If your business hasn’t implemented a consistent video marketing strategy than you’re late to the party! Here’s what you need to catch up to the competition.
In 2019, a business cannot survive without an adequate video marketing strategy. It really is as simple as that. Ever larger phone screens, tablets and the decreasing price of mobile data all mean that we are consuming more video content than at any time in the past.
Everyone knows that Google is the world’s largest search engine. What do you think comes second? Yahoo? Bing?
Very few people realize that it is actually the video platform YouTube. The platform records 3 billion searches every single month.
If you aren’t taking advantage of this gigantic market, your business is fighting with one hand tied behind its back.
A video marketing strategy doesn’t have to be complex, or even overly expensive. If you’re interested in learning about how you can create a strategy to drive sales to your website, read on.
Video Marketing: What Do The Numbers Say?
At any one time, 1 in 2 internet users is watching a video. Think about that for a second.
Another important advantage of video marketing goes right to the heart of how we behave as humans. As a species, we are inherently able to absorb information better through visual stimulus than from other forms of communication.
If you’re not convinced, just know that your competition is. Last year, almost half of marketers surveyed stated that they included some form of visual media in between 91-10% of their project work.
The bottom line is that there is a huge market of people consuming video content, and they happen to absorb visual information very well. Hopefully, all of this will finally convince you of how important video marketing is.
Setting Objectives
One key consideration when it comes to your video marketing strategy is the reaction you would like to achieve from your audience. This may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people create content for the wrong reason.
Are you trying to raise awareness of your latest product or service? Do you want to give your customers a bit more information about your company and brand? Do you want to drive new customers to your newly re-launched website?
These are all objectives which lend themselves well to video marketing strategies. It is important to decide what the most important objective is. This will allow you to choose a style of video best suited to getting you the results you want.
How Does It Work?
Once you have set your objectives, you need to think about how to achieve them in reality. You can do this by including a Call To Action (CTA) in each of your videos.
A call to action does exactly what it says on the tin. It is a prompt given to viewers to encourage them to engage with your content.
There are all sorts of options for this, depending on what you hope to achieve.
You could ask viewers to sign up to your mailing list. Another great video marketing strategy is simply to ask them to subscribe to your YouTube channel.
This will allow you to tell your brand’s stories to a self-selected group of users who are really interested in what you have to say. This is hugely valuable for any brand. And it will only become a more powerful asset to have as the subscriber list grows in size.
Popular Types of Videos
A good question to ask yourself when you are creating video content is: “what would I like to see if I was looking for this product online?”
This simple question will allow you to keep your content relevant and engaging. It will also help you to take advantage of the most popular types of video content online.
There are all sorts of different ways that you can produce videos. The one you decide to use will depend on which objectives you have set for your campaign.
However, these are some of the most effective types that you can use:
- How-to: Showing viewers a new skill or technique is a mainstay of video marketing strategies and with good reason.
- Behind-the-scenes footage: Whether you are working in a fashion show or museum, people love to get a look behind the curtain. Record some footage to generate some interest.
- Interviews: Do you know an industry expert who would be willing to talk on camera? The more well-known they are, the better.
- Opinions: Has a major event stirred up the industry recently? Give the take of your company. That said, you must always be careful when giving opinions.
Keeping Track of Metrics
One of the best things about video marketing is that it provides you with all you need to know about how you can improve your content for the next time around.
This is because each video on your YouTube will be judged on a number of performance metrics that you will be able to analyze.
It’s easy to see viewer numbers, but YouTube provides other great information to you as well. You can see a breakdown of where your viewers are based. This allows you to adjust your strategy or content based on the local market or further afield.
You can dig down into the data even further. You can discover the average viewing time, and the CTR (click through rate) to your website, for example.
All of this allows you to create tweaks and adjustments to your video marketing strategy and really dial in the content to suit the needs of your audience.
The Power of Video
Video marketing is not a magic bullet. It will not automatically make your products or services fly off the shelves, or cause orders to suddenly stuck up to the ceiling.
That said, it is an extremely powerful marketing tool when used correctly. It can give you access to a loyal following who are loyal to your brand. Once this level of loyalty is established, the next step is converting them into repeat customers.
This is why video marketing is unique. It is also why you should consider making it central to any brand and marketing strategy you are running in the coming months.
If you’re interested in learning more about the power of YouTube, check out some of the other blog posts on this website, which go into more detail on the subject.