Video marketing is one of the most effective ways to communicate a message, show your product or service in action and keep your audience engaged. When it is planned properly, it can support awareness, lead generation and conversion across the full marketing journey.
If you are thinking about using video for your brand, it helps to start with a clear plan. The best video campaigns are built around a goal, a structure, a format and a message that feels consistent with the rest of your marketing.
What Is Video Marketing?
Video marketing is the use of video content to reach an audience, explain an idea, promote a product or service and encourage action. It can be used on landing pages, websites, social media, email campaigns and paid media.
6 Steps to Video Marketing
If you do not have an idea yet, start by thinking about what truly separates your brand from its competition and shape that into a clear video concept...
Step 1: Get a Plan For Your Video
It is not enough to just have an idea for your video. You also need a plan, and to get a plan you need to ask yourself the right questions.
Will the video be best suited to being a stand-alone video, or would it work better in a series?
A series should usually be your goal because the more content your brand has to work with, the more opportunities you have to build traffic and keep people engaged.
Who is the target audience for your video marketing campaign?
The more specific you are, the more direct your messaging will be. Decide on the buyer personas you are targeting before you start planning the content.
Where is the video going to be published?
Choose the platform that best fits your audience and your campaign purpose. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Vimeo all have their own pros and cons.
What resources are needed for the video?
Think about the creative skills, budget, equipment and team members you will need to get it done properly.
Step 2: Decide on a Goal for the Video or Series and Track Performance
It is not enough to have a video produced for marketing purposes. You need to do it with a definite purpose, and you should also be able to track the video’s performance.
Useful video metrics can include:
- View count
- Video engagement
- Click-through rates
- Video conversion rates
- Traffic to your landing page
To track performance, tools such as Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager can help you measure how your video content is contributing to your marketing goals.
Some of the goals you can set for your video marketing include the following:
- Create awareness
- Generate traffic towards your landing page
- Capture prospect information and convert more leads
If that already sounds like a lot, do not worry. A well-planned video strategy is simply a structured way of turning an idea into something that supports your business goals.
Step 3: Clarify, Summarise and Structure Video Content
When it comes to video, you have a limited time window to attract and engage your viewer’s attention, so precision is key.
If your content is long, detailed or scattered, the next step is to make it concise and group related ideas together before you write the script.
A strong video message is usually built from three things:
- A clear opening
- A focused main message
- A simple call to action
The easier your content is to follow, the easier it is for your viewer to stay engaged.
Step 4: Pick a Video Format, Presentation Style and Presenter
Different video formats can be received differently, and they can also have varying impacts on different audiences. It is worth weighing the differences before you decide how to present your message.
Some of the video format options you could use are:
Whiteboard Videos
Shows the viewer static images being drawn on the screen. These are usually great for illustrating complex ideas.
Live-Action
This video style shows real people talking about your product or service and gives a personal look at your company. Live-action videos are great for boosting sales.
Interview Videos
People love hearing things straight from the horse’s mouth, which is why interview videos can be so captivating. They are trustworthy and insightful.
Animation Videos
Cartoon videos strengthen your brand identity and engage potential customers at the same time. They do not just promote a product or service, but also tell an entertaining story that catches the eye.
Testimonials
Great testimonial videos are best at highlighting pain points that customers can relate to, and how your business can offer a solution to those pain points. This helps create demand through necessity.
Examples:
Classy animations and tasteful cinematic effects supporting a good script come later.
Content value, brand personality and brand consistency are key.
Step 5: Develop a Script For the Video
A video script is great for simplifying and focusing the video content without losing the attention of its intended audience.
Writing a script is like writing for Ron Burgundy's teleprompter. Okay, not quite. But it is important that you consider the presenter’s personality and keep it interesting, on-brand and conversational.
A good script should:
- Keep the message clear
- Match the tone of the brand
- Move the viewer through the story in a logical way
- End with a simple next step
Here's an example:
Step 6: Choose the Right Partner for Creative Expertise and Production Support
What is great about partnering with a skilled video creative is that you can bring your ideas to life with more effectiveness. By collaborating closely, you can turn a good concept into something that feels polished, clear and on-brand.
If you already know exactly what you want and are looking for a simpler execution, you can keep the process lean. If you want support with strategy, creative and video production, explore our digital marketing agency.
In Summary
Video marketing is one of the most effective ways to increase your online presence while building meaningful relationships with your customers.
The modern customer wants to see the product in action, and video is one of the best ways to show how your brand works in a way that is easy to understand and remember.
A strong video strategy does not start with the camera. It starts with a plan, a goal, a message, a format and a script. Once those pieces are in place, your video content has a much better chance of supporting engagement, traffic and conversions.
If you are also building a broader content strategy, you may want to explore inbound marketing as part of the same journey.
So, go ahead and start building your presence through video marketing.
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