Marketing With Video: The Definitive Guide Video marketing has become a popular way for entrepreneurs to advertise their products.
By Haseeb Tariq
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Video marketing is an effective tool that can help promote and sell any product. It's also a great way to build customer relationships in the digital age of communication. The best part is that you don't need much experience with video production or editing software to make videos happen — anyone can do it!
What is a video marketing strategy?
What do you want to accomplish with video marketing? Your goal can be something like increasing brand awareness, building customer relationships or generating new leads.
Figure out who your audience is and what messages you want to share with them. Identify a niche topic related to your business and develop content that helps people solve their problems. For example, if you're a fitness entrepreneur, create videos about things like "How To Lose Weight Fast" or "The Best Workout Routines."
Before you start filming, think about what story you want to tell. What do your customers care about? What type of content are they looking for online? Who is the video meant for (existing customer or someone who's just learning about your company)?
If it's a commercial video, consider including celebrity endorsements if possible — this can give viewers that "spark" and make them more inclined to buy from you. One well-known example includes Red Bull partnering with Felix Baumgartner in 2012: By jumping out of a space capsule into Earth's stratosphere wearing only his suit, Baumgartner shattered three world records — and Red Bull's brand awareness increased significantly as a result.
What is a video marketer?
If you are interested in video marketing, it's important to understand the difference between a videographer and a video marketer.
A videographer films your company's video content, while a video marketer is responsible for everything from creating compelling videos that resonate with viewers to figuring out how best to distribute them online so they get seen by as many people as possible.
Typically one person will do both jobs, but this depends on their skill set and where you plan on distributing the videos after filming them. If you want someone who can create engaging high-quality content and promote it efficiently, then look into hiring two separate individuals: one for photography and videography (usually an external contractor) and another person specifically for marketing/distribution (internal).
Related: Connecting With Your Target Audience Through Video
How do you know which kind of video to make?
You should create a video that fulfills your campaign's, audience's and style's needs. For example, if you're a shoe company, then create an instructional video on how to tie shoes.
Social videos are designed to showcase your company culture through employee interviews, walk-throughs of offices or manufacturing facilities, as well as behind-the-scenes footage from recent events like product launches. These videos may also include staff members giving sneak peeks into upcoming projects and new products in development — all while promoting teamwork ethics along the way.
Customer testimonials are great for showcasing how customers use a particular product or service as well as their satisfaction with it. If you want to show more than one person talking about something in-depth like how they use an app, make sure all participants are in the same room, rather than remotely participating over Skype.
Product demonstrations are often part of a larger campaign strategy that includes other formats, such as Connected TV commercials and social media campaigns. They can be very compelling if done right.
What is video SEO?
The video will be indexed in the search engine, and it is important that you have a captivating title for your video to encourage more people to watch it and subscribe to your channel. When uploading your video onto Youtube, make sure you use keywords related to your business or industry so that they are associated with the uploads on YouTube.
You can share videos on social media, such as Facebook or LinkedIn, to make it easier for viewers to find your video. You can even embed a video on your website using the YouTube plugin so that people who visit your site can easily view videos from any device they're browsing with (desktop, laptop, mobile phone).
Ranking for videos can be much easier than ranking for traditional text content, since videos are an easier and more entertaining way to consume information. Videos allow people the ability to view your product or service without having ever stepped foot in your store, which means you'll get new customers you might not have had otherwise. You should always be mindful of video SEO best practices if you want your company's videos to rank well with search engines like Google and Youtube so that anyone can find them when they're looking for what you sell online.
Related: 5 Reasons Businesses Should Focus on Creating Video Content
How do I distribute video content?
Understanding the difference between owned, earned and paid distribution channels can help you distribute your video content in a way that is advantageous for both brand awareness and conversion rates.
Each type of channel has its pros and cons, but combining all three will result in the best possible outcome: high visibility with great ROI. Distributing your videos on owned media properties like your website or social media accounts is important because it reaches visitors who have shown an interest by actively visiting those sites to see what's new there. These are also people who may be more likely to convert into customers after watching the video since they've already demonstrated engagement with your company's products or services. This usually means these viewers are at the top of the marketing funnel.
Media channels like blogs, news sites and social media channels are a good way to reach the middle of the marketing funnel. It's important to note that these videos should be created specifically for these different channels. For example, you wouldn't want your Facebook video cut into 15-second clips just so it can be posted on YouTube or LinkedIn.
Paid media is often overlooked as an option when distributing content because it costs money. However paying for distribution includes buying advertising spots on new networks like Snapchat and Tiktok, where there isn't yet competition from brands looking to share their own videos in those spaces, especially if they know how valuable this space will become over time. Also, consider paid placement fees with syndication partners who already have established audiences of other video creators and influencers who may want to share your video on their channels.
How do you measure the success of a video?
Video marketers measure success using views and if they get a lot of them it is a successful video. Some of the important KPIs to track is the view count, views per day or week, and impressions. Moreover, marketers should also track engagement metrics like Likes/Dislikes ratios, comments and retention.
These are more important than just getting a lot of views because it tells you how many people watched your video straight through to the end. The only way for this to happen is if they enjoy what they saw so make sure your videos have good content that reflects who you are as a brand or company.
So don't rely on viewing counts alone! There are other KPIs that can tell you if your video has been successful such as shares and reactions from viewers which include likes, dislikes, comments. Retention is another important metric to keep an eye on. You want your video viewers to watch the whole thing because this is what will encourage them to share and engage with it!
The growing popularity of video marketing presents a unique opportunity for your brand to reach out to its target audience, create awareness and use videos as a way to generate leads. By making quality videos and engaging with viewers on social media sites like Youtube, you will be able to effectively develop your brand over time. The possibilities are endless when it comes to video marketing so make sure you take advantage of this opportunity before your competitors do!
Related: How the Evolution of Video Content Will Influence Brand Visibility in 2021
