You know that video is huge, but do you realize just how big it’s gotten?
In 2022 alone, it’s estimated that nearly 82% of all traffic on the internet is now video. YouTube has become the second most popular website in the world, next to Google itself. The average user views almost 20 hours of online video per week, with at least 40 minutes spent watching YouTube on their mobile devices daily.
That’s a lot of time spent online watching videos!
That might seem overwhelming, but don’t worry. We’re here with some easy-to-understand tips on how to make your video marketing content strategy cut through the noise of our increasingly cluttered internet and get noticed.
Start With a Goal, Follow the Process
The best place to start is usually at the beginning. Before you ever begin throwing out pitch ideas or discuss budgeting, ensure that you have clear strategic goals in mind.
Start with the classic checklist of why, who, what, where, and when:
- Why are we making the video?
- Who are we targeting with the video?
- What is the video offering its target audience?
- Where are we showing the video?
- When are we showing the video?
Don’t forget that those questions are designed to be answered in that order. If you start with the “who” instead of the “why,” you might get derailed and follow tangents that slow the process down.
Also, remember that answers to these questions don’t need to be elaborate or require a board meeting to answer. It can be as simple as:
- Why? To create top-of-funnel awareness for a new product launch.
- Who? Potential customers at the beginning of the sales funnel.
- What? Answers to frequently asked questions.
- Where? On Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
- When? In three weeks.
Having these answers ensures that the video aligns with business and marketing goals. This process can be beneficial for your creative team, who, in their excitement, might start brainstorming in the wrong direction and need to adjust after the project has begun and resources have been spent.
Video Across the Customer Journey
The goal of video content marketing is to convert prospects into leads, leads into customers, and finally, customers into repeat buyers. To reflect this, keep these questions in mind:
- What point in the customer journey are we targeting?
- What are the common questions or objections people have at this stage?
- Should we consider post-sale customers?
While those questions should naturally be answered during the “who” phase, remembering to ask them can ensure you don’t miss an opportunity to help fine-tune who your video is targeting.
Here’s an example of a video we created for the post-purchase stage of a customer journey for a client. This video style is great at letting your new customer know what to expect next when working with you.
For a video targeting the top of the funnel and introducing a product to prospects and customers, a video like this one is more fitting.
Video Starts With You
Okay, so we’ve covered some general video content marketing advice. But sometimes, it can be hard even to know where to start. If that’s you, here’s a simple but effective video idea in the form of a question:
What questions are customers asking about you and your products?
If you have a FAQ on your website, use it to create video content around those questions and the answers. You can also check your social media feeds and ask your customer service or sales team for input on what questions people have asked.
The great thing about this premise is that you can spread it out amongst multiple platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and email.
For example, because YouTube likes longer content, you can start with one YouTube video that answers multiple questions and then break that video down into smaller 30-second chunks to upload to TikTok.
Videos that answer questions about you and your products not only create brand awareness and inform your customers, but they’re also easy on your budget. They can be as simple as someone sitting down at a desk answering FAQs or still images with the question and the answer as text on the screen.
Here’s an example of a video series we created to help a client answer some of the most frequently asked questions their customers ask. These videos can be used on the website to strategically answer questions customers will have as they browse, in sales workflow emails, and can be shared on social media.
Be Real, Be Sincere
Nobody trusts content that feels dishonest or fake. If someone’s B.S. detector goes off while watching your videos, you’re through.
That’s why it’s essential to be authentic — people like it when you are vulnerable and honest with them. Tell them what they have to gain by using your product or service, but also be upfront if there are common challenges or difficulties they might face.
Now, this isn’t to say you need to go around flaunting things that would negatively affect the brand or business. But treat your content as if you were telling a good friend or neighbor about something you were really excited about. You would not only tell them about how it’s great and why you love it, but also, if there were anything they needed to be aware of, you’d tell them that too. That’s the key to being authentic.
This upfront honesty is especially important if your company has made a misstep. People aren’t perfect, and neither are companies, so it can be good in the long run to hear that while yes, you do all of these great things and have amazing products, you’ve also made some mistakes and have taken steps to be better.
Viewers also perceive certain types of videos to be more authentic than others. Be careful not to come across as overly corporate and cold. Whether you are creating a big budget, high production video, or a video shot from a cell phone, there are ways to incorporate a personal and authentic sentiment into your video.
Partnering with an influencer is where leaning into the authenticity of video content can be an effective strategy. By working with influencers to create video content for your brand, you tap into that trust and can leverage those relationships for content that feels more authentic than when it comes directly from the brand.
You now have a solid guide on how to develop a video content marketing strategy. At LimeLight, we’ve learned that what works for us is being goal-driven, following good practices, being sincere and earnest in everything we do, and carefully selecting who we partner with to ensure they match our company and culture. And if we ever get stuck, we go back to these principles to get us back on track, and we think they’ll work for you, too.
