2020 has become a complicated year for business, yet it has stimulated salespeople to find new tools and services for branding promotions. The time is ripe for using all possible resources for building the perfect marketing strategy.
It isn’t new that brands can boost engagement with a well-thought-out video marketing strategy. But the point is, how can you use video content to boost engagement throughout the entire customer buying journey?
Why Video Content Marketing?
Why focus on video marketing? For the past several years, the volume of video content being created has been increasing dramatically thanks to platforms like Instagram and TikTok. As consumers are inundated by virtual reality, live streams, and interactive 360° videos, business professionals need to utilize these tools to enhance their marketing strategies. Even if you’ve never worked with video content, there’s never been a better time to get on the board.
Pros of Video Marketing:
- Attention grabbing
- Instant social shares
- Educational and entertaining content
- High conversion rates
93% of marketers claim video content has brought them new clients yet, despite the efficiency of video marketing, some companies still tend to discount it. When you start your video marketing strategy, it’s important to organize your business plan step-by-step, determine your goal and target audience, and choose the most effective tools. That is to say, determine the video types you want to use and figure out what tools and platforms you need to prioritize. Here are some questions you need to ask before you start building your content marketing plan.
Who is your Target Audience?
Creating videos ‘for everyone’ without defining your target audience is a slippery slope that leads to nowhere. If your targeting isn’t focused, you’ll end up reaching people who aren’t interested in your brand or product and they’ll likely leave without converting. While those who might be interested won’t even be exposed to your content.
When improving your audience targeting, it’s essential to use SEO tips and tricks and get to know tools like Google Analytics, which can help you find where your website fits and attract more customers.
What is your Goal?
Answering this question is as important as finding your target audience. If you want to attract new clients, you need to create engaging content that shows your product is worth buying and that your brand can be trusted. Another type of strategy is to entertain your audience and build a friendly atmosphere. Or your goal could be completely sales focused, which would mean focusing on discounts and special offers.
Whatever your goal is, it needs to be defined from the very beginning because it will dictate how your video marketing plan plays out.
How can you Encourage your Audience to Stay?
Selling a product is an important part of your branding campaign but not a crucial one. The best result comes from encouraging your customers to stay with you for the long-term and grow alongside your brand.
There are special tricks and tools to help you with this, but the main idea is to build a trust-based relationship with your audience and make sure they don’t get bored. Developing a product and making it better is the main point, but remember that ongoing communication with customers is always important.
Additionally, keep in mind that different marketing goals require different types of videos. No matter what business path you choose, it’s essential to keep your audience engaged. Here are some ideas on how to build your video marketing strategy.
7 Popular Types of Video Marketing
1. Instructional Videos
Instructional videos should answer users’ questions and explain how to solve their problem. Another way to use instructions is to teach viewers something new. With video guides, you can help the audience get to know the company, brand, or product better and stimulate them to buy.
First, prepare the instruction scenario: write the script and think about visual materials while using a screen recording to make your guide understandable. There are several instruction formats to choose from – ‘how to’ videos, testimonials, explanation videos, and more.
To help you out in creating instructional videos, here are some simple yet effective screen recording apps even beginners can use:
2. Virtual reality and 360° videos
The last couple of years has seen a surge in virtual reality and interactive 360° videos. 360-degree videos help customers explore a slice of the world from every angle. You can turn left and right to see every detail of your surroundings. This ability to ‘visit’ places from all over the world can be incredibly immersive – as if you really were sailing along the Norwegian fjords or stood on Cabo da Roca. There are even 360° excursions where a remote controlled person guides you around the Faroe Islands.
VR headsets make 360° experiences much more accessible. With virtual and augmented reality technologies, like the Oculus Rift, users can explore brand new worlds that expand their imagination. You can choose to go to the cyberpunk future or fight at a medieval tournament.
This kind of unique experience hooks users from the first pixel and sets your company apart from the competition. No doubt, the virtual reality sphere will continue to grow, so it’s a great time to jump to the bandwagon.
3. Instagram videos
Social media is ahead of the curve. We tend to think of Instagram as a unique platform you can use to increase customer’ engagement and . Today, the importance of a presence on Instagram cannot be stressed enough. Almost every brand has an Instagram profile, making it the perfect platform to make a pitch for your product and sell it.
- According to the statistics, 72% of users prefer to learn about a product or brand by watching videos.
- A study of the Quinty analytics tool shows that videos on Instagram receive 21% more interactions than still photos.
You can post almost anything on your Instagram feed: high-quality videos on brand history, advertising from your latest campaign, office brainstorming sessions, tips and tricks, or even previews for your YouTube channel.
One of the advantages of this platform is that viewers can like and share your post in a snap. Using hashtags and locations, as well as mentioning bloggers and experts in your posts, can help you get more customers. Remember, native advertising delivers 40% higher click-through rate than other paid promotions. So, if your brand is connected to popular topics like the fashion industry, beauty, and media, you need to include Instagram in your video marketing strategy.
4. Vlogs
A vlog (a video blog) enables you to establish a unique brand voice and deliver an immersive experience. This type of video can be an excellent introduction to your brand, as vlogging is one of the best formats to talk about your company culture.
Creating a vlog doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out process. You don’t need everything scripted from A to Z or an extensive production process and a professional camera to make this kind of video. Your smartphone can do the job.
A vlog can enhance your branding campaign and help you build a strong, trust-based relationship with your audience. You can give a tour of your office to share the company atmosphere, tell viewers about your working day, or even do a Q&A with the CEO. Your audience will meet your colleagues and team members and understand them as real people with personal experience, character, and interests (not just random no names from stock videos). If you need more themes for your vlogs, check this list of the top YouTube channels.
5. Behind-the-scenes videos
Behind-the-scenes or backstage videos can pull back the curtain on your company and draw viewers in. They’re also a great way to set your company apart from the crowd and attract new customers. This kind of format might include jokes, humorous moments, after-work events, and corporate parties. You can even attract new hires by showing your office live: let them see how awesome your company culture is and how well they’d fit in.
Backstage videos can also give a good understanding of your company’s working process, showing how the product is created from start to finish. The audience can sit in on team meetings and see how your colleagues interact with each other to show the work that goes into delivering your product or service.
6. Product videos
Product videos, like the name implies, tell your customers about a product. You can include information about your best sellers and show the audience the main features. The primary advantage of such videos is the ability to show how your product works. Whether it’s a short film about the brand or a demo video, the key is to show your product in action.
Product videos are perfect to put on a landing page, as they can give your audience a first look at a product. According to statistics, landing page videos increase conversion rates by over 80%. Experiment with formats and make a screencast, add a voiceover, and apply various effects to intrigue and engage viewers.
7. Webinars
Live videos and webinars aren’t new in content marketing, but they remain popular because they’re effective. People enjoy watching videos that provide valuable insights. When it comes to educating your viewers, giving advice, or organizing a panel discussion, webinars can be an essential part of your video content marketing strategy.
Webinars are also an excellent tool for inviting conversations with internet experts or thought leaders in your industry – promote them with paid ads and get viewers involved online. Your audience can ask questions after the discussion and feel a connection with your company.
As with instructional videos and how-tos, you will need to write a script or a plan for your webinar, especially if you’re hosting a Q&A session or providing a forum for discussion. Remember to keep your audience interested and don’t forget about informal communications that will hold viewers’ interest – anecdotes and jokes are great for this.
Using Video Marketing Effectively
Benefits of video marketing come to those who choose wisely. Keep in mind all the possible platforms and practices users might engage with while building your video content marketing strategy.
Additionally, don’t hesitate to experiment with and try new tools. Technology in this field is always advancing, so you can expect tools to get better as time goes on.
