Video content makes it so much easier for you to connect with your customers. As part of a full marketing strategy, video helps boost engagement and showcase your products and services in ways static photos and text simply can’t accomplish. People want to see videos so they can learn more about your brand and the things you have to offer; this trend isn’t going to change any time soon. As a result, you need to get on the bandwagon and embrace all the benefits video content can bring to your business. After all, videos are simply more interactive and easier for people to enjoy when they don’t have time to sit down and read a 3,500-word blog post! The addition of video can increase leads and bolster sales.
With this in mind, let’s take a moment to dive into the inner workings of video content so you can learn the best ways to maximize your digital marketing efforts going forward.
1. Figure Out Which Metrics You Want to Track and How You’ll Measure Success
Before diving into production, it’s important to define your video goals and establish the metrics that will best help you realize if your content is succeeding.
You can always default to using the metrics accessible in the platforms you’re using; however, this can make it tough to determine if your video strategy is performing over time. It can also make it hard to measure how effective your multichannel video strategies are.
Instead, pick a few key performance indicators (KPIs) that are related to your video goals. This will help you track your video marketing strategies’ successes and opportunities.
2. Decide on Your Platforms
Each major social media platform offers its own form of video, so there’s a lot of real estate online you can use to incorporate video into your marketing strategy.
If you haven’t yet previously used video on any platform, start with the ones where you already have audiences established. Need a little help? Consider starting with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. Of course, you don’t have to do them all at once; start by dipping your toes into one or two until you get comfortable creating and posting video content.
3. Learn More About Your Customers’ Buying Journeys
Video keyword research lets you discover which phrases your target audience searches for when they’re on your website. Armed with this knowledge, you can better understand their buying journeys, the problems they’re trying to overcome, and the tasks they’re looking to complete.
That being said, marketers often create video content geared toward being entertaining but don’t overlook the value that can be delivered with informational content. How-to videos, product demonstrations, and comparisons can really elevate your game, no matter what industry you’re in. As you learn about your customers’ buying journeys, you can create content that speaks to the various pieces of the puzzle, ensuring you’re answering questions and providing information when it’s needed so you stay top-of-mind with your current and future customers.
4. Include Videos with Your Blog Posts
A lot of companies have blogs where written content is published for their audiences. This is a great starting point, but there are a lot of opportunities within a blog’s digital real estate. To be clear, if you’re reading this and can relate, don’t stop writing! Written content is very important to your audience and the search engines that ultimately decide where to rank your pages when people search for related terms. However, the individuals who visit your website have various needs and preferences. Some will enjoy sitting down to read your articles at the end of the day; others want to spend their time watching videos when they have a little downtime.
Giving users the ability to check out video versions of your blog posts can be a great way to create new traffic and keep customers engaged. In many instances, you can use the written version of your blog as the foundation for a video script. Consider adding bonus statistics, case studies, and examples that didn’t make it into your blogs as material for your videos.
5. Host Live Events
Live video events are super popular across every major social media platform. Users of these platforms love to have the opportunity to see the people behind the products and services they support.
You can use live events to grow your audience and enhance engagement throughout your marketing strategy. For instance, if you impacted someone via your live product demo, what are the next steps that person will take? Ideally, there’s a solid chance they’ll visit your website and maybe even subscribe to your newsletter or make their first purchase from your brand.
In this instance, one live video can produce a greater number of social media followers, email subscribers, and on-site traffic to your brand’s site. Sure, not every event will work like this, but it will happen more frequently than you may think.
If you’re looking for examples of live video events you might want to host, here are a few options:
- Ask Me Anything (AMA)
- Giveaway Results
- Product Demos
- Industry-Specific Guides
Try to hold at least one live event per month if you’re able. This cadence will help make sure you’re regularly connecting with new prospects while keeping your existing audience engaged.
6. Work With an Experienced Digital Marketing Agency
You don’t have to go it alone. An experienced digital marketing agency can help you put your ducks in a row, so you make the most of your video content efforts. Your chosen team will help you make a plan, produce content, and analyze the results of your posts, so you have solid insights into the posts you’re putting out into the universe.
