5 Things To Consider Before Adding Video To Your Strategy

MarketingStrategy
Written By

By Ivie Ndep

Video is a powerful tool for engaging with your target audience. It is a powerful medium for storytelling and connecting with your audience. In 2019, video content accounted for 80 of all consumer internet traffic. Consumers use video to make decisions on what to buy - and who to buy from. Video can have a huge impact on your content marketing efforts. Don’t know how to get started? Here are 5 things to consider before adding video to your strategy.

DEVELOP YOUR CONTENT STRATEGY

Before you dive into video marketing, it is important to determine how video will fit into your content strategy. For this, you need clarity on your goals. What you are trying to achieve? Are you trying to build awareness, educate, drive sales, traffic, conversion, or get people to choose your brand over the competition? Script your first video in details based on your strategy to make it more effective. The basic structure for an effective marketing video is:

  • Opening statement: Grab the attention of your audience using humor, mystery, or even a sense of urgency

  • Problem statement: Highlight the problem the viewer might be facing

  • Solution: Show your audience how your product or service can solve the problem

  • Call to Action: Encourage your viewers to visit your website or purchase your product

Pro-Tip: The video you create should tie in with your overall business goals.

DECIDE ON WHAT KIND OF VIDEOS TO MAKE

The three main ways to make your audience care about your content are to:

  • Inspire them with stories they can relate to.

  • Educate them with useful information.

  • Entertain them.

Your video should be aimed at your target audience, their pain points, and your solutions for them. Decide on the overall style and tone of your video - tone is how you want to make your viewer feel while the style can be either informational, funny, entertaining, or educational. Use this information to determine what kind of video to make. Some different kinds of video to choose from are:

  • Educational videos: Teach your audience about your product or service.

  • How-To videos: Use to educate your audience on how to use your product or service.

  • Brand videos: Introduce yourself to your audience and create brand awareness.

  • Live videos: Live videos are great for boosting engagement. You can give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your brand, sneak peeks into events, or even Q&A sessions.

  • Testimonial videos: These help you build credibility. Personal feedback is very strong and impactful, so let customers talk about their experiences with your product or service.

  • Unboxing videos: This is great for showcasing a new product when it is launched.

BUDGET

Traditional video advertising can be very costly and if you are a small business you may not have the budget for a big production. However, don’t avoid adding video to your marketing strategy just because you can’t afford a big production. Advances in technology have made it easier to make high-quality videos even on a small budget. A phone (or DSLR video camera), tripod, backdrop, and a slew of great editing apps are really all that are needed to start executing your video strategy. Some highly recommended apps are:

  • Quik: Quik is for editing mobile videos quickly as the name implies and it is very user friendly. You can trim, rotate, add text overlays, title slides, themes, and cool effects. It enables you to make professional-looking videos with almost no effort.

  • iMovie: This app is great for beginners to start. You can use it to cut, crop, merge, edit, add music, text, graphics, and so much more. This app is widely used by YouTubers and Content Creators.

  • VivaVideo: This powerful video editor has great editing functions. You can trim, crop, add text, edit videos for YouTube, add music to videos, and so much more.

  • ShotCut: This is a cross platform video editor where you can trim, add filters and overlays, as well as import and export almost any file format. It has a steep learning curve but once you get the hang of it, it is a great software to use.

Pro-Tip:  Start small and increase your video budget as your business grows.

PLAN YOUR DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY

Plan a distribution strategy for your videos. Know what channels to use to drive traffic and get your content to your target audience. For example, YouTube and Instagram are great for product-based companies while LinkedIn works well for B2B. Think about the channel that aligns with your business. Questions to ask yourself when deciding on a distribution strategy are:

  • Where does your target audience hang out online?

  • Who or what are their go-to for daily content?

  • What do they share?

  • When do they spend time online?

DETERMINE YOUR METRICS FOR SUCCESS

Your plan should include how to measure the success of your video strategy in relation to your goals. Measuring and analyzing will help you make a bigger impact on your audience. Some important video metrics are:

  • Views

  • Likes

  • Shares

  • Comments

Incorporating video to your content strategy is a great way to connect with your audience, although, it is important to plan adequately before adding video to your strategy. It is important that marketers embrace the powerful marketing opportunity that videos provide. More and more people are consuming video content as it continues to grow increasingly popular worldwide.

Need help creating awesome videos for your brand? If you are not sure how to get started, contact us!

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