5 Steps to Creating Your Video Marketing Strategy
Strategy is a word thrown around a LOT these days when it comes to marketing, and for good reason. If a business wants to grow, thrive, and connect with a specific demographic, it can’t be without an intentional strategy. Ok, yes, some get lucky go “viral” in a stroke of tremendous luck, but let’s just stay grounded enough to not put all our eggs in that basket. Marketing strategy, specifically, Video Marketing Strategy is a forward-looking plan, designed by businesses or marketers, to create and leverage video content across various channels to achieve specific organizational objectives. This comprehensive approach is not just about producing random videos; it involves a series of deliberate actions, including identifying target audiences, setting clear objectives, choosing the right platforms for distribution, developing compelling messages, and measuring the effectiveness of video campaigns.
Why Video Marketing Strategy Is Important
Like any savvy business owner, you want to be certain you’re investing in the right efforts before you take the leap. Is it worth hiring a marketing strategist? What are the benefits of video vs. print? How will I measure success of a campaign? Well, let’s dive in and help get a handle on this.
Increased Engagement:
Videos are highly engaging content formats. They have the power to capture attention, evoke emotions, and drive viewer actions more effectively than text or images alone. Views alone aren’t enough- How you engage with likes, comments, and employ calls to action are as, if not more, important.
Improved SEO:
Search engines favor websites with video content. Including videos on your website can improve your SEO rankings, leading to increased visibility and organic traffic. A crucial note here: make sure your video is optimized for web so it doesn’t bog down your site.
Higher Conversion Rates:
Videos can significantly boost conversion rates. Whether it's explaining a product, showcasing customer testimonials, or demonstrating how a service works, videos help potential customers visualize the value proposition, encouraging them to take action. In order to track this, you’re going to need to employ some back-end tags on your website to see how many actions were connected to each video.
Enhanced Brand Recall:
Video content is more memorable than other content types. A well-crafted video can leave a lasting impression on viewers, enhancing brand recall and loyalty. There is nothing like a testimonial video or imagery of your exceptional work to evoke emotion, trust and help viewers to relate and become your most loyal customers.
Greater Accessibility:
With the proliferation of smartphones and high-speed internet, more people have access to video content than ever before. Videos can be consumed by a wide audience across different devices and platforms.
Versatility and Shareability:
Videos are versatile and can be repurposed across multiple platforms, including social media, websites, and email campaigns. They are also more likely to be shared, extending the reach of your brand message. There’s nothing like having others advertise for you by sharing your video with others. Word-of-mouth 2.0.
Competitive Advantage:
Utilizing a video marketing strategy can give businesses a competitive edge. It demonstrates a commitment to engaging with audiences in dynamic and innovative ways, setting you apart from competitors who may rely on more traditional content forms.
Getting Started on Your Video Marketing Strategy Outline
1. Define Your Goals and Target Audience
Start by defining what you want to achieve with your video marketing strategy. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, generate leads, educate your audience, or drive sales? Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals will guide your strategy and help measure (and celebrate) its success.
Identify who your target audience is. Understand their demographics, interests, challenges, and where they spend their time online. This information will shape the content of your videos, ensuring they resonate with your intended viewers.
2. Develop Your Message and Story
Your videos should tell a story that connects with your audience on an emotional level. Whether you're sharing customer testimonials, demonstrating how your product works, or telling your brand's story, the narrative should be engaging and align with your overall brand message.
Ensure your videos consistently reflect your brand's voice, style, and values. Consistency helps build trust and recognition among your audience, making your brand more memorable.
3. Choose the Right Platforms
Not all platforms are suitable for every type of video, or busines objective. Research where your target audience is most active—be it YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok—and tailor your content accordingly. If you’re a business primarily marketing to other businesses, you’ll want to prioritize LinkedIn, whereas if you’re a beauty retailer, TikTok is going to be clutch for sharing your content. Consider the video format preferences of each platform, such as shorter videos for Instagram stories or longer formats for YouTube.
4. Production Quality and Logistics
High production value can make a significant difference in how your brand is perceived. This doesn’t require a massive production. More importantly, it takes a videographer that is attuned to your business, your objectives and is masterful with crafting video and supporting you through pre-production to delivery.
If your budget is a concern, the best way to save is by doing the strategic groundwork and pre-production logistics. If you’re going it on your own, be sure to research how to set up the best shots, lighting and transitions. You’ll want to outline your production process, including scripting, shooting, editing, and publishing. Creating a content calendar to ensures consistent posting and to keeps your team on track.
5. Measure Success and Optimize
Use platform analytics to track the performance of your videos. While some video may get loads of views, it’s really engagement you’re after. Traction from video is much like a flywheel building momentum, and consistency is crucial.
Use the insights gained from your analytics to refine your approach. Test different types of content, posting schedules, and promotional tactics to continuously improve your video marketing strategy.
“ Online video is the Swiss army knife of internet marketing. It really can be used all over the customer lifecycle, whether it’s customer service, marketing, or even recruitment.”
Just Take The First Step
Focusing on the elements we’ve discussed and harnessing the power of high-quality video content, your business can exponentially increase meaningful connections with your audience, and drive measurable results. Read our article on the benefits of video content to help identify more ways to flesh out your plan and fine-tune your goals.
If you’re not ready to pay for a strategist to formulate your video marketing plan, it doesn’t mean you can’t do it yourself. In our Video Strategy Starter Guide, we offer a fillable template for you to get started. Just type “Strategy” in our Contact form and we’ll send you the guide for free.
