Video is the Most Powerful Tool to Engage Multiple Marketing Channels
More best practices to harness the power of video content marketing.
In Part 1 of our two-part video content marketing series, I took a look at how targeting specific personas, leveraging the right platforms and destinations, and working toward clear-cut goals will solidify your video marketing strategy.
The video medium is easy to digest for those audiences, and is a powerful tool to build engagement and trust across multiple channels to compliment your other forms of content. But it’s also incredibly complex. In this second part of our video marketing series, I’ll conclude by taking a look at other best practices for those looking to add video to their overall marketing strategy.
Know Your Format
I’d love to recommend the latest 4K cinema quality cameras, and $100,000 worth of equipment you need to buy to produce top-notch video content. The reality — especially now during COVID — is that quality is not only a lot more flexible than it used to be, but easier to achieve for rookies and veterans alike. If your budget is tight and you’re limited on resources, the best camera is the one you most likely have in your pocket right now.
A “content is king” mentality matters now more than ever as creators use iPhones, limited lighting, and basic sound gear to create engaging content regardless of Hollywood-level equipment and quality. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I’ve seen expensive multi-camera big-budget shoots flop with less than a hundred views, while a video shot on an iPhone gained views well into the hundreds of thousands.
But there still needs to be some quality control. A simple cheap desktop USB mic can go a lot further than your tiny Macbook microphone. A video with great content but poor sound quality can make viewers close the tab quicker than anything you’ve seen. The same is true for a steady shot — a simple tripod is all you need.
If you do want to make a splash with video, spend your big budget on tentpole pieces like case studies and company overview videos along with videos that end up embedded on your homepage.
Know Your Amplification Strategy
Engagement is equally important as the video itself. Of course, you want people to watch. But what you really want is for them to find your content so valuable that they want to engage with it beyond a single view.
Providing easy links for distribution is a good start, so always make sure your video player has a “share” link visible. Written metadata for your videos is incredibly valuable for SEO, so take the time to write keyword-packed titles, descriptions, and text anywhere you can depending on what platform you use.
Encourage people to comment by asking engaging questions or for their feedback. Comments organically build a sense of community, so engaging with your audience and starting conversations can be valuable to your brand. It’s also okay to remind people to like and subscribe for notifications without sounding like some amateur vlogger — just remember not to overdo it.
If you have a video series or a themed set of content, make sure to group it together in a playlist. If your viewers find and like one piece of your content, you’ll want them to keep the party going by watching and finding additional content that’s valuable to them.
Also, caption everything. Not only is it important for accessibility, but having a written version of your video is a small step to big engagement. Some platforms like LinkedIn will actually autoplay your video content muted in a newsfeed, so having captions can help potential viewers into discovering your content without ever clicking play!
Be Authentic
Your video content doesn’t have to be perfect as long as it’s authentic. Your viewers are real people who want to hear from similarly real people — so own those imperfections and just tell it like it is. I actually prefer not to script videos when I can, and simply make a list of points I’d like to hit along the way.
You don’t need a fancy backdrop either. It might be tricky now during COVID, but I recommend shooting your videos anywhere the action happens — particularly in your office. It breaks down any artifice, making it better to see your team working and have a little bit of ambient noise than to film in an echoey empty office conference room.
Lastly, authenticity comes across when letting your customers speak for themselves. Video is a great way to show potential customers what your existing customers think straight from the source. Case studies and testimonial videos build a connection by letting your new viewers hear how great you are without you actually having to tell them how great you are.
These are just some of the best practices to use when assembling a video content marketing strategy. The best video content you can create are the ones your viewers — mostly your potential buyers and clients — want to find. They may not garner the most views or become the biggest trending video out there, but if they convert or drive engagement they will be exactly the kind of content marketing you need.
Looking to incorporate a video strategy as a part of your marketing content mix? Reach out to us at [email protected]!