How to Improve Your Video Marketing
As a savvy marketer, you know that video is becoming increasingly essential to your digital marketing strategy. If you’re new to working with video, however, you’ll quickly find that it isn’t easy to create high-quality content that drives traffic, engages audiences, and converts leads. Take your video marketing to the next level by following these tips and avoiding mistakes.
Start With a Hook
No matter your industry, your audience is composed of busy people whose attention tends to be fleeting. Enticing them to watch your videos is tough enough, but encouraging them to stay and watch until the end can be a next-level challenge. For most brands, one of the easiest ways to improve video marketing is to add a hook within the first few seconds. A great hook that offers a glimpse of what’s to come or gives a solid reason to continue watching will improve your audience’s experience and your video’s results.
Make Every Second Count
When you produce videos, you’ll encounter an extensive list of reasons to make your content longer. Perhaps you want to improve your search engine optimization (SEO) or you want to leave ample space for more profitable third-party ad slots. While longer videos can certainly give your brand a boost in several areas, the extra minutes won’t make a difference if your viewers tune out when your videos begin to drag. Before publishing your content, make sure every second counts, and never pad your videos with unnecessary fluff.
Get the Right Tools
Image via Flickr by Mr.TinDC
You can build a successful video marketing strategy with a tiny or massive budget, but that doesn’t mean you can use any old equipment or software. You can start with a smartphone camera and a simple tripod on a small budget, or you can upgrade to a professional studio setup with a digital camera. No matter what you choose, invest in a microphone and a lighting setup that work for your budget. These basics will ensure good picture and sound quality, which both reflect positively on your brand.
Use a Script
If your marketing team has never been in front of the camera before, you might assume that it’s easy to produce natural-looking content without much pre-planning. In reality, believing this video marketing myth can lead to low-quality content that makes your brand look amateurish. Before you start filming, start with a basic script that helps keep your team on track and your audience engaged.
Add Value for Your Viewers
One of the most pervasive video marketing myths is that this format offers an opportunity for you to create salesy content that’s all about your brand. Rather than thinking of video marketing as a sales pitch, view it as an avenue for adding value at every stage of the buyer’s journey. Skip the hard sell and guide your audience through this journey instead. Answer your audience’s frequently asked questions, produce educational material, or showcase new ways to use your brand’s products or services.
Include a Call to Action
Even the best-looking videos can fall flat if your viewers don’t know what to do when they reach the end of the content. Rather than leaving them hanging, provide a call to action (CTA) that instructs your audience to subscribe to your channel, leave a question or comment, share the video, or follow a link to learn more about your brand or purchase a product. Always make sure your CTA is tailored to the type of buyer you’re targeting so you can effectively guide your viewers along the buyer’s journey from awareness to consideration to decision.
Incorporate Search Engine Optimization
Just like text and graphic content, video content should be an important component in your SEO strategy. Since search engines can’t yet decipher the dialogue or imagery in your videos, you’ll need to optimize titles, descriptions, and tags so that search engines can identify and feature your video content prominently. Take the time to do research and incorporate relevant generic and long-tail keywords to boost your SEO and ensure that viewers can find your work.
Reconsider Your Video Platform
When your brand takes its first steps into the realm of video marketing, one of the most important decisions you’ll need to make is which platform to use. Each offers a range of pros and cons, but committing to the right one for your brand will help you reach your audience and improve your metrics over time. Try YouTube for ample organic traffic and easy searching, Vimeo for ad-free viewing, or Facebook for a built-in social audience.
Share Your Videos
No matter how great your videos are, you can’t just publish them and hope they’ll magically reach your audience. Instead, you’ll need a distribution plan for your videos.
If you already have a large or dedicated social following, sharing your videos on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest is a great way to get them in front of your target audience, generate engagement, and drive shares. You can also embed your videos in high-quality blog posts and articles or share links to your videos with your email subscribers. Don’t hesitate to try all of the above to get an even greater return on your investment (ROI).
Track Your Results
You’ll never know how well your video marketing strategy performs if you don’t determine your ROI. No matter where you publish your videos or how you share your content, you can use the platform’s native analytics section to track your results. Depending on your goals, you may want to monitor video views, track likes and comments, or check click-through rates. Use metrics like average view times to identify what works best for your brand and what needs improvement. Finally, take what you’ve learned and apply it to make your next round of videos even better.
Video marketing is growing at breakneck speed, which means it’s a tool your brand can’t afford to ignore. Whether you’re new to video marketing or you want to take your expertise to the next level, these tips will help you expand your skills, improve your content, and produce better results.
Anna Sonnenberg is a digital marketer who specializes in paid social strategy, social media management, content strategy, and email marketing. For over five years, she has run Sonnenberg Media, a digital micro agency that works with small businesses in the natural food and beverage industry, health and sustainability market, and travel space.
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