Ahhh, the world of video marketing. Truly an animal of their own, videos have become a marketing tool that cannot be ignored.

Though traditional ads are still wildly lucrative and beneficial, video advertisements have become the most heavily digested form of marketing.

Take some statistics for example. According to Renderforest, users watch over 100 million hours of video content on Facebook alone every single day! That is huge. Throw Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and other social media platforms into the mix, and the numbers are probably mind blowing.

It is safe to say that if your brand isn’t taking advantage of video content, the time to begin is now.

Video marketing is no easy feat, but it’s not impossible. Let’s look at some of the things you should study and take into consideration before pressing record.

 

Set reasonable goals

First and foremost, you should set some goals.

If you are planning on producing video content for your brand, it is probably because you would like to achieve something. Perhaps you’d like to gain subscribers or website traffic, or maybe you’re hoping for an increase in sales. Whatever it is, be sure to map out your goals clearly.

If you don’t map out your goals, you have no way of knowing whether your video content is effective.

On top of simply mapping out goals, you must be sure that your goals are measurable. Creating measurable goals allows you to determine if your video ads are working or wasting your time. If you can determine this, you can tweak your approach as necessary.

Set goals that you are capable of reaching, and monitor your progress.

 

Map out your content

The most important part of your video marketing campaign is your content. What value do you plan to deliver to your audience?

Consider what you can offer your audience that will add value to their lives. What can you teach or show them? Are you able to help them in some way?

Rather than taking a sales approach, take an informative approach. Share the story of your brand and show how you help your community through your products or services. Use your products to teach your audience something new. Here are some ideas:

• How-To: Show your audience how they can use your products to do or achieve something. Do you operate a home goods e-commerce store? Show your audience how they can revamp their space in just five simple steps. Are you a makeup retailer? Give your audience a fun tutorial. The kicker here? Use your products in the how-to video. Introduce your goods in a way that provides the audience with great value while subtly advertising your brand.
• Behind the Brand: Give your audience a look into your brand! Show them who is behind the brand, what different team members do, or how your company operates. If you are a charitable organization, show your audience what your brand has done to help the community. Give them something that says “Hey, we’re more than just an e-commerce retailer.”
• Lifestyle Footage: Consumers love to picture products in their own lives. If someone cannot picture an item in their own life, they aren’t going to buy it. For this reason, give users lifestyle content. Take your products into the “wild” and give them a story. Are you a retailer of outdoor goods? Create a video that showcases one of your tents being used on a campsite or show someone hiking in a pair of your boots. Seeing your products in action allows customers to picture the items in their own lives, and this can be extremely valuable.

These are just a couple of ways that you can create content for your audience. No matter what you choose, be sure that what you provide is valuable. By offering value, your videos will be much more effective than if you just focus on selling.

 

Determine your approach

Your approach is extremely important for your brand.

Are you going to take a professional, educational approach, or are you going to sprinkle some humor and relatable content into your video?

No matter which approach you choose, be sure to use a method that is cohesive with your current brand image and marketing voice. If your current marketing efforts offer a humorous approach, you’ll want to stick with that. Give your audience what they’re used to.

Regardless of the approach you choose, you must be sure that your content is truly gripping. Most users click away after 10 seconds or less, so you need to figure out what you can do to grab their attention and compel them to keep watching.

Additionally, 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. This statistic makes your approach all the more important.

If I’m scrolling through my feed, I can’t stand for autoplay videos to scream at me in full volume, so I typically scroll with my sound off.

Since this seems to be the norm, you must be sure that your video can provide value without audio.

Use text and lots of great visuals to achieve this. Seeing something in action is much more exciting than seeing a person talking to the screen. If your video includes a lot of dialogue, transcribe it so that users can read what is happening without having to hear it.

Not only is this great for those 85% of users that watch videos without sound, but it is also awesome for the hearing impaired and makes your content that much more accessible.

 

Don’t forget about SEO

Once your content is completed and ready to be shared with the world, your work isn’t quite finished. After all, how useful is your content if nobody can find it?

You must remember to optimize your video for SEO.

Do a bit of research on your topic beforehand to gather some great keywords, and then implement them accordingly. Use them when you can in your title, description, and tags to make your content searchable.

If you aren’t sure where to find the right keywords to use, Google Keyword Planner is the perfect place to start. When you input your topic in the search bar, you’re presented with a huge list of related keywords. You can see the average monthly searches, level of competition, and more.

If you spend the time creating amazing content for your audience, they need to actually see it! Take advantage of this useful tool and optimize your videos so that they can be seen by as many people as possible.

When done right, video marketing is a fantastic tool

Video marketing has become the most popular form of advertising, and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. When you decide to take the jump with your brand, be sure to take these tips into consideration so that you can begin on the right foot.

Once you determine your goals, nail your content, and outline your approach, you will be ready to create awesome content for your audience. Remember, providing value is everything!

Sarah