Video marketing has gained considerable traction in the last decade and for obvious reasons too. Like millions of other people, you and I love social media and engage with it on a regular basis. It has become such a normal and instinctive action to check your phone when you wake up and throughout the day. We want to know what is happening, and platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube give us seamless and immediate access to everything that is going on around us. Push notifications, social sharing, and pop-ups have positioned content in a way that is hard to avoid.
How does video marketing work? How can you up your game and start producing video content that goes viral? There’s really no secret sauce to it. All you need is a camera or mobile phone, some product/service/message that you want to promote, and have read our 7 tips below. These 7 actionable video marketing tips will break down all the fundamental things you need to know in order to be successful online. Take notes, grab a camera, and go make some great videos.
1. Tell a story
Consumers are cleverer than you think. We’ve become immune to the boring, time-wasting advertisements and seek real content that offers value. If there is no incentive behind watching the message, or the video fails to capture our attention, we simply skip it or switch to something better. A big part of effective video marketing is to tell a story. Put yourself in the boots of a movie director and piece together a video that flows like a film. Create a storyline, pick characters, have an underlying message, reach a climax, and be creative and bold.
Showcase emotion in your video. Research suggests people are psychologically affected by other people’s behavior and moods. The emotional states we see online triggers us to feel that way too. Take advantage of this. Use close-up shots of people crying, smiling or rejoicing to project an emotion that resonates with your product or service.
2. Capture attention
Research shows that our attention spans have dropped significantly. A successful video is one that quickly brings the story to life and hooks the viewer in from the first few seconds. Create a thumbnail that makes somebody scrolling through the results want to click on it. Lead with a powerful introduction that gives the viewer confidence that they’re about to watch something worthy of their time.
Some ways to capture attention are automaticity, framing, reputation, and reward.
- Sensory cues directly shift our attention. Using piercing sounds and bold colors can draw in the attention of the viewer. The response is automatic.
- Framing a particular subject or point in a way that is favorable with your target market makes them believe or agree with what is being portrayed. Use repetition to drill the message throughout the video.
- We trust the opinions and information of experts. When something is backed up by research from a university or professional, we seldom dismiss its credibility. A video can become more effective at convincing viewers to take action if it is endorsed by an expert, or if the source is credible.
- Finally, reward viewers for watching the video. What incentives do they want? Maybe your video explains or offers insights into a pain problem or shows solutions and tips on a related topic. Give away something for free, or offer them a discount code or invitation for having viewed the video.
3. Call to Action
What action do you hope your viewer will take after watching the clip? Do you wish for them to watch further videos, or subscribe? Would you like them to leave their contact details or even reach out to you for more information? Whatever your objective or goal it needs to be clearly defined and implemented within the video. It can be as simple as a button or link.
Whilst in the editing process, one can create a graphic or visual block that suggests an action the user should take. It can be a telephone number, a logo or website address. Another good suggestion would be to end the video with a full-screen call-to-action. It will be the last thing the viewer sees.
Additionally, include a link to your product or service in the video description on Facebook or Youtube, so people can get to your website by simply clicking on this URL. For Instagram, the description can prompt users to follow a link in your profile bio.
4. Pick your target market
Identify who your audience is. Who do you want watching this clip? Even the most vital pieces of content have a target market. Segment your audience into categories like age, gender, location, and language. Once you’ve figured out who it is that you wish to target, craft a video in their best interest.
You can also create multiple different variations of the video to target different segments. Different target markets have different tastes in content. What length of the video is right for your audience? What body language, background, and the story will resonate with your viewer?
5. Know your platforms
Different target markets have different preferences on which social media channels they use. We are all familiar with the most popular platforms, but there is an endless list of other social media channels that are popular or specialized with other users. Like Pinterest, for food and inspiration. Or Twitch, for eSports and gaming. When creating a video, keep in mind the channel you wish to promote it on. What video resolution size is preferred, what device will the user view the content on, and when is the best time to post it.
One study found that 85 percent of video views on Facebook is with the sound off. This means people are watching videos without any noise or sound to it. Therefore, you need to ensure that your content fits into this trend. Use beautiful visuals, text-heavy descriptions or subtitles to allow viewers to still benefit from your video regardless of sound is on or off.
6. Optimize for search
Great, you’ve put together a compelling video, using all of our tips above. Now it’s time to ensure that this piece of content gains as much exposure as possible through good marketing. How will people find it? And how do you plan to position it online? There is more video content available on platforms like Youtube and Instagram than ever before. Each day hundreds of thousands of hours of film is uploaded and viewed.
Be strategic about marketing your piece of content. What category or theme does the video fall into? What would somebody type into Google or Youtube in order to find it? Research the popular or common keywords or searches that a user might use in order to reach your video. Once you’ve built up and filtered down a list of the most relevant and high-volume keywords, it is time to place this in both your title and description.
This usually plays the biggest part in the video marketing process. Promoting your new content is not a once off or quick task to achieve. To ensure that your video reaches your desired audience you need to market it, ruthlessly. Now is the time to hit all the social platforms you have access to, and get the word out about the new video is live. Engage with others, both online and offline, and let them know where to find the video. Network with influencers in your niche and find ambassadors to spread the news. Consider using paid channels to promote the content. This can offer a more effective boost in people viewing the video. It can take longer than you realize for a video to gain popularity, but so long as you’ve followed the steps above, and remain positive and persistent, the results will come. Good luck.
