Over 300 minutes of video content is uploaded on YouTube every minute and over 5 billion videos are watched every day on YouTube. What does that mean? It simply means that the demand for video content is all time high now. And with more creators going on YouTube, IGTV, Facebook Watch, Periscope, and other video streaming channels it is apparent that the Videos are the future. But, every video like every product out there doesn’t cut through the crowd. Hence, video marketing is necessary to make the video content reach its right audience.
In this post, we would understand what is video marketing and how to do it right.
Also, we will see how to use the technology to make your video content great and loved by the audience.
What is Video Marketing?
Using videos to promote or market your brand, product, or service is called video marketing.
Nowadays every strong marketing campaign incorporates video into the mix.
Customer testimonials, how-to videos, explainer videos, videos from live events, corporate training videos, entertainment videos, educational videos, etc., can be used for video marketing.
What are the Benefits of Video Marketing?
There are various benefits of video marketing over other forms of marketing like content marketing, social media marketing, etc.
Video marketing is complex than other forms of marketing. What it needs is a strong video marketing strategy for success.
Video has become very important on every platform and channel.
And it is evident from a large number of videos you see on your social media channels.
Let’s first see what the benefits of video marketing are:
Video Marketing is Good for SEO
YouTube is the second largest search engine, and being the part of Google it’s a big deal. If you search for any popular keyword you will see Google showing results from YouTube videos in the search result.
Hence, it is safe to say that videos can increase your search engine ranking, click-through rates, open rates, and conversions.
So that means a properly tagged video can work wonders for your SEO. But you have to reach your target audience.
And for that, you have to properly optimize your videos to get proper attention of the audience.
Video Increases Conversion Rates
According to a study, 57 percent of online consumers buy a product after watching a video demonstration of that product.
Take your own example, how you bought your last computer or maybe a smartphone – after watching a product video. Videos make help the customer make their purchase decisions.
Because, videos help them see the demo of the product, features, etc., in a couple of minutes.
Which is done in lesser time than the written content around that product.
Easy Accessibility
There are numerous platforms and channels for video marketing. YouTube, Vimeo, Periscope, IGTV, Facebook Watch, Twitter, LinkedIn, broadcast television, and many more.
The possibilities of video marketing are endless. With a smartphone, consumers can access online videos anytime, anywhere.
That means the chances of your consumers engaging with your brand are much higher.
However, the same is not true with traditional marketing.
It is evident that with video, you can reach your audience wherever they are in a very cost-effective way.
Video Marketing is More Effective than Content Marketing
The retention rate for audio-visual content is as high as 80 percent. Whereas it is 60 percent for visual and 50 percent for audio content.
Hence, combining visual and audio is a powerful way to market your product.
And with video marketing, your audience would have 80 percent retention about your product video. This would make the chances of them buying your product higher.
Video is Emotional
The video combined with great music makes a direct appeal to the emotional center of a person’s brain. With video, you can also attach a face to a concept.
The human brain connects to an audio-visual story much faster than reading it in text.
Just think how many stories you remember you have read and how many movies you remember you have watched.
And also watching audio-visual content is more entertaining than reading a text about the same thing.
Considering everything discussed so far, it is evident that video marketing is the thing you should consider in your entire marketing mix.
It’s no longer just one piece of your overall marketing plan.
It’s central to your outreach and campaign efforts, especially your social strategy.
But, there are millions of videos out there how would you cut through the noise.
Obviously, that would require a great video marketing strategy and well thought out series of video marketing campaigns.
Now let’s see how to develop a video marketing campaign to achieve your business goal.
How to Develop a Video Marketing Campaign?
Like every other marketing campaign, a video marketing campaign also needs market research, competitive analysis, and market insights.
Based on the gathered data the strategy for a video marketing campaign can be built. With the data insights, you can tailor your messages, visuals, music, audio, etc. to make a perfect video that your audience would love.
The most important thing in the video marketing strategy is to understand and determine what your audiences want to hear, see, and feel. What message you are trying to convey to them.
How well your message resonates with them. What is your call to action which you want your audience to take after viewing your video?
After creating a video marketing strategy and developing your message, you can make your vision come to life.
Make sure that the quality of your video is excellent because in video marketing “quality is key.” A well-made video is will rise to the top of the massive amounts of video available online today.
And a poorly made video would not get the required attention of the masses.
Also, you need to figure out what kind of video will work for you. In some cases, an animated explainer video is enough.
But, in some cases, you need to put a real face to the video content which appeals to your audience.
Let’s see which type of videos work for what.
There are many different types of videos that you can use to do your video marketing and achieve your business goal.
Types of Marketing Videos
Before starting to shoot the videos you first need to determine which type of video you want to create. The list below will help you determine the type of video you need for your purpose.
Demo Videos
Demo videos are made to show your audience how your product works. The product unboxing and putting it to the real work are the examples of demo videos.
For instance, you can see this video which explains how to set up a router.
Brand Videos
Brand videos are created as a part of a larger advertising campaign. It is to showcase the company’s high-level vision, mission, or products and services.
The brand videos build awareness around your company and attract your target audience. Here is an example of the brand video by SEAT Cars of Belgium.
Event Videos
If you’re hosting a conference, round table discussion, or another type of event you create a highlight reel to attract the right people to register for the event.
Such videos are called event videos. Here is an example of the event video which is of Astana Future Energy Expo 2017.
Expert Interviews
Interviewing experts and thought leaders in your industry and showing those videos to the audience is a great way to build trust and authority with your target audience.
Find the influencers in your industry and interview them. Ask them questions that your audience might want to know. Here is an example of the expert interview video.
Educational or How-To Videos
How-to videos also called instructional videos can be used to teach your audience about using your products.
These videos can be used in many other ways like how to shop on your website.
How to fix an error. Or how to use your product to make something, etc.
These videos can also be used by your sales and service teams as they work with customers.
These videos save a lot of time for the field executives in many cases, as the customers themselves fix things by watching these videos. Here is an example of a how-to video.
Explainer Videos
This type of video is to help the audience better understand why they need a certain product or service.
Mostly it is sort of storytelling with the problem in the center which the company’s product or service solves better than anything else. Here is an example of an explainer video.
Animated Videos
Animated videos are used to explain typically complex concepts that need strong visuals.
For instance, if you have to explain globalization or cause of global warming you can’t do that without inserting animation into the video. Here is an example of an animated video.
Case Study Videos
Case study videos are a great way to make the customer understand how you or your products have helped others having a similar problem for which your prospect is looking for a solution.
Here is an example of a case study video.
Customer Testimonial Videos
People need social proof to make their buying decisions for a product or service.
And customer testimonial videos are a great way to convince your prospective customers to buy your product.
One of the best ways to prove this is by recording the experiences of your satisfied, loyal customers.
These folks are your best brand advocates. Here is an example of a customer testimonial video.
Live Videos
This doesn’t need an explanation. Live videos are a great tool to directly interact with your audience on a public platform like YouTube Live or Facebook Live.
Live videos garner more engagement than the video on demand. That’s because the viewers can ask their questions, share their opinion, etc., right when the event or activity is going live.
I can’t give you a link for live video because by the time you would click on it, probably that event would have been ended. Though, you can go on YouTube or Facebook and just look for the little red text saying LIVE on the top of the screen.
There are several other types of videos like Augmented reality videos, virtual reality videos, 360° panoramic videos, personalized video messages, gaming videos, etc.
The Video Creation Process
It’s easy to pull out your phone and record a video of whatever you like.
But, would that appeal to your audience?
Would they engage with your video?
Think about that. Probably not, unless you’re a celebrity with a huge fan following.
Before you begin to record your video you need to think of the purpose of the video. Why do you want to create that video?
Unless you don’t have a clearly defined purpose for your video you might waste your time and efforts creating that video.
Because the video you created is aimless and is not going to help you or your audience in any way.
Hence, before creating a video you should be clear about its purpose, target audience, messaging, and call to action at the end of the video.
So, what you need to do is take a paper and pen and write down:
What buyer persona are you targeting?
This may be a segment of your brand’s typical buyer persona.
Which type of video you are going to create?
There are many types of videos as explained earlier. Hence, deciding the type of video you are going to create will help you keep many things in perspective.
For instance, if you are going to create a product demo video then you would need the product, accessories, camera, sound, editing software, etc., ready at the time of the shooting.
Similarly, in case you are going to create an animated explainer video then you might need a different setup.
What is the goal of the video?
Is it to educate customers about the new product? Or is it to increase brand awareness? What do you want your audience to do after watching the video?
For instance, signup for an offer, or buy a new product you have just launched.
Which Channels the Video Will Go Live?
Decide which channels on which your video will go live. Because every channel is different and probably you would have to repurpose your video for every channel.
For instance, you can’t share a 20 minutes video on twitter. Choose the channels and locations on your website where your audience will discover your video and watch it.
What is the Timeline for the Video?
Having a timeline for video production, editing, and making it go live will help you organize everything in time. And you would be able to release your video on time.
What’s the budget for the Video Creation?
Creating videos can be expensive because it requires a lot of different equipment, team, setup, etc. Hence, you should do your research and set a budget for the same.
What are Creative Requirements?
Now you need to decide and align the team, equipment, artists, video editors, or anything else you might need. Make a list of the same and organize everything well before you start shooting your video.
Is the script for the video ready?
The most important part of creating a video is scripting. Don’t forget to write the entire script of your video and read it many times before you start recording it.
Also, invite friends and colleagues to read and listen to the script. Take note of every suggestion they offer and try incorporating their suggestions to make your video better.
How will you measure success for the video?
You need to set parameters to measure the success of your video.
For instance, if your video is for brand awareness then the viewer count would be your primary parameter.
But, if your video is an explainer video then the primary parameter could be the number of sales.
Defining Your Goals and Analyzing Results
Now, let’s talk about metrics which you would need to analyze to measure the success of your video marketing.
Understanding these metrics will help you to define and measure your video marketing success and set your goals.
View count, of course, it the most important metric, but there are many other metrics that may be more relevant to your video marketing campaign.
Below are some popular metrics to measure the success of your video marketing.
View Count
View count is the number of times your video has been viewed. This metric is great to track if your goal is to just increase brand awareness.
Because more people watch your video more people would be aware of your brand.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that every video hosting platform has a different way to measure the view count.
For instance, on YouTube, a view is 30 seconds while on Facebook it is only 3 seconds. Hence, you should make your reports accordingly.
Play Rate
A Play rate is the percentage of people who played your video divided by the number of impressions it received.
This metric helps determine how relevant or appealing your video is to your audience.
If thousands of people see your video, but only a few of them play it, it’s probably time to optimize your video title or the thumbnail.
Social Sharing and Comments
Social shares and comments are good indicators of how relevant your content is with your target audience.
If a viewer watches your video and shares it with their network, you have created a great piece of content.
Because, your audience liked it, watched it, and share it.
Social shares are also significant because the more times your video is shared, the more it’ll be viewed.
Watch Time
You want people to watch your entire video, right? Watch time is the average time duration for which people watched your video.
For instance, if your video is of 300 seconds and 1000 people watched it, and the average duration of the video watch time is 290 seconds.
Then you have created a great video content because most of the people have watched it till the end.
This metric can be more reliable than view count when trying to determine your video’s success.
Completion Rate
The completion rate is the number of people who watched your video till the end divided by the number of people who played it.
The completion rate and other engagement metrics are a great way to gauge a viewer’s reaction to your video.
If you have a low completion rate then it’s a sign that your video content is not resonating with your target audience.
Click-through Rate
Click-through rate (CTR) is the number of times your call-to-action (CTA) is clicked divided by the number of times it’s viewed. CTR is a great indicator of how effective your video is at encouraging people to take your desired action. If your CTR is low, you might want to change the design or copy of your CTA to increase it.
Conversion Rate
Conversion rate is the number of times visitors completed your desired action divided by the number of clicks on your CTA.
If you have a low conversion rate on your video CTA then it is a sign that your audience needs more content to consume before making their decisions.
SEO Friendliness
You can’t keep advertising to promote your video for a long time. Because in the long run, it might not be viable to keep advertising.
Hence, you need to have your Video SEO right so that people whom it is meant for can discover it in search.
You can take tips from How to Make SEO Friendly Videos post.
This is another metric you can measure, how many people found, and watched your video organically.
Conclusion
The bottom line, overall strategy, and data should drive your video marketing strategy.
First, plan a solid strategy to develop video(s) for your purpose.
Outline the content and goals of the video. Determine what metrics will best determine your video marketing success.
Then, test, analyze, and repurpose your videos when necessary.
Put your efforts to make them more effective. Keep in mind that video marketing is an important part of your entire marketing mix.
