Video marketing has quickly become one of the most popular forms of content marketing used today. According to Outbrain, 87% of marketers use video content and the numbers are continuing to rise. So what exactly do you need to know to create a successful video? Here’s what we recommend to do (and not to do!) to create your online video marketing strategy.
Four Video Marketing Do’s
Define Your Goals
In order to create an effective marketing video, you should first define your goals: Who is this video for? What do you want them to know? What story do you want to tell? And most importantly; what do you want to accomplish? Answering these questions will give you a better understanding of the content you’re going to deliver and the outcome you should expect after viewers watch the video.
Know Your Video Style
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The style of your marketing video should be chosen carefully keeping in mind the goals mentioned above. Three common styles of video marketing are explainer, storytelling, and customer testimonials. Explainer videos portray a typical customer problem and then proceed to explain how the problem can be solved using your company products or services. Storytelling videos take your audience on a journey about your company, your brand or your mission to differentiate you in your industry. Customer testimonial videos are used to show off or highlight the benefits provided by using your company as well as establishing credibility. Knowing the purpose of your video, your brand identity and who your audience is will help you to determine the best marketing video style for your company.
Use Metrics
The only way to know if your video is successful is to measure its performance. Collecting and measuring data on your video such as number of repeat views, average viewing time and drop-off rates will help you understand if your video is resonating with your audience. More importantly – did you gain new business from your video? This key data can then be used to find out what works or what doesn’t work within your video marketing strategy.
Have A CTA
When creating a marketing video you should have a call-to-action (CTA). After all, how can you accomplish your goal – whether it be a sale or otherwise – if the viewer doesn’t have a means of moving along in the process? Having a CTA such as ‘Learn more on our website’, “Give us a call for a free quote’, ‘Find us on Facebook’ or ‘To get started, fill out the form below’ are all quick yet efficient methods of guiding viewers to continue toward your goal. Do not leave your freshly enticed viewers wondering what to do next, give them a clear pathway to follow.
Four Video Marketing Dont’s
Just Post in One Place
You have invested a lot of time and effort into creating a marketing video for your company, so why have it in just one place? In addition to your company website, your video can also be shared on social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and, depending on the length, Instagram. You can also post the video on a dedicated landing page or even in your email marketing campaigns. Ensure you maximize your video’s reach by integrating it into several of your marketing initiatives.
Forget to Optimize for Search
We’re talking keywords people! Besides posting your video on multiple channels, your video should be accompanied by a robust description and relevant keywords in order to improve its rank in search engines like Google. Posting your video on Youtube also improves your ranking in Google search engines.
Make it Too Long
The length of your video may seem insignificant, but it actually has a huge impact on how well your video is received. According to Visible Measures, an internet video measurement software and service company, you lose about a third of your viewers in just 30 seconds, 45% of them by one minute, and almost 60% by two minutes. So in short – length DOES matter and plays an integral part in keeping the attention of your audience.
Be Boring
Not many people want to watch a video that puts them to sleep – or worse – makes them click out of your video. Product or service explanations are important, but not very compelling. Capture your audience’s attention by telling them a story and establishes their trust. Instead of just stating why your product or service is the best, why not explain it in a compelling way with perhaps a customer testimonial or even a fictitious (but realistic) scenario that demonstrates the value of your product/service? Keep it lively!
Need some help coming up with your own customized video marketing strategy? Get in touch with us at (216) 640-1316 | hello@morningcoffee.biz