How to Get Started in Video Marketing
Whether you’re a small business or a major company, video marketing can be intimidating when it’s a new frontier. Videos are a powerful tool — they can capture customers’ attention and make a big impact, but they are also a considerable investment of time, energy, and resources. If your company is ready to make the leap and integrate videos into your marketing strategy, you need to know where to start, and this guide will tell you everything you need to know.
Figure Out Who Your Audience Is
The first step to establishing a successful video marketing campaign is determining who your intended audience is. Are you trying to reach new customers? Retain the business of existing clientele? Or are you aiming to make a general brand impression? To identify your audience, consider these factors:
- Where the video will be published
- What tone the video will have
- What the purpose of the video is
These questions will help you get a better idea of who might be watching — and who you want to have watching — your videos.
Decide What Topics to Cover
Deciding what topics to cover is almost as important as identifying your audience. You might envision a video marketing campaign centered around how to use each of your products, or you might decide to make humorous videos where products are featured in passing — this can be equally effective! Brainstorm what topics your audience will be most interested in learning about and what is most likely to keep their attention.
Set a Goal for Each Video
Setting goals is important for your video marketing campaign. You need metrics to determine whether your efforts are successful, and with no defined goals, you have no way to establish this. Some of the goals you can set for each video include:
- Minimum number of viewers
- Certain level of engagement
- Shares across social media platforms
- Likes and subscribes from viewers
These metrics are not the be-all-end-all when it comes to measuring success, but they can serve as a good baseline for establishing your goals. They can also help you strategize plans for improvement as your audience grows.
Invest in Your Videography Skills
Too many burgeoning video marketing campaigns fall prey to mediocre videography. If you are brand new to creating video content, consider hiring a professional videographer to start your campaign and establish your content. Good videography will have effective angles, clear shots, and technical skill. Ineffective videography will be shaky, inconsistently focused, and choppy. Your viewers will be able to tell the difference, and amateur footage won’t keep their attention. Spring for a pro or work on establishing basic videography skills before you attempt to roll out your marketing campaign.
Harness the Power of Effective Editing
Of course, videography skill isn’t the only factor that determines the quality of your final product. Perhaps just as important is the editing that happens after a video is shot. Cutting out errors, creating smooth transitions, and optimizing audio are just a few of the skills of a good video editor. If you don’t possess these skills, investing in a professional editor will make all the difference. Effective editing can make a good video great — and that keeps viewers’ attention.
Relate Videos to Your Brand and Business
The last and most important tip for establishing your video marketing campaign is to relate all of your content to your brand and business. Viewers can watch a ten minute video about one of your products, but if you do not consistently reinforce your company’s brand, it may still fail to leave an impact. Create a cohesive branding strategy to apply to all of the video content you create, and maintain this consistency. This will help establish a returning audience and it will boost visibility of your company — the ultimate objective of your campaign.