If you haven’t started using video marketing as a consistent component of your campaigns, then you are likely behind your competitors. Thanks in large part to social media, video content consumption has been on the rise for several years and is now crucial to your paid campaigns. Not just ANY video either. Marketers, business owners and entrepreneurs are looking for new ways to engage their viewing audience with a variety of video tactics and are developing content that is tailor-made for their specific audience. Paired with a streamlined follow-up strategy, video is guiding customers right into the sales funnel and having a big impact on businesses’ return on investment (ROI).

An agency like Strategic Marketing will help you to finetune your video marketing strategy, backend logistics and creative development to make sure you are getting the best results from your content. Below are some things to consider when developing your video marketing strategy.

Creating Video Content

From interviews and explanation videos to webinars and entertainment, if you can think it – you can make it. Make one of every style if you want! Your video content should showcase your brand while being relevant to the viewer. The more you cater to your ideal audiences’ interests and needs, the more success you will find with your video strategy. Make sure to opt for “suitable” instead of “salesy.” Be mindful that your video brings something of value to the customer and is not just about your product or service. There is a time and place for every kind of video. From shaky behind-the-scenes clips to professionally shot drone footage, it’s about what you are evoking with your content. Here are some tips to get you started:

• Develop a library of clips that you can reuse and reorganize to keep your content fresh.
• Work with a professional to shoot quality footage worthy of your brand name.
• Tell a story – not a sales pitch.
• Choose the best thumbnail. This is the first thing people will see prior to ever clicking your video.
• Stay relevant and relatable to your ideal audience.
• Use people (if applicable). A smiling face can be the connection between the buyer and your product.
• Use “supers” to support your audio since many watch videos with the sound off.
• Research budget-friendly video software. You may be able to start with some simple clips.
• Above all, invest in your content as it will be inextricably tied to your brand identity.

Video Marketing Platforms

Not sure where to put up your new video marketing footage? Luckily, pretty much every platform offering advertising is set up for video. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and many others are beefing up their ad formats to include a variety of ways you can present your content. This is where it gets tricky. Each type of format is going to come with different costs, audiences, and responses. Campaigns have a myriad of targeting parameters and audience segments, which is great – if you know how to use it. Products and services are unique for each business and results can differ depending upon each variable. This is where working with a company like Strategic Marketing can help you to keep your campaigns straight, on budget and optimized for performance. An agency partner can help you to realize your campaign goals with a flawless execution.

If you don’t plan on using video in your paid campaigns, then posting video organically can generate some traffic as well. Post the video to your business Facebook page or YouTube channel and share the links in places where your customers would find it. Most of all, make sure you are leveraging video on your website where people can engage with your product right on the page.

Driving Leads Through Video Marketing

Success begins once you can translate your video views into revenue! By using targeted messaging and strong calls-to-action in your content, you can drive people to your website, product page, or sales funnel. The easier you can make the transition from video to sale for the viewer, the more results you can generate. For example, it is more likely for a viewer to hit a button under the video to navigate to your site than it is for them to type in your full URL into the search bar to find your product. Creating a frictionless sales funnel will help you to convert more people, faster. Make sure you are driving leads to precise pages relevant to what they watched and provide a clear path for them to follow. Busy pages full of links or pages that do not load are bound for failure! If you think you can improve, Strategic Marketing can help you develop clean sales funnels that maximize your ROI.

Creative Cohesiveness

Have a common thread across all of your marketing efforts. Simple branding elements can help you stay on track while creating your content. Make sure you stay within your color schemes, add your logo and stay consistent with your story. From there, the more places you put your video marketing content, the more chances it will be seen. And seen again. And seen some more. For example, tying video into your email campaigns can boost your open rates by 19%. Just add “video” to your subject line! By nature, marrying the different tactics increases the frequency a customer sees your ad while also cultivating a sense of brand consistency – an element perfected by the high-end brands with padded marketing budgets. Try your content across all of your marketing efforts. After the initial launch, you can see which platforms yielded the best results and you can finetune your strategy from there. Don’t be afraid to switch creative if it is not resonating with your audience the way you imagined!

The Results

Apart from creating your videos, the most important part you will need to do is monitor the performance of your new assets. The results you see from your content will tell you what to do next. Perhaps you need to switch creative, put your video on a different platform or maybe toggle some campaign settings to adjust who sees your ad. Robust reporting and thorough monitoring will help you to optimize your campaign to reach the highest ROI possible from your video marketing efforts. However, just tracking the campaign is a full-time job and you have a business to run! Working with a partner like Strategic Marketing can ensure that every aspect of your video marketing campaigns is being tracked and reported back to you with the appropriate suggestions for improvement.

Video marketing to online shoppers is perhaps your best chance to capture the attention of your audience. Although there are simple tactics you can incorporate into your marketing routine, your best bet would be to work with an agency partner who can help you develop your video marketing campaign from concept and creative to monitoring and reporting. Strategic Marketing has the technology, experience, and creative eye needed to help your business boost ROI through robust video marketing strategies. Get started with a free evaluation by filling out the form below.