How to Improve Your Video Marketing Strategy

The demand for digital content is hotter than ever, making video strategy a crucial part of any digital marketing campaign. This is especially true in the wake of the “did-that-really-happen?” year of 2020. In-person events were canceled, in-office socialization disappeared. The one way our world held onto a thread of connection with others was through digital interfaces and events. And the more we craved connection, the more popular digital communication became – especially video.

So, it’s not surprising that around 40% of marketers say their plans around video marketing have been affected by the pandemic, or that 91% of marketers feel video is more important for brands in light of the coronavirus pandemic. And, overall, the number of businesses using video as a marketing tool has increased by 41% since 2016.

Given the renewed and accelerated vigor towards video marketing, let’s take a look at 4 video strategy considerations that can support your marketing through the coming years.

4 Video Marketing Considerations

1. Make video content that’s for video.

As Content Marketing Institute points out, your digital video content must be strategic. Make it more than a byproduct of a general digital strategy. Like any content strategy, “video requires purpose and should be created, managed and activated with the structure and optimization for all the channels where it may be experienced.”

That means stop taking blogs, brochures, sell sheets and more, and turning them into video because you think you can. Sure, you’re physically able to. But that content was created specifically for a different form factor and intent. Reading and viewing are two very different things. Video deserves unique planning, practice and promotion to ensure it really shines, whether that’s a webcast, an explainer video or industry overview video

2. Empower users to contribute video content.

According to Social Media Today, users arriving on an ecommerce site via user-generated video content are 184% more likely to purchase. It won’t be a practical application for all companies or situations. But, setting up a platform where user-generated content can drive site visits is a great way to combine word-of-mouth and peer recommendations for those with a strong intent to buy

3. Use video to generate leads.

Using video to create leads requires special planning and effort. Like other lead-gen activities, it’s important to pay special attention to your call to action. Be very clear about what you want the viewer to do and consider repeating it throughout the video. In addition, be thoughtful about where you store or place your videos.

If it’s on a landing page (video on landing pages is capable of increasing conversion rates by over 80%), make sure it complements the messaging on that page and helps generate interest versus turning visitors away. You could also use it to drive leads in email campaigns (the mere mention of the word “video” in your email subject line increases open rates by 19%). Finally, instead of tried-and-true whitepapers or eBooks, try using video as gated content, instead. It could help pique more interest and prompt more folks to fill out your forms.

4. Embrace current popular video forms.

According to Martech Zone, these were and are the most popular forms of videos being used amongst marketers going into 2021: explainer videos (72%), presentation videos (49%), testimonial videos (48%), sales videos (42%). 

If you haven’t been using these types of videos in your marketing strategy, now’s a good time to consider working them into your 2022 planning. And, while popular in 2020, these are by no means the only types of video you can embrace. There are many forms a marketing video can take.

Here are 12 types highlighted by HubSpot:

1) Demo videos, 2) Brand videos, 3) Event videos, 4) Expert interviews, 5) How-to videos, 6) Explainer videos, 7) Animated videos, 8) Case study videos, 9) Live videos, 10) virtual reality videos, 11) Augmented reality videos and 12) Personal message videos.

The idea is to get creative and mix it up to see how different video forms can support each layer of your marketing efforts, from awareness to lead gen, to sales and loyalty programs.

“Eye” Video as One Vital Marketing Tool

The tips here are not meant to comprise a holistic video marketing strategy in and of themselves. Rather, they’re meant to inform considerations around beefing up your video strategy to create a more robust, effective video marketing plan. That means you still need to keep SEO, social promotion and KPI measurement strategies in mind.

And it means that, while videos are a standout form of marketing, they rarely stand alone. It’s one important facet within an overall integrated marketing plan. So, it’s crucial to make sure it supports your overall marketing goals and compliments your other marketing messages and content pieces.

We Can Help

Let Outlook Marketing help you craft a video strategy with the right targets and tactics to reach your business goals. We provide the research, direction and campaign strategy you need to get the most out of any video project.  

What video best practices or lessons learned have you made this past year? We’d love to from you! Share them with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn or reach out to us here!

Author: Stacy Greenberg, Content Manager, Outlook Marketing