Video marketing is perhaps the biggest trend in advertising today. Businesses who don’t use video are falling behind rapidly, and it’ll be hard to keep up as the trend progresses.
Videos aren’t going away anytime soon, so perfecting your video marketing strategy is vital.
Here are a few tips to get your strategy just right.
Use the Right Tools
According to video expert Yael Klass, “You can’t pound a nail without a hammer, and you certainly can’t build an effective business strategy without the right video marketing tools.” He suggests using a variety of tools including:
- Promo.com
- AVS Video Editor
- ScreenFlow
- Snagit
- Vidyard
- Camtasia
- Headliner
- Audacity
Each tool you add to your box will have a specific use and can add another layer to your video to improve its effectiveness.
Speak to Your Audience
Let your videos take on a personality to which your audience can relate. Along with researching the needs, wants, and habits of your target audience, watch videos they’re watching. Adopt some of the styles you see in their favorite videos and add them to your stellar content to keep your audience engaged.
Leverage Social Proof
It shouldn’t surprise you anymore to learn that consumers are often turning to social media to influence their purchasing decisions. They ask questions, reach out to brands, and respond to geo-targeted advertisements.
Social proof in video form can take on many different forms, but it all boils down to satisfied customers sharing their experiences. You can share customer testimonial videos or use influencer videos to promote your products and services. Both can be highly effective for drawing in more customers.
Analyze Performance
The Digital Marketing Institute suggests measuring “multiple KPIs throughout the duration of your video campaign.” You’ll want to look at a variety of key performance indicators (KPI) including video engagement, rate of play, view count, click through, conversion rates, and social shares.
“These KPI reporting endeavors can be utilized across a variety of video campaigns, or optimized to streamline campaign creation for content creators,” the Institute continues. Use your performance metrics from multiple videos to determine what’s working well and what needs improvement.
Outline Your Content
It can feel daunting to step in front of the video camera, especially if you’re trying to wing it. Set yourself up for success by outlining your content ahead of time. This process can look similar to the way you would outline a blog post, but instead of writing, you’ll be presenting a video.
Remember that video content does not have to involve members of your team talking or acting. You can use PowerPoint presentations with voice overs, still picture slide shows, cartoons, a collection of memes, other non-copyrighted videos found on the internet, etc. Each type of video has its use and place and outlining what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it ahead of time can make all the difference.
Stay Relevant
Try to keep up with the trends. Don’t get caught up in trends that are passing away and focus on what’s coming up and how you can be at the head.
Anish Patel of TubularInsights.com stresses the importance of setting a strategy to keep your video content relevant at all times. He recommends using search engine optimization tactics and a focus on relevant topics in your industry to keep your content fresh and on point.
“It’s not enough simply create a video for your business; you need a strategy in place that will ensure you’re getting the most value as possible from your videos,” he states.
Seek Engagement
It’s challenging to consider engagement when you’re doing a video without a live audience, but it’s important. Think about whether or not the audience will find your content engaging—if it’s a relevant topic with plenty of examples and chances for self-reflection, they likely will.
Don’t forget about engaging your audience when you’re doing live video as well. In this case, your audience can actually participate, so let them. Acknowledge those who log on, read and respond to comments, ask questions, and use interactive video features to get them involved. Go back and respond to comments after the live has ended to acknowledge those who tuned in later.
In 2020, you can’t ignore the power of video content, and it’s time to curate a strategy that embraces the trends and evolves with what’s coming. This will set you up for years of success in the industry.