Creating a Successful Video Marketing Strategy

Visualization is a crucial component of any product or service strategy. Think about the last thing you bought online. You wouldn’t have bought it without seeing at least a photo first, right? Video marketing takes that visualization to the next level. Its sole purpose is to educate and market the product or service you are offering to your audience. If done right, the action you would like for your audience to take next as a result of your video marketing will be all but guaranteed.

So, what does it mean to do it right? Below, we walk through the components you should consider when forming your clear and compelling video marketing strategy before you even start filming.

Identify Your Audience

While it may seem simple, identifying your audience is one of the most, if not the most, important steps in designing your video marketing strategy. The people who watch your video are the people you want to purchase your product or service, so it is important to know who those people are or who you would like them to be. Jotting down some initial thoughts is a great way to get started.

From there, you might find developing audience or buyer personas beneficial. Personas are generalized representations of your ideal customers. While forming these personas, please spend some time thinking about the audience’s lives, personalities, and the problems they are trying to solve.

What types of attributes already make up this group if you have an existing client or consumer base? Which type of client or consumer might be missing that you would like to begin attracting, and what qualities separate them from the others?

This may sound daunting but know that it is OK to start small with just a few personas and add them to your list later. These personas will come in handy when you begin writing your content, so having too many might overwhelm that process.

Solidify Your Goals

When thinking about the goal of your video, a good way to get started is to think about the end of the process and work backward. What action would you like the audience to take once they have watched the video? How can the content and structure of the video drive them to hire you or buy your product?

The action itself is ultimately the goal, but precisely what that action is will drive the video’s purpose and direction, whether it be for brand awareness, higher sales, or a new product launch, as examples.

Aligning on and agreeing to the goal up front will cement a firm direction for the content of the video.

Time and Budget Considerations

There are likely going to be a few parameters that you need to consider as part of your video marketing strategy. Knowing the ideal length of your video will give you an idea of how much you can expect to spend. That spending should be in line with the budget you have allocated.

Since you have already set yourself up for success in identifying your audience and goals, creating a plan for your video’s length and total spend should be an easy next step that will save you valuable time and money during production.

When it comes to video length, a general rule of thumb is that shorter is better for keeping the message succinct and the consumer engaged. In fact, recent market research has indicated that the sweet spot for marketing videos is two minutes. Attention spans are short, and audiences want to consume content quickly and efficiently.

Keep your video focused on the goal and outcomes while maintaining your desired length will achieve maximum results.

Choosing the Right Platform

Knowing your video’s length and budget will help you determine the appropriate platform for hosting your content. There are many sites, such as YouTube, that will host your video for free with easy tools to help you link the video to your website or marketing materials.

Think back to the buyer personas you created earlier and ask yourself which platforms or sites your audience is most likely to visit when looking for videos. Knowing if your audience and platform are a match will help you maximize the traffic to your video.

Conduct research around the various sites that host videos, whether free or for a cost, and find the one that best matches your project and the goals you have outlined. In your research, consider factors such as whether advertisements will become a part of your video experience, as well as the quality of the video the site offers.

You may ultimately decide that the cost associated with sites outweighs the unwanted experience your audience may be subjected to with free sites.

Construct Your Messaging

Perhaps the most enjoyable part of creating a video marketing strategy is determining the messaging you will use to resonate with your audience. This is where your product or service will get to really shine! Once again, revisit your personas. Ask yourself what type of tone and messaging will speak best to your consumer and that they will identify with.

The outcome or goal of the video is also a key component of crafting the message. Knowing the call-to-action you expect of your audience will help you identify where they are in their journey with your product or service. Therefore the content you should include within the video to best educate them and steer them to that action.

For example, are you attracting a brand-new audience with your video or are you attempting to convert existing visitors into leads or purchasers? Remember, you may have a limited time frame to get the message to stick, so be intentional with the time you have. You can always consider multiple videos to suit various purposes or audiences.

Measuring the Success of Your Video Marketing Strategy

Before you begin production on your video, you should first assign metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) to the goals you have established earlier on in your process. This will ensure that you have a method to track the success of your hard work and whether you need to adjust your strategy or stay the course.

Many platforms available for hosting your video will have metrics built-in. However, it is essential to know what they offer upfront, as it may persuade you in your decision-making.

KPIs should reflect the audience’s behavior and whether they are acting and engaging with your product or service in the way you intend. Some metrics to consider:

• Total video views, or play rate
• Video completions and completion rate
• Click-through rate on your call to action
• Conversion rate, or how many visitors then complete the desired action

Putting It All Together

Putting together a well-thought-out video marketing strategy may seem time-consuming, but well worth the savings you will see in time, cost, and effort when you are ready for production.

Lastly, this process should be fun! Do not be afraid to try something, knowing you can always learn from it and try something else.

Unifage stands at the top of the Video Production Companies list in Orange County, California, with lots of experience in video production and marketing projects. Should you need our help, do not hesitate to contact us today!