Video marketing has become one of the fastest-growing online marketing channels. Video audiences are only getting bigger and more engaged, with almost 70% of Internet users now accessing sites with video. With its high level of visual interest, video advertising is also extremely cost-effective. In addition, research shows that video ads are more likely to result in a purchase compared to other digital ads. With such strong growth and a compelling value proposition, it’s no wonder why so many businesses have jumped on the bandwagon and started implementing a video marketing strategy. However, before you can start filming your company’s beautiful videos, there are a few things you must keep in mind first. Read on to learn 12 essential tips for starting a successful video marketing strategy
Know your audience
Before you can plan the perfect video marketing strategy, you first need to know who you’re targeting. Who are your ideal customers and how can you reach them with the video? Take some time to analyze the interests and behaviors of the people visiting your website. What types of videos do they prefer? What do they search for most frequently? As you begin to answer these questions, you’ll better understand your target customer base. In turn, you’ll be able to identify their needs and improve your content to meet them. Once you have a better understanding of your audience, you can start creating content that speaks directly to their needs.
Be detailed
The more detailed your strategy is, the more likely it is to be successful. A video marketing strategy without a plan is like an architect building a house without a blueprint. It will be missing many important components. Without a blueprint, you won’t know where to start or how to finish your project. Similarly, a video strategy that isn’t detailed will be missing important components, such as the tone of voice, the target audience, the goals for the video, the length of the video, the timing of the video, and the frequency of the video. The more detailed your video marketing strategy is, the more likely it is to be successful. A video marketing strategy without a plan is like an architect building a house without a blueprint. It will be missing many important components. Without a blueprint, you won’t know where to start or how to finish your project. Similarly, a video strategy that isn’t detailed will be missing important components, such as the tone of voice, the target audience, the goals for the video, the length of the video, the timing of the video, and the frequency of the video.
Know what you want to achieve
Whatever goals you’re trying to achieve with your video marketing strategy, it’s important to make sure that you know exactly what you want to achieve. For example, if your goal is to increase brand awareness, how will you know if you’ve achieved it? If you don’t measure the impact of your video strategy, you won’t know if it’s working. To determine whether your video marketing strategy is effective, track your KPIs. Keep track of your revenue, leads, click-through rates, conversion rates, and other key metrics to determine whether your video strategy is improving your business metrics.
Build your brand
While your video marketing strategy may start with an enticing goal, it’s important to also build your brand. Whether you’re uploading your videos or using third-party content, be sure to include your brand name, logo, and tagline in all of your videos. This will not only increase the authority of your brand but also improve the overall quality of your videos. This will help build your brand, create a professional impression, and make your videos more engaging for your viewers.
Have a content strategy
As the hub of your video strategy, your content strategy determines the type of content you will use and the frequency at which you’ll publish new videos. Depending on your business, you can decide which content type will work best for you. For example, if you sell gadgets, then product reviews and tutorial videos are excellent content types for you. On the other hand, if you’re a lifestyle brand, then your content type could be FAQs, how-to videos, or lifestyle articles. When deciding on your content types, think about the different ways you can bring value to your audience. What are the types of content that your audience wants? What topics are they most interested in? Once you have a better idea of what your content types should be, it’s time to start filming!
Find your voice and stick to it
As with any marketing strategy, your videos will be more successful if you find your voice and stick to it. This means that you should aim to create videos that are consistent with your brand. If your videos are inconsistent with the brand tone, it will only confuse your viewers and make them feel uncomfortable. For example, if your brand is fun, then you shouldn’t be creating serious business videos; the two shouldn’t be mixed. These two types of content should be kept separate, which is why you need to find your voice and stick to it. On top of that, you also need to avoid creating videos that don’t fit your brand. For example, if your brand is fun and family-friendly, then it would be wrong to create videos promoting alcohol, drugs, or explicit content. These types of videos would not only be inappropriate but also against your brand.
Plan weekly updates and content drops
For the best results, it’s important to create content that is regularly updated and published. If you’re only publishing one type of content, then it could be seen as spam. However, if you publish content that is updated frequently, it won’t be viewed as spam and will be taken seriously by your audience. For example, if you publish blog posts, you can also publish them as video summaries. It’s important to publish both types of content, as the video format is extremely engaging and can be a great complement to the written content. You can also create content that is updated regularly. For example, you can create product reviews and how-to videos that are updated weekly or even daily. This will ensure that your content is always fresh and in-date for your audience. It will also help boost engagement levels for your videos, which is a great way to increase your brand authority.
Don’t forget offline marketing
As you begin to implement your video marketing strategy, don’t forget your offline marketing efforts. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, then you must bring your online marketing efforts offline. By doing this, you’ll be able to attract customers to your physical store and beyond.
Bottom line
Now that you know what you must do to start a successful video marketing strategy, it’s time to get to work. Before you can begin filming your videos, you must first have a solid content strategy in place. You must have a brand voice and a target audience in mind. Next, you will need to find high-quality video content that fits your brand. And lastly, you will need to optimize your videos for search engine results and bring them offline. With these tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to implementing a successful video marketing strategy.