You probably have been hearing about video marketing for a long time and understand that your business needs it. But do you have a strategy on how you should use it for your benefit? If the answer is no, it’s time that you learn. People have been consuming increasingly more video content every day, which is totally understandable – it is more efficient than reading, faster and so much more fun. Many people who have already abandoned Google, use YouTube instead to find answers to their questions.
Why recorded content is so popular
Let us explore why recorded content is so popular:
- It is more digestible. Many people perceive information in the form of a video better than plain text. Such information is also easier to remember, as it triggers visual and auditory memory by using images, sounds, colors, etc., besides text.
- It is versatile. There are ways of implementing video marketing for every business. For example, it is likely that your company sends a lot of emails. If so, you can try out video email marketing.
- It saves time. One can play a clip in the background and consume knowledge while going about your business.
- It diversifies your content. For example, if you are leading a blog, adding videos to it will help break up the monotonous text and communicate with your readers more efficiently. You can implement them as part of your design thinking.
If you still need proof, try recalling your own behavior online. If you do so you will likely agree that lately, videos tend to be more credible than articles. Read on and find out how you can use videos to create a successful marketing strategy.
What is video marketing?
In short, it implies promoting your business with video content. Videos are exceptionally useful to:
- Draw attention to the brand.
- Increase brand loyalty.
- Provide clients with helpful information.
- Offer dynamic easy-to-follow instructions, which are significantly more effective than those in form of photo or text.
- Help customers achieve your target goal (subscription, making a purchase, etc.).
In turn, using influencers to benefit your brand is a smart move, as people often respond better when a certain product or service is backed up by a figure they find authoritative.
Why your business needs influencer video marketing?
Most modern businesses operate and get clients online. Those who didn’t experience the power of a good recording yet don’t understand why they should bother shooting and promoting them. Here are some of the main reasons:
- High ROI: Return on investment is one of the main metrics in any business. It is most likely that only a couple of entrepreneurs are successfully developing video marketing in your niche today. It is a much newer marketing tool than posting photos or text, so you can get great results and attract customers at a much lower cost. Moreover, today one doesn’t need fancy equipment to film high-quality videos – a good smartphone will be enough, which brings production costs down significantly.
- More views: Everyone watches the videos nowadays, especially those featuring popular YouTubers and bloggers.
- Increased conversion: Clips are more convincing and make your company appear more credible. Since people usually buy from people/companies they trust, videos will help you build customer loyalty and as a result increase conversion. You can utilize it to the fullest and launch an educational video podcast that will help you provide useful information to your clients as well as build brand loyalty.
These are just a few reasons to start working on your video marketing strategy right away.
5 steps to developing effective video marketing strategy
So, now that we’ve established the importance of videos for marketing, let’s explore how one launches a successful video marketing strategy that will help them get more customer engagement, boost sales, contribute to their brand? Follow these 5 easy steps.
1. Understand who your audience is, set correct campaign goals, and choose influencers accordingly
All successful marketing campaigns start with research, which begins with determining the target audience. Once you establish that, research what type of content resonates with your audience, and which marketing channels it is most likely to be present on. Most importantly, determine what goals you are trying to achieve with your particular campaign. Are you trying to get attention, sales, traffic, or all of the above?
In order to capitalize on your videos, it is very important to take the time and gather consumer information before launching your video or enlisting the help of a specific influencer – it will help you understand which content your audience expects. Discovering and learning about your target audience is a crucial step in any marketing strategy.
2. Stay true to your brand across all marketing channels
You should share your videos on different platforms – YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc., but make sure to stick to your unique style and keep the design consistent on all platforms. This will help build cross-channel brand recognition.
3. Save your budget
Many marketers wrongfully assume that the more expensive the clip is the better and more abundant the audience’s response is going to be. Modern audiences, especially millennials, respond better to simpler and less “polished” content. Of course, you should strive to get high-quality video, but don’t waste your budget on expensive setups or ads with uber-popular influencers – you can advertise with local people that create content in your specific niche. Plan your budget smartly and invest sparingly. You can try basic video editing software and create your own budget-friendly videos in no time.
4. Optimize your video for each marketing channel
Depending on the marketing channel you choose to launch videos you need to make sure that they are optimized accordingly. If you are using Facebook, your videos should be short, you should upload them directly to your channel, and add captions. Note that YouTube will require you to wait two weeks after the video launch to make any changes and edit your target audience. In its turn, the TikTok clip will benefit from an optimized description. Enlist the help of different influencers on different platforms, as those who trend on YouTube, may be completely irrelevant on TikTok and vice versa.
5. Conduct testing
As you run your campaigns, A/B testing will help you determine which elements of your campaign are working and which are not. Maybe the issue is not with video visuals, but with your message, or the time of day that you launch your campaign at, or the channels you choose. Or maybe your videos are overly long or short. Whatever the case is, make sure to test repeatedly to determine optimal content and timing for your campaigns.
If uncertain – contact a professional
We understand that proper video marketing is tricky, this is why sometimes companies need professional help with their campaigns and other tasks, such as content writing. Previously, people could only rely on their own research, effort, and skills to get things done, but thankfully nowadays it is not the case. Presently we can get help with different tasks, including content creation and academic writing. If you need help with video marketing, you can enlist help of a skilled marketer.
Reaping the results
The importance of a competent video marketing strategy for brand promotion cannot be overemphasized. All the data that we analyzed today suggests that you can no longer ignore influencer video marketing as a tool for promoting your business. Today we looked into current trends, discovered the true value of videos, and can draw a conclusion that you should make video marketing a main focal point, as many other successful companies already did.