Video Marketing: the Definitive Guide

August 4, 2020

If you are thinking about how to improve your marketing strategy, be aware that Video Marketing will be the cornerstone of any digital promotion strategy.

Video Marketing: what is?

Video Marketing is a marketing strategy that involves the creation of video contents able of meeting at least one of following requirements:

Unfortunately, it is not enough to take a video camera and a microphone, record something and hope to have thousands of views. Without quality videos and without a real strategy you will not have positive results and you will be part of that small group of people who think: “videos don’t work, I don’t need them”.

Why videos are so important?

Actually, according to authoritative sources such as Cisco, which annually draws up a report on the state of the world network, the data are irrefutable: more than 80% of global traffic on the Internet will be generated by video content. This is also demonstrated by platforms such as YouTube which has never stopped growing and TikTok which is acquiring more and more users. People love videos. It is proved that the human brain processes video format 60 thousand times faster than text content. This makes it particularly effective for conveying emotions and information.

In the report compiled by Wyzowl this year, there are some data that make clear how important videos are in marketing:

How to plan a Video Marketing strategy

In order to create an effective Video Marketing strategy, the first step is to establish a goal. One of the most used approaches is the SMART one.

This is a very important aspect of planning because it avoids setting too general objectives the results of which cannot be measured. The goals of a Video Marketing strategy could be:

Study your audience

Neither you nor your company are the target of your videos, instead it is your audience. Identify your potential Customers, your buyer people, their interests, their age and their needs. Given that a video capable of arousing emotions is much more likely to be shared and to bring the public closer to your company, you should know that YouTube has suggested dividing the video content into 3 groups to help marketers create effective and non-effective strategies. It is also important to avoid falling into the common trap of wanting to create viral videos at all costs. The contents of this strategy can be imagined at the base of a pyramid:

Tipi di contenuti nel video marketing

I contenuti si possono immaginare in modo piramidale:

1. Hygiene or help video

Video hygiene or help content, as experts prefer to say today, is the relevant content for 365 days a year. In fact, there are videos that users always look for and are at the base of the pyramid. This segment includes videos that teach you how to do something or that explain and present a product. In this way your company acquires authority because it provides reliable solutions. These videos can also be SEO optimised and provide you with an excellent channel for getting qualified traffic from search engines.

2. Video hub

The main goal of video hubs is to turn sporadic users into loyal users who regularly watch the content you create. These types of videos provide value to target groups and create the basis for creating conversations both between the brand and users and among the users themselves. Closely connected to this objective there is, obviously, also that of increasing the number of followers on social channels. A strategy based on video hubs needs good planning because the content must be published regularly in order to engage the public. The videos also need to be more specific and in-depth to strengthen the message of your brand and strengthen your brand identity.

3. Hero video

Out-of-the-ordinary videos are part of this category, those that should create an exceptional impact to attract a wider audience and increase the brand awareness of your brand. Hero videos generally have a very high-quality standard and require a higher investment. Also for this reason, the hero videos that are part of a video marketing strategy are few in the year. The idea, in fact, is to use them for the most important events, for example: the launch of a new product, special holidays or important anniversaries. In these cases, a properly advertised live-streaming can become your video hero.

Which platform to choose for your Video Marketing strategy

So far, we have tried to outline the different types of videos, but choosing the right platform where to publish them can make a difference. At the moment the most important channels are: Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, so it is legitimate to ask ourselves which platform to bet on. There is no predetermined answer. It basically depends on the target you want to reach.

Facebook Video Marketing

Thanks to Facebook insights, we know that the most numerous users of this social network are men between the ages of 25 and 34. Videos compete in user feeds with other types of posts, but they are definitely better performing than traditional ads and, with relatively low budgets, good results can be obtained. If you choose this social there are some tips that can be very useful:

Also pay attention to the negative aspects:

YouTube Video Marketing

YouTube has a much wider potential audience also because videos can be viewed on the Google AdSense circuit. The way the content is presented is also completely different. On YouTube you can create a channel that can replace media like TV and publish very long videos. Let’s take a concrete example: if your goal is to reach documentary fans, then YouTube is probably the best solution. Even for YouTube there are some not positive aspects to consider:

Video Marketing on Instagram

The use of videos on Instagram has increased by 80% between 2018 and 2019 and the trend is still growing. The peculiarity of Instagram is the type of video that can be uploaded:

In the feed, videos cannot exceed 60 seconds, while for stories the limit is 15 seconds. If you want to publish longer videos you must use IGTV, but this is a specific app that not all users have downloaded. To make the most of this social, considering the few seconds available, a lot of creativity is needed to stand out. The golden rule for content marketing always remains: if you provide quality and original content, people will be willing to follow you and interact with your brand. Many companies, in fact, use Instagram to show all those aspects that are not usually part of official communication, for example the behind the scenes of an event.

Video Marketing on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the B2B platform par excellence and the number of video contents is increasing. According to Wyzowl’s report, 66% of marketers will use them in 2020. LinkedIn may seem like a very formal place, but it’s still made of and for people. For this reason, publishing videos that can help discover more about your company can be an excellent strategy to stimulate user curiosity. Videos are generally considered positively by the social algorithm so that the chances of being seen by more people increase considerably. Among the aspects that must be taken into consideration in creating a Video Marketing campaign on LinkedIn is the type of device used by users. Here too, the mobile has surpassed the desktop. In this regard here are some tips:

The most important advice, however, is to create a professional video by choosing only the web agencies specialised in Video Marketing and Motion Graphic. There are many aspects to consider when making a video, both during shooting and in the editing phase. A professional service ensures you a quality product that you can use to effectively promote your company.

How to generate leads with Video Marketing

Creating brand awareness is certainly one of the key aspects of a Video Marketing campaign, but videos can also be used to acquire leads. In this case it is necessary to insert a CTA (Call To Action) which contains a strong message at the end of the video and which refers to the website. The idea is to get the user into a funnel before he/she is “distracted” by the social feed or attracted to watch other videos, as in the case of YouTube. Videos can be much more persuasive than images and text so it is easier to convince users to sign up for a bonus or prize. Especially for this type of video it is necessary to create short videos of 10 seconds. The longer the video, the less people will arrive at the end of the message where the CTA will be displayed.

Video Marketing storytelling

Storytelling is the art of telling a story by entertaining and stimulating the imagination of the public. For this reason, videos are the best tool. Companies that use storytelling in marketing can use many different registers, such as: humor or drama. What unites this way of telling the brand, or an aspect related to the brand, is the desire to arouse a strong emotion in the user. The message must remain fixed in the memory and push to take an action. There are companies, like Intel, that use storytelling to tell their story, others, like Airbnb, prefer to involve their users to increase the engagement.

Track and the measure results

The only way to understand if a Video Marketing campaign is successful and is bringing profits is through data monitoring and analysis. For a general overview, the total number of views can be fine, but, if you want to go into detail, then you need to examine other parameters such as the percentage of video displayed and the interaction it generated. All social platforms have internal statistics that must be carefully monitored to better understand the habits of your audience and test what works and what not.

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