The Right Way to Use Videos In Your Marketing Efforts

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Video is one of the most powerful tools that you can have in your marketer’s toolkit.

Attention spans are shrinking, and competition is fierce as everyone wants visibility.

Video will allow your brand to break through the noise and showcase what you have to offer.

If you’re a small business owner, or part of a large organization, using video effectively can dramatically improve the impact of your campaigns.

Here is a look at what you should be focusing on.

Why Video Marketing Is So Effective

Video works because it combines sight, sound, and motion so that your audience can have an immersive experience. People are far more likely to stop scrolling and watch a video than they are to read a whole block of text.

Once you engage them, they’re also more likely to retain the information presented to them.

Videos are also excellent at evoking emotion, this is a key driver. When your audience begins to feel something, that is when you can truly lead them towards conversion.

Types of Videos You Can Create

There are many different types of videos, and each can serve your marketing efforts in a different way. Explainer videos tend to be very useful for introducing your brand to those who may not understand what it is about.

These videos simplify complex ideas and also provide a clear overview. Product demo videos take things a bit further by showing your viewers exactly how a product works. You will also find out what makes it valuable. 

Testimonial videos will showcase satisfied customers and provide you with some authentic social proof. This will help to build a firm trust with potential buyers. Behind-the-scenes videos will allow your audiences to connect with your team and understand your business culture.

It will humanize your brand in the process. Educational content, such as how-to videos or tutorials, will position your brand as an authority in your niche

It will do all this while helping your audience solve problems. Brand storytelling videos will focus on your company’s mission, values, as well as its origin. This will create an emotional bond with viewers. 

Live videos, meanwhile, will create a sense of urgency and interactivity. This makes it ideal for launches as well as events.

Where Video Fits in the Marketing Funnel

Video can play a role in every stage of the marketing funnel for a business. At the top of the funnel, using video is great for building awareness of your brand. You can introduce your brand through short, engaging videos.

There are several on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube that you can use to do this. These videos should be fun, and eye-catching, they should be designed to attract attention from a very wide audience. 

In the middle of the funnel, you can use video to educate and inform. Product demos, explainers, and comparison videos are great for helping viewers evaluate your product. They can then decide if it meets their needs. 

At the bottom of the funnel, the goal should always be to convert. Testimonial videos, case studies, and personalized video messages are going to work well here.

It provides reassurance and encourages viewers to take the final step to get a conversion. Post-sale, videos can help with onboarding. It can also support customer retention. 

Sending a thank-you video, or creating a tutorial on how to use your product will help to keep your brand top of mind and reinforce loyalty.

Choosing the Right Platforms

Selecting the best platforms for video distribution is going to depend on where your audience spends their time. YouTube is ideal for longer-form content.

It also works especially well if you want to create educational or evergreen videos. It’s also highly searchable, which makes it a good channel for long-term visibility. 

Instagram and TikTok are perfect if you want to do short-form content. These platforms thrive on trends and fast engagement.

This means that they are great for product teasers and quick tips. Embedding videos on landing pages, product pages, and blogs will help to increase engagement. This will help to keep visitors on your site longer and help improve your search rankings.

Creating Videos That Drive Results

You don’t need a large budget in order to create high-performing videos. You just need to make sure that you have a clear strategy. Start by understanding your audience, you need to know what they care about.

You also need to understand the challenges they face and how your product or service will fit seamlessly into their lives. 

This understanding should shape all of your video content. Instead of focusing on selling, you should focus on storytelling. Tell stories that will resonate with your audience. 

Stories about your customers, your team, or your brand journey can be powerful for driving sales and conversion. Keep your videos concise and to the point at all times. 

You should try to remember that shorter videos tend to perform better, especially on social platforms. Make sure every video has a very clear call to action at the end. 

You can decide if you want the viewer to visit your website, subscribe to your channel, or buy a product. You will have to guide them on what to do next. 

Even if you’re only using a smartphone, always ensure that your video has good lighting and clear audio. These small touches can make a lot of difference in how your video comes across. If you are confused about the process then hire a professional video production company to assist you. 

Optimizing Video for Search

To get the most out of your video content, you need to make sure that you are optimising it for the most popular search engines. This starts by making sure that you have a strong video title.

Be sure to use relevant keywords that your audience is likely to search for on social media platforms

Write a compelling description that includes key phrases, it will give context to your video. Tags can also help categorize your content. This will make it easier to discover. 

Adding subtitles as well as closed captions will make your video accessible to a wider audience. It will also improve your watch time as well because many people watch videos without sound. 

Hosting your video on platforms like YouTube and then embedding it on your website will also improve SEO. Google favors websites that feature video, especially when the content is relevant and helpful to the visitor.

Always make sure that your content is what the viewer needsl. Create custom thumbnails that are eye-catching and make sure that they accurately represent your video’s content. A good thumbnail will also increase the chances that someone will click on your video and watch it.

Measuring the Success of Your Video Marketing

Once your videos go live, it’s important that you measure their performance. Start with views, but don’t stop there, watch time is a much more meaningful metric in many instances.

 It shows how long people are staying engaged with the content that you have created. Engagement metrics like likes, comments, and shares will demonstrate how your video is resonating with viewers. 

Click-through rates will show how effective your calls to action really are. If people are watching your video but not taking the next step, it is a sign that you will need to refine the message that you are sending.

Conversion rate is the ultimate metric for understanding the success of a video. If your goal is to get people to sign up, make a purchase, or schedule a demo, then videos are great for helping you to achieve that. Use analytics tools on video hosting platforms to understand your metrics as well.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Many marketers make a lot of avoidable mistakes when it comes to marketing with videos. One of the most common and avoidable mistakes is being too promotional. 

Viewers are not interested in watching videos that are actually ads that have been disguised as if they are content. It won’t work, instead, you should aim to offer value. 

Another mistake you should avoid is ignoring mobile optimization. Most video content will be consumed on mobile devices. This is why you need to make sure your videos are formatted so they display properly on small screens. You can win over a lot of visitors by making sure you have videos they feel comfortable watching over and over again on mobile.

While you should always focus on giving your viewers high-quality content visually. A video with valuable information will often be consumed if there is good sound. 

Good sound quality with highly relevant and important information may still do well. This doesn’t mean you should strive for poor video, but it is just as important to focus on quality audio as well.

Grow Your Brand

Video marketing for your brand is definitely something that you should have as a priority for your business. Every industry benefits from having good video content and you should take advantage of it to grow your business.