engagement
- Driving conversions
Focus on one or two goals to start with. Don’t try to create content that accomplishes everything all at once, or you’ll spread your efforts too thin.
2. Define Your Target Audience
No less important than determining your goals is defining your target audience. If you take the time to create a high-quality video without understanding its intended audience, there’s a good chance it won’t land. The people who should see it won’t, and those who do won’t traverse your funnel.
If your business has a marketing team, there’s a good chance they’ve already set up buyer personas. The people you want to buy your products or services are the same ones you want to reach with your videos. These personas can help define your video strategy’s target audience.
3. Figure Out Which Platforms To Use
When it comes to video, the web is crowded these days. From older platforms such as Facebook to newer ones like TikTok, the opportunities to engage your audience with video are plentiful.
If you already have a presence on one of the big social media platforms that support video, starting there is a good idea. Users on Facebook and Instagram spend a lot of time watching videos. And YouTube, being the second-biggest search engine globally, is a good idea.
If you’re beginning to build your marketing strategy and don’t yet have a presence, consult your marketing personas from the previous step. Ask yourself which platforms your target audience uses most, and then research to find data that supports your assumptions.
It’s also good to look at specific platform features to see the available formats. Understanding what each one offers in terms of video dimensions, quality and length can help you determine where your messages will likely resonate most.
4. Create Your Story
Every successful video starts with a strong story.
Figuring out the story you want to tell is often one of the most fun parts of a video marketing strategy. But it’s also the most difficult. The art of storytelling would be impossible to cover here, but a basic framework usually includes some form of the following elements:
- A protagonist, usually based on your target audience
- Goals and conflicts aligned with one of your customer’s pain points
- A journey or quest introducing your product or service
- Resolution to the conflict provided by your product or service
As you’re crafting your story, think about the emotion you want to leave the viewer with. Do you want to entertain or inspire them? Perhaps you want to leave them feeling curious. As you’re writing your script, consider these carefully. And be sure the message and the feeling align with your brand’s overall voice and tone. Consistency is key.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of your story. If you don’t have a natural storyteller on your marketing team, enlisting a freelance writer to help craft your narrative is a good idea.
5. Create a Content Production Plan
A good content-production plan will save you time and money in the long run. Whether you plan it with a flowchart or pen and paper, you need to know how your videos will be made.
There are several alternatives you can consider for content production and post-production. You can employ an agency or production company to do the heavy lifting, but that can get expensive. If you have team members capable of certain aspects of video production, enhancing them with freelancers is a good option.
One option is to make your video online. If you have a limited budget, there are free video editors you can research to see what makes sense for you to create a killer marketing video to meet your content goals.
If you’re planning to produce your video in-house, you’ll need to consider all the different processes and equipment necessary. These include:
- Acquiring props and other stage equipment
- Writing and editing the script
- Storyboarding the video
- Planning the filming process
- Editing the footage
- Adding special effects or animations
- Licensing music or images
Don’t let this list stop you from diving into video production if your resources are limited. Think about alternative video styles that are more efficient or affordable to produce. You could ask customers to send in user-generated content or testimonials. Or you could go the DIY route and ask your most passionate product expert to host a Q&A on Instagram Live. Record it and turn their responses into a promotional video. Users also love “behind the scenes” style footage, which works great if you can’t afford a dedicated studio space. As long as your storytelling is strong, your videos will resonate with viewers. Start small and build from there.
When your video is complete, don’t overlook the optimization process. Create compelling, keyword-rich titles and descriptions. You should also add closed captioning to every video. It’ll make your content more accessible for the hearing impaired, users scrolling with their phone in silent mode and search engine spiders alike.
6. Schedule and Promote Your Videos
Next, you’ll want to schedule and promote your videos. Share your new content prolifically. Use social media management tools to schedule releases during the best possible times. Get the word out on your shiny new content, so people start engaging and re-sharing.
7. Measure and Refine Your Strategy
The most essential part of any strategy is refinement. You won’t be able to determine how well a video performs until you look at the numbers. What are view counts, for example? How long have people been watching your videos? From the number of views, shares and likes and what people say in the comments, it’s crucial to take in this veiled feedback. From there, use it to refine your approach.
Native analytics, which tells you how each video fared, is available on all platforms. They’ll even tell you how many people watched the first three seconds of your video. The methods you used to evaluate success should be appropriate for the goals set in the beginning.
It’s also worth noting that older videos are sometimes consumed years later. With the right keywords and quality content, your audience can find value in your video content for many years down the road.
Best Practices for Video Marketing
It’s crucial to have a strong strategy before you start pumping time and money into producing costly video content.
Unfortunately, there’s an element of video marketing that doesn’t adhere to marketing personas and project management. The bottom line is that if you want a successful video marketing strategy, you need to make amazing videos.
It doesn’t matter if you’re whipping together videos in the back of your office or outsourcing production to a trendy agency. The focus should always be on quality. It should be big, bold and polished and tell a fantastic story.
The following best practices help you do precisely that.
Video Length: Short or Long?
Platforms like TikTok have a lot of marketers focused on creating short, enticing clips to grab viewers’ attention. And while this may work for some brands, you should always refer back to your original goals to lay the groundwork for your content.
For example, if the people you’re trying to reach are looking for in-depth content, you probably shouldn’t focus on 15-second videos, as your efforts will be wasted. But if you make rich, full-length videos that explain complex topics in rich detail, you’re making the right video for the right people.
Put simply, never let the platform dictate the content you create.
Keep It Simple
As a segue from complex and lengthy videos, it’s worth mentioning that keeping it simple whenever possible is the best bet. Unless you’re making investigative documentaries, opt for poppy and enticing over detailed and dense.
Even with in-depth explainers or how-to videos, the more you can simplify the content, the better. Remember, the idea is to engage. You can always fill out more complex topics with in-depth blog posts for people interested in the details.
A Call to Action
The call to action echoed across amateur and professional YouTube channels are the norm. As with written content, if you get your viewer to the end of the video, they like what you had to say. As such, they’re primed to take action.
But you need to nudge them a little.
A call to action can be as simple as a request to visit your website. Or you might offer a coupon code for one of your products and services. The gist here is that you always need one at the end of every video. Not doing so is a disservice to your brand and your viewers.
Boost Your Video Marketing With Crowd Content
Creating a winning video marketing strategy isn’t easy. It requires a lot of resources, multiple talented individuals and a good dose of creativity. But the benefits are well worth the time and effort of everyone involved.
As covered above, one of the most critical aspects of all video content is the script. If you want to create successful videos, you need an excellent storyteller on your team. If your brand is lacking in that department, Crowd Content can help. With access to thousands of professional and creative freelance writers, you can start building the next viral video campaign. Get in touch with us today to get started.
