Table of Contents
- The Rise of Video Marketing
- What is Video Marketing?
- Why is Video Marketing Powerful?
- Steps to Create Effective Video Marketing Campaigns
- Overcoming Common Struggles in Video Creation
- Conclusion: The Power of Video Marketing
How to Use Video Marketing to Grow Your Business
Video marketing has increased over time to become one of the most pivotal ways businesses can spread the word and reach audiences. As more consumers turn toward video content for information and entertainment, it’s necessary that businesses learn to harness this medium in the best possible way. This article will let you know the most essential methods of using video marketing to drive growth in business—irrespective of the niche.
The Rise of Video Marketing
Video marketing has been adopted at a really high rate in the recent past. Back in 2017, 63% of businesses used video as a means of marketing. In 2018, it increased to 81%, and in 2019, the percentage would hit 87%. This goes on to prove how vital video marketing is in this modern world.
Knowing how to harness that power can be a major growth for business owners and marketers. The statistics are in a compelling way, and a 2018 study revealed that 85% of US internet users watched online video content every month. This makes the question more like: How can businesses effectively leverage video to drive revenue?
What Is Video Marketing?
Video marketing is the process of using videos to promote and educate your audience. It tends to increase brand awareness and provides social engagement, hence giving businesses the opportunity to reach larger audiences. More importantly, video marketing does not require you to be a charismatic personality or create elaborate shows.
According to a Hubspot Research report, 54% of consumers want to see videos from brands more than any other type of content. It just goes to prove the real power of video as a medium of communication.
Why Is Video Marketing Powerful?
There are a number of reasons that make video marketing very powerful. This includes:
- Explains concepts vividly and in less time
- Creates personal connections with viewers
- Reaches audiences on platforms like YouTube
These benefits make video an essential element of any marketing strategy.
Steps to Create Effective Video Marketing Campaigns
Despite the apparent gimmick, video marketing campaigns need some planning. Following are the step-by-step guidelines on how to go about it:
Step 1: Identify Your Audience
Before getting down to scripting your video marketing strategy, clearly define who your audience is. You should have an idea of who your product or service caters to. This would comprise details such as:
Gender
Age
Profession
Interests
If you have customers already profile them. Conduct surveys or one-on-one calls to glean insights on what they want and what they need. If you’re just getting started, there are tools like Facebook Audience Insights that can help you understand potential audiences.
Step 2: Define Your Primary Objective
The next thing you will do is set a primary objective for your video content. There are three main categories of the video objectives, which include:
- Brand Awareness
- Education
- Entertainment
Brand awareness videos let viewers know you exist. Educational videos provide information or teach. Entertainment videos entertain with either storytelling or humor. Choose an intent to produce the type of content you’d like to make.
Step 3: Craft Compelling Content
Once you have identified your audience and your goals, it is time to develop your video content. Although there isn’t any silver bullet that works for everyone, a few characteristics can help your videos stand out as exceptional:
**Ideal Length
The length of your videos should be determined by your main purpose. For example:
Brand awareness: 15 seconds to 2 minutes
Educational content: 5 minutes to 120 minutes
Entertainment: 10 minutes to 180 minutes
Video Formats
The format for videos can differ depending on the audience and the message. But one common format that works for most forms is as follows:
Problem
Teaser
Solution or Story
This format enables one to catch the viewer’s attention by bringing forth a problem with which they identify, teasing them with probable answers, and, at the same time, offering some very valuable content.
Step 4: Promote Your Videos
The second half of creating quality content is making sure people actually view the videos. Here are some highly workable ways in which you can promote your videos:
Organic Reach:
Focus on optimizing videos for search engines. Utilize YouTube SEO to rank your videos, hence making more eyes get on them. Additionally, embed videos in relevant blog posts to maximize the view count.
Social Media Sharing
You can share your videos on the existing social media channels that you have. You can create short 10-second teaser clips for getting the attention of your followers and then lead them to the whole video to watch it on YouTube. Add links in your posts to drive traffic back to your channel.
**Paid Advertising **
Consider boosting your content on Facebook and YouTube discovery ads to attract views. Facebook is great for branding and lead generation, and their discovery ads on YouTube will efficiently drive views to your content.
Overcoming Common Struggles in Video Creation
Creating video content is a very daunting task for many, especially the starters. Here are some of the common challenges one goes through and how one can overcome such:
Struggle #1: Camera Shyness
Many of the people would feel uncomfortable in front of a camera. You can use B-roll footage to offset this or animate, or even a teleprompter that will assist in guiding your delivery. Editing may do wonders for the final product and at times release part of the on-camera pressure.
Struggle #2: Lack of Equipment
One doesn’t require a high production quality for successful video marketing. Many videos go out with huge success rates, even being recorded just on a smartphone or any basic equipment. Value what’s inside, not the technicalities.
Struggle #3: Language Barriers
The language difference may cause non-native speakers to fear penetration in the market. However, real content touches people despite any accents it may carry. Be concerned with the quality of your message rather than the fear of speaking imperfect English.
Conclusion: The Power of Video Marketing
Video marketing is the strongest tool any business should use in an attempt to grow its audience and engage with the target. By following the steps of defining your audience, establishing clear objectives, creating compelling content, and promoting your videos, you would have been well on your way to using video marketing efficiently.
As you get onto this video marketing journey, remember, it’s consistency and authenticity that are the major players. Embrace the challenges and learn through experience, and watch your business grow with video.
If you’re ready to dive into video marketing, well, get started today and explore those vast opportunities for business growth.
