Top 3 Tips For How to Best Use Video in Your Marketing Strategy

Video content has grown in popularity over the last several years, and that growth shows no signs of slowing down. With so many brands finding success through video marketing, you’ve probably considered adding video to your business’s content marketing strategy.

Before you invest in video content for your business, make sure you have a strategy that is appealing to your audience and aligned with your goals. Here are a few tips for using video as part of your digital marketing strategy.

Tip 1 | Create Strategic Video Content

There are plenty of ways to promote your business through video, but how do you decide what type of video content is right for your business? Ultimately, your video content should suit your purpose, audience, and platform of choice. All of these factors will help to shape your video content, and there is quite a bit of overlap between these factors.

• What Is The Purpose Of This Video? Have some goals in mind for your video content, and use those to guide your creative process. Are you trying to spread the word about a new product or service, or share some helpful tips your customers would be interested in?
• Who Is Your Target Audience? Your video content won’t be effective if it doesn’t appeal to your audience. Make sure your content is relevant and valuable to your target audience, as well as appropriate for their current stage in the buying process. For example, if you’re trying to reach people who have never heard of your business, sales-heavy content will probably miss the mark. Instead, share helpful tips or other beneficial information.
• Where Are You Sharing Your Content? Knowing who you are trying to reach, and which platforms they typically use, will help you create a stronger video marketing strategy. You will also want to make sure you are optimizing your video content for the platform(s) you are sharing it on. Typically, videos on social media should be short but engaging, while content shared to your YouTube channel can be more in-depth.

Tip | When you are uploading your videos, make sure you are including written descriptions, tags, and relevant titles. By doing this, you can boost your SEO and help more users find your video content.

Tip 2 | Outline Your Video's Intent & Success

Creating high-quality video content can be a major commitment, both in terms of time and money. Make the most of your investment by creating strategic video content that is tailored to both your business’s goals and your audience’s interests. Here are a few things you should keep in mind as you develop your video marketing strategy:

• Be Compelling, Quickly. On social media, your target audience is scrolling through quickly. Make sure your video gives them a reason to stop scrolling, and does so quickly. You only have a few seconds to capture their attention and compel them to watch, so make sure your content is as concise as it is captivating.
• Put Stories Before Sales. When you’re promoting your brand with video content, you don’t want to be too promotional. This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s key if you want to be able to connect with customers in a way that drives action. Today’s consumers are being bombarded by sales pitches on a variety of platforms, and an overly-salesy message can be off-putting. Instead, create video content that puts your customers’ needs and interests first and tells a compelling story that is relevant to them.
• Add Value. Through video, you have a unique opportunity to share content that is engaging and informative. Use video content as a tool to educate and inspire your audience. Share valuable information about your products and services, or include a few tips and tricks your audience can use. If you’re willing to share something of value with your audience, they will be much more likely to give you their time and attention.

Tip 3 | Measure Your Success

Before you begin promoting your business using video content, you should also decide how you will measure performance based on your goals. There are a variety of different tools you can use to measure your video performance, which will vary depending on what platforms you are using. However, most platforms make it easy to monitor basic performance metrics such as views, shares, clicks to site, and more. Here are a few tips for determining which metrics matter most to you:

• If your goal is to increase brand awareness, you should focus more on the visibility of your video content. Keep an eye on metrics such as impressions, views, and the number of unique users you are reaching with your content.
• If you want to influence consideration, metrics such as the average amount of time spent watching your videos or average percentage of your video being viewed can help you gauge whether your content is resonating with your audience.
• If your goal is to drive action, you’ll want to focus on metrics such as clicks to your website, online sales, phone calls, or any other actions that matter to your business.

You may need to spend some time refining your video content before you start getting the results you want. Be ready and willing to make adjustments to your creative, or switch up your audience targeting, and keep a close eye on performance.

Video content can be an incredibly effective tool for marketing your business, but creating quality content can be a major undertaking. If you need help creating a mideo marketing strategy for your business, contact our team for a free Digital Marketing Plan.