Video marketing, also known as video content marketing, is a dynamic digital strategy that harnesses the compelling power of video to captivate, engage, and convert audiences into potential customers. In essence, it’s about creating video content that resonates with your audience, propelling them to choose your product or service.

The Power of Video Marketing:

Your audience loves video content. It has the ability to showcase product features, narrate brand stories, and establish relationships with customers more effectively than most other mediums. Whether it’s improving a struggling email nurture, reducing bounce rates on landing pages, or sharing customer success stories on social media, video marketing stands out as a versatile and impactful tool.

Statistics on Video Marketing Success:

96% of marketers consider video marketing crucial to their strategy.

Results reported by marketers: 91% increased traffic, 95% heightened brand awareness, 96% enhanced buyer understanding, 90% generated leads, 87% increased sales, and 92% achieved a good return on investment.

Buyer Preferences:

89% of buyers have been convinced to make a purchase after watching a video.

91% express the desire to see more videos from brands in 2023.

Building Your Video Marketing Strategy: 9 Key Questions

1. Video Marketing Goals:

Define your goals. Are you aiming for awareness, enhanced email performance, increased conversions, or entering new audiences? Your goals will shape the creation and use of your video content.

2. Target Audience:

Understand your audience deeply. Tailor your videos to meet their specific expectations and desires.

3. Video Types:

Consider the types of videos that align with your goals and audience. Whether it’s longer, in-depth content for a specific audience or shorter, snappier content for a broader social media audience, choose strategically.

4. Budget Allocation:

Determine your budget for video creation and distribution. Creativity can compensate for a limited budget, but defining your financial boundaries is crucial.

5. Responsible Teams:

Assign responsibilities for video creation. A dedicated point of contact ensures smoother collaboration and communication within your team.

6. Integration with Other Marketing Campaigns:

Align video marketing with your broader marketing strategies, such as account-based marketing (ABM) or demand generation.

7. Hosting and Distribution:

Decide where and how you’ll host and share your videos. Consider platforms, features, and distribution channels like social media, websites, emails, and more.

8. Performance Measurement:

Establish key metrics to measure success. Track overall view count, click-through rates, attention span data, and engagement with calls to action (CTAs).

9. Audience Beyond Marketing:

Recognize that videos are not exclusive to marketing. Explore how sales, customer support, and experience teams can leverage videos for their unique purposes.

The Power of Video Storytelling:

The most impactful videos are those that evoke emotions. Emotion builds a connection, making your brand relatable and authentic. Craft compelling stories in your videos using traditional storytelling techniques.

Tips for Video Storytelling:

Delight your audience with content that resonates positively.

Ensure your video tells a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end.

Show, don’t just tell; utilize the visual nature of videos.

Thoughtfully plan your video concept to make a lasting impression.

Focus on telling one clear story to avoid confusion.

Learning from the Pros:

Explore examples like Bandit Tour for Good, which effectively uses short documentary-style videos to tell engaging stories.

Styles and Types of Marketing Videos:

Video Styles:

  • Live-action video
  • Animated video
  • One-to-one video
  • Screen share video
  • Text overlay video
  • Live streaming video
  • 360-degree video
  • Virtual reality video (VR video)
  • Choose-your-own-adventure video

Video Types:

  • Explainer videos
  • How-to videos
  • Promo videos
  • Thought leadership videos
  • Webinars and recorded webinars
  • Case study videos
  • Culture videos
  • Demo videos
  • FAQ Videos

Video Lengths:

Keep it concise. Aim for under two minutes as a general rule, with specific guidelines for each video type.

Hosting and Distributing Your Marketing Videos:

Utilize popular platforms like YouTube or Vimeo for broad visibility. Consider a dedicated hosting solution for more control and tailored features. Distribute your videos on websites, social media, emails, blogs, landing pages, and in sales interactions.

Optimizing for SEO:

  • Add rich metadata including keywords, descriptions, and tags.
  • Host videos on your site for in-house SEO benefits.
  • Use high-quality thumbnails to attract clicks.
  • Follow Google’s video SEO best practices for discoverability.

Measuring Video Analytics and ROI:

Key metrics to track include overall view count, click-through rates, attention span data, and CTA engagement rates. Integrate video analytics into marketing automation or CRM systems for deeper insights.

Integrating Video into Other Marketing Strategies:

Video Marketing for Demand Generation:

  • Add videos to homepages, product pages, and landing pages for engagement.
  • Use in-video forms and CTAs for lead generation.
  • Gate high-value video content to capture leads.
  • Leverage video email marketing for nurturing leads.

Video Marketing for ABM:

  • Personalize videos for one-to-one outreach.
  • Create account-based personalized videos.
  • Tailor video content to account specifics.
  • Use video content in targeted ads and nurture campaigns.

Account-Based Selling:

  • Coordinate video outreach with sales.
  • Share video insights to prioritize leads effectively.

Conclusion:

Video marketing, when approached strategically, has a profound impact on the success of marketing and go-to-market teams. Crafting emotionally resonant stories, choosing diverse video styles and types, and seamlessly integrating videos into broader marketing strategies ensure a holistic and effective video marketing approach. Whether for demand generation, account-based marketing, or enhancing sales efforts, video is a versatile and potent tool in the modern marketer’s arsenal.