It’s hard to look around and not see video — in-person and online. YouTube has turned into the second biggest search engine in the world. Since YouTube was acquired by Google, people immediately click on video options (sourced from YouTube) when searching for anything via Google. Recipes, explainer videos, product demos, how-to videos – you name it and they’re clicking on it during their searches.
Simply put, as a business, you cannot and should not take video content marketing for granted. In time, most of your competition will be leveraging video constantly (if they aren’t already), which means it should be a part of your core content marketing strategy NOW. The value of video should not be underestimated if you want to taste real success with your content marketing strategy efforts.
What is Video Content Marketing?
Video content marketing is a method of digital marketing that utilizes video content in order to engage viewers and provide value or education through solving a problem they are having. Content marketing, in its purest form, is nothing but the production and online distribution of content that is educational and informative in nature. The goal of this content is to convert online content consumers into prospects/customers and also to provide enough information to current customers and convince them to become repeat buyers.
With the help of various types of content, your content marketing strategy is used across various channels. This means that it’s not limited to only text, photos, and graphics. Since video is one of the strongest and most effective ways to spread your marketing message, it can truly take your content marketing efforts to the next level. But once again, this depends on how well you execute your video content marketing campaign and what you want to achieve from it.
Storytelling
It’s vitally important to first understand what actually makes a video click with your audience. The main reason is that videos allow you to tell stories that you can use to connect to your target audience. These are stories that you as a marketer to leverage and create powerful impressions and long-lasting relationships. These are also the stories that simply deliver.
Video has the potential to help your prospects and customers understand your business and create a ground for future promotions. But, it’s also an amazing way to spread your ideas with meaningful stories. And that’s what makes it so exciting! Consumers now are more connected to a brand if they feel like their lives will change once they use it. The key to success is to connect with them emotionally through storytelling.
Master Your Video Content Marketing on a Budget
It’s clear that video should be a key component of your content marketing strategy, which means the real questions you’re probably thinking are why does video cost so much, and what’s the best way to optimize your spend on it? Your Return on Investment (ROI) doesn’t lie, therefore the following will help optimize your spending while also create something effective.
- Do your research – You want your content to cut through a lot of noise, and that’s not going to happen if you have the same old video everyone else has. What works for someone else may not work for you, which is why it’s important to have a solid strategy behind your marketing video. Before you start producing, figure out the purpose of your video. Are you educating, entertaining, or some combination of the two? Your end goal might just be, “to sell more”, but bombarding your viewers with self-promotional content in a video isn’t going to accomplish that. Video can be a highly emotional medium, so putting in the effort to understand what will connect to your target will translate into results.
- Get feedback from your audience – Now that you know which type of marketing video you want to create, you can try to incorporate user-generated content. It could be a great way to increase engagement and a source of authentic content that resonates with your users. All you’ll have to do is ask and edit. Just keep in mind that you’ll want to come up with some kind of release agreement that grants you rights to use the content in your marketing campaigns.
- Reduce the number of actors – While it’s true that people relate to other people more than they relate to objects, you can cut down on costs by reducing the number of actors you use for your video. Or cut back on actors entirely and go for an animated video. It’ll give you precise control over the imagery and save you money in the process.
- Get to the point – Keeping your videos short can help minimize production costs and increase the number of time viewers actually spend watching. Typically, you’re less likely to hold your viewer’s attention after the two-minute mark. Shorter videos will help you retain your viewers, which in turn will help improve your video’s rank on YouTube.
- Keep promoting – One of the best ways to get the most for your video marketing budget is to come up with a solid promotion strategy. Knowing how and where to promote your videos can be the difference between your next viral hit or a complete flop.
- Don’t sacrifice the quality of your content – Having a tight video marketing budget doesn’t mean you should sacrifice quality because poor quality video can be more of a disservice than not having a video at all. Saving is great, but make sure that you’re not costing yourself conversions and compromising ROI in the process.
Wrapping Up
By now, you should know what video content marketing exactly is and how it’s growing rapidly. It’s a tactic that your business needs to incorporate in order to reach more potential customers and get a higher return from your online marketing efforts. Being on a shoestring budget doesn’t have to mean compromising your quality, it simply translates to hiring the right professionals, collaborating effectively as a team, and creating high-quality videos that are relatively easy to produce.
Regardless of the type of business you operate, video content marketing can and will help you grow, and it’s the connection to your target audience that matters over the long haul.
Getting started with content marketing, especially with video, doesn’t have to be complicated! Our process and team make it simple. Schedule a free consultation today!
