When it comes to your marketing plan, finding the balance between what works for your brand and the newest trends that capture the attention of target audiences can be challenging.
To meet this challenge, however, you’ll first need to determine which content marketing trends are here to stay and why
Enter video content marketing.
Evidence clearly shows that integrating video content into a successful marketing plan is one trend that is not only here to stay but is continuing to rise in importance.
In fact, since 2019, the use of video content has continued to increase by over 90%. It is exploding across all brands and platforms and now joins the rock star status already bestowed upon the high-quality written content you already use.
As demand continues to expand, proving that video was never a passing fad but a powerful medium for reaching today’s audiences, everyone from small companies to big brands is noticing.
Wherever you may be in your current use of video content, now is the time to learn how you can maximize its impact and achieve the results you want now rather than later.
The Rise of Video Marketing
You only have to spend a few minutes cruising around the web to realize the rise of video marketing is pervasive.
Currently, over 90% of organizations and brands are focusing on increasing or maintaining portions of their marketing budgets for video content planning and production.
That is to say, the majority of those already using some level of video marketing see its value and plan to increase its usage, striving to find new and different ways to include it.
In addition, tools for video creation have increased, making it easier for you to focus on creating your high-quality content in new ways. There is also a rise in professional and freelance video content creators who are ready to help.
Brands who delay adding or increasing video content to their marketing strategies risk being left behind with no way to catch up.
Why Video? Understanding Its Versatility and Reach
If you’re still not sure if you should incorporate more video content into your strategy, consider the benefits. It helps you define your voice and messaging, build new audiences, stand out from the competition, and grow your social media following.
Even more essential, however, is understanding video content’s versatility and reach.
The versatility of video is exciting, allowing your marketing team to boost their levels of creativity in determining how to use it for particular target audiences.
Use it to inform, educate, or entertain both existing and potential customers while also building a robust lead generation and conversion tool to reach higher goals.
With so many varieties available to you, you just need to decide what will most benefit your brand, product, or service. Will it be a stand-alone conversation with your audience, a series they can tune into at regular intervals, or an eye-catching tool on a social media platform, website, or blog? You get to decide.
Use them to market your products and services, build authority in your industry, promote a cause, and more.
As for reach, video content excels. With the right marketing strategy in place, engagement and social shares increase, exposing you to a wider audience as a result.
Creating a Solid Video Marketing Strategy
While creativity in video production is essential, it all starts with having the right video content marketing strategy in place.
To create a solid strategy, below is an outline of steps to incorporate.
Start with research
Identify the characteristics of each target audience, find out where they spend the majority of their time, and determine which one to target with every video you create. What draws them? Know as much as you can about each buyer persona.
Create a plan
Your plan needs to include a platform, budget, and timeline.
With each platform, you will need to determine what type of video content is most popular, along with other platform-specific characteristics. For example, identify sound and size limitations. Also, understand any promotion aids built into your selected platform.
Knowing these things ahead of time can narrow the possibilities for your video content and keep you within a set budget and timeline.
Identify the mood/emotion you wish to evoke
What kind of mood or emotion do you want your video and its messaging to evoke? Will it be bold, adventurous, confident, reassuring, or calm?
Review the available types of videos
Know what types of videos are available and determine which one(s) will work best for the focused target audience, platform, and emotional impact.
Consider tracking metrics
How will you measure the success of your video? What metrics are most important to you?
Types of Videos: From Demos to Brand Stories
To maximize your video content marketing strategy, go beyond sharing information on how to use your product or service.
The goal is to familiarize yourself with the types of videos you can create and consider ways to make them unique to your brand in order to maximize impact. Choose the best video types that make sense for your company, brand, product, or service, including one or more of the following:
Demos
Demos focus on showing your audience how your particular service or product works. If it is a physical product, such as a pan-coating substance, show them how to apply it to their own pans and also test the results. If you offer an online service or even software, walk them through what it offers.
How-to videos
How-to videos provide instructions on something new, such as how to use your product to solve a pain point. You can make it a tutorial of sorts, engaging them along the way and interspersing how your product is a solution.
You can also select a topic that in some way relates to your industry, brand, product, or service and create a tutorial to educate them further. For example, a seasoning or spice company can create a tutorial showing different ways customers can incorporate the product.
When it comes to this type of video, find ways to expand and share knowledge.
Explainer videos
Explainer videos delve into how your product or service solves a specific want, need, or pain point. It also helps your target audience understand how to use your product or service, such as this video, which shares how to get started with the Ninja® Nutri Blender.
Animated videos
Rising in popularity today are animated videos. Animation is a good format to express hard-to-grasp concepts or to explain something more abstract. These videos are also a way to engage and entertain your target audience.
Industry-related and thought-leadership videos
Showcase what is going on in your industry. Interview experts and thought leaders. By doing so, you can build authority and gain the trust of your audience.
Event-based videos
Share videos of events you are involved with, such as conferences, fundraisers, and more. These videos can be limited to a particular presentation or interview or video clips that speak to your audience.
Testimonial videos
Satisfied customers are your best advocates. Get them on camera describing their challenges and how your company helped solve them. Consumers today are much more persuaded by actual positive customer testimonials than sales techniques.
Short form videos
With short attention spans these days, consider the value of short-form videos. These videos usually range in length from 60 seconds to just over two minutes. Use one to announce a brand challenge, share a short customer testimonial, or provide an enticing preview or a teaser of something new to come.
360-degree and virtual reality videos
Virtual reality (VR) is another tool to use in your video marketing strategy. Offer a VR-type experience, such as with an immersive 360-degree video.
Interactive videos
Immerse your audience in an experience with the use of interactive videos. These video types make the experience more personal while also generating new leads, referrals, traffic, and conversions for you. Create online games, surveys, or quizzes in video format and amaze your viewers.
Brand stories
Use videos to showcase your brand’s mission or vision, creating a connection with those who want to think of the products they use as aligning with their own values. Share what makes your brand unique.
Mastering Video Production: From Script to Screen
Although you may already know what you want your video to accomplish, it takes precise planning for it to be truly effective.
To master video production, you need to consider each step, from the script to the screen, for the various types of videos you choose to include in your strategy.
Develop a script for your video.
Whichever type of video you choose to create, you will need to start by developing a script.
As the designated video content creator, start by outlining what you wish to include in the video. Next, draft the script, then seek input from those involved in the process. Continue to edit that script until you are satisfied. Tips to help include:
- Make sure all included language is clear, concise, and conversational.
- Avoid using complex words and sentences.
- Write in first person to connect on a personal level with audiences.
- Avoid jargon, cliches, and buzzwords unless you have a new way of presenting or using them.
- Time your script so you know how long your video will be.
- Rehearse your script and make finalized changes as warranted.
Determine how to record your video
Determine how you will record your video. Will it be in-house with your own studio set-up or with the use of an outside contractor? If you are doing it on your own, consider the equipment, software, and skills needed to create each type of video.
Select and prep location
If not an animated or interactive video, choose a location, which can be outdoors or in your own studio, and prep it before the camera rolls, including lighting.
Shoot your video
Finally, it is time to shoot the video. How this commences will depend on the type of video you are creating, such as whether it is with a narrator or is to be an animation.
This active step may take several tries, but stick with it. Shoot or create more than you need, and count on the editing process to whittle it down into just the right length and substance.
Make video edits
Edit the video one or more times. Share with stakeholders. This is the stage where you will add music, record a voice-over, and take other such actions to make it the best possible video for your audience.
Upload video to the screen
Now, it is finally time to upload your video to your chosen platform or channel. Be sure to add an enticing and SEO-enhanced headline and description.
Also, make sure you understand the requirements and best practices for your chosen platform or channel, including:
- File formats supported, such as MP4 or MOV
- Text guidelines, including for your enticing headline and description
- Eye-catching thumbnail image
- Closed caption and/or video transcript abilities and procedures
Choosing Platforms: Where to Showcase Your Videos
Fortunately, you have a variety of platforms on which to showcase your videos today. After researching the demographics and more of each platform during your planning stages, you should be clear on where to reach your target audience. Examples of popular video platforms include:
- YouTube
- TikTok
You will also want to consider the following:
- Owned channels: website, blog, email
- Paid channels: display ads, out-stream video ads, instream video ads, native advertising, sponsored content, and influencer marketing
Measuring Success: Metrics and Analytics in Video Marketing
During the planning stages for your video content, be sure to define the metrics that you will be tracking and measuring along the way. These might include any or all of the following:
- View Count: Video count provides you with the number of times users have seen your video. It provides a way to track reach and brand awareness boosts.
- Play Rate: Play rate gives you a percentage of viewers who played your video divided by impressions received. Use this information to determine how relevant and appealing your content is to the audience.
- Interaction Rates: Interaction, such as in social sharing and comments, can show you how well your videos resonate with your target audience and beyond.
- Video Completion Rate: The video completion rate is the number of consumers who actually watched your video to the end divided by the total of those who played it. If low, it may be that, at some point, your video may have failed to resonate with them.
- Click-Through Rate: The click-through rate is the number of times viewers click on the presented call to action divided by the number of video views. This metric is a helpful indicator of the effectiveness of your video in enticing viewers to take a preferred action.
Connecting With Your Audience: Personalization and Authenticity
Videos provide you with a unique opportunity to connect with your audience. You can boost this connection with the use of personalization and authenticity.
By personalizing your video content, such as through interactive surveys or games, you can continue the conversation. For example, you can respond individually with an email that includes personalized recommendations or a video recapping a relevant meeting or presentation that speaks to that particular participant.
Your video content can also speak to you or your brand’s authenticity, building trust and loyalty among your target audience.
Maximize the Impact of Video Content with the Help of WriterAccess
The success of your video content depends on the planning you put into it. By including your brand’s distinct voice and messaging, you can rise above the noise of the overcrowded online environment. Let a professional video content creator with WriterAccess help you create the script, titles, descriptions, and more for your videos so you can concentrate on how to put them together. Try our free 14-day trial today!
