Keeping up with the latest trends in marketing is a constant battle. Things change almost daily, and what is hot one minute quickly becomes cold. As digital platforms vie to outdo one another and capture a larger audience, marketers are often struggling to master one tool before having to move on and learn the next.
Video Marketing – The Proof is in the Numbers
One trend that is spreading rapidly across all platforms, and with no sign of fizzling out, is video marketing. Between January and December 2015, 654.7 million videos were uploaded by 66.7 million users to more than 30 video platforms with 2.8 trillion views.
Other video marketing statistics emphasize the growing trend.
The Numbers Prove Necessity. Now What?
So what does it all mean? It means that companies must consider adding video marketing campaigns to their marketing strategy mix. But, simply posting a bunch of videos across digital platforms won’t produce results. Pay attention as we offer 8 tips for executing a successful video marketing campaign.
1. Create strong content. Videos should have a purpose, whether that is to tell a story, give a tutorial, answer questions, etc. They should focus on the audience and engage viewers with content they want to receive. Audiences want to hear stories, not just product pitches. Include people in videos to add a human element to your messaging.
2. Have comprehensive creative and content plans. Video marketing is part of the overall advertising strategy. As such, creative and content plans are necessary to ensure the video adheres to brand messaging. Plans provide structure to and control over the development of creative and content.
3. Create a detailed distribution plan. Knowing where to place the videos is crucial to success. A company’s website is a good starting point for distribution, as it can be referenced. Creating a YouTube channel is a great way to have videos hosted online. Beyond those, there are a plethora of digital platforms, necessitating the creation of a distribution plan that narrows in on where to reach the target audiences.
4. Set measurable goals. Creating video for the sake of creating video isn’t efficient. Before starting a video marketing campaign, be sure to set measurable goals. Once the campaign is running, consistently review the analytics to see what content audiences are responding to. Use the analytics to adjust the campaign if necessary.
5. Grab attention quickly, and keep the video short. Attention spans are short. Videos must quickly grab the viewer’s attention and hold it throughout the video. There are various schools of thought on the optimal length of videos. Keep in mind, as with any advertising, the quicker a message delivers content worth receiving, the more likely a viewer is to stay tuned to the messaging.
6. Optimize for search. Search engines tend to favor videos over written content. Make sure the content and keywords of the video are available to search engines.
7. Plan for mobile responsiveness. Mobile consumption of digital media is higher than that of desktop, 51% to 42%, which means that all videos need to be created with responsive design for optimized viewing on mobile devices.
8. Include calls to action. Videos should inspire viewers to interact with a brand in some way. Be sure all videos include a call to action that supports the metric goals of the marketing campaign.