How do you know if your video marketing content is resonating or reaching the right people? How do you know if the things you are doing are outdated, or if they are appropriate for 2019 (or 2020 for that matter). I am glad you asked.
Let’s quickly go over 5 key rules that will help put your mind at ease and ensure that you and your company are creating video marketing content correctly.
Of course we all know that video marketing has been king for years and is only seeming to grow. So EVERYONE is doing it, and if they aren’t, they should be… right? Well, probably.
We make this point to reiterate the fact that knowing and understanding your audience – and what type of content your audience is interested in – is more important than being sure you are creating the type of content that the internet tells you is most popular. Research your audience, hang out where they are, and talk about and share the things that they find interesting.
We’ll call this rule #1 – No matter what you read or hear, engaging your audience is your most important goal.
This means more than simply posting content where your audience is but also engaging with them through replies, comments, follow-backs and even content specifically aimed toward answering questions. This is an often tragically overlooked piece of the puzzle. Too often, marketing teams create the content, throw it out in the wild and move on to the next project. By engaging with those people who are seeing your content you are adding fuel to your marketing fire. You may even find that a lackluster piece of content explodes in popularity simply due to the engagement surrounding it.
Now, the fact is that nearly all audiences are sharing, watching, commenting, liking and following tons of video content. So, your brand should definitely be in that mix. This could include anything from sharing daily “behind the scenes” clips via Instagram Stories, to high quality product videos on eCommerce pages.
As the popularity of video content has risen, so has the ability and expectation to create polished, professional content. This leads us to rule number 2.
Rule #2 – Seek excellence in everything you create… but remain approachable.
So where should you start? Does that mean you should invest thousands of dollars (or euros) into professional video equipment? Maybe, but maybe not.
Again, it all depends on your audience and their expectations. If your audience is mostly comprised of 16-20 year-olds watching goofy YouTube videos, then short GIFs or Handy-shot videos will probably resonate better. However, if your audience is professionals aged 35-50, then investing in quality equipment or hiring a video marketing firm is a safe bet.
No matter which direction you choose, create the best content for your audience that you can, but realize that “best” doesn’t have to mean perfect. It doesn’t even have to mean high-quality. What is best for your audience depends solely on your audience. So start there.
After extensively researching your audience another great way to quickly get an idea of the kind of video content you should be creating is to look at what your competitors are doing. We’re not saying you should copy their approach, but seeing the kind of content that your strongest competitor is sharing will help you focus a bit more.
If you sell products online (eCommerce) a great first step into video content would be to offer videos on your product pages. It can be simple, maybe just someone using the product, or a more in-depth product description video. Studies show that 96% of consumers say that videos are helpful when making a purchase decision, and orders increase some 50% when there are videos present on product pages! Those numbers are hard to ignore.
According to this Infographic from Hubspot and uscreen, 80% of people would prefer to watch a live video than read a blog article….
(Hmmmm… maybe I should have live streamed these ideas)
According to the same research, 82% prefer live video to social posts! These are staggering numbers, and the research shows that these will only increase over the next couple years.
Rule #3 – Go Live
You may be wondering after reading rule #2 why we didn’t mention much about the second part of that rule “… but remain approachable.” That’s because it so strongly ties in to this rule. Live video has proven to be one of the best ways to directly engage with your audience. It screams authenticity and shows your audience that you care enough to share your time and “hang-out” with them! This will bolster goodwill for your brand, and research also shows that brand recall is also increased for those brands sharing live video.
Step-by-step instructions on using Instagram Live.
Maybe you’re thinking,
“We don’t have a large enough following to make live video worthwhile.”
or
“We tried that once, and no one seemed to care.”
We understand the feeling. In the beginning it may feel like you are just talking to the wall. Keep at it! The great thing about live video is that it can easily be archived for use later. As your following/audience grows, they can find or re-watch older “live” videos. While they are technically not live anymore, the authenticity and “real” feel is still there.
Speaking of archived video, it might be time to dig in to those old blog articles or eBooks and turn them into videos.
Rule #4 Repurpose your content
The fact is, a lot of that information that you have already shared via blog articles, eBooks or social posts is probably still relevant! There may be a large group of people who would love to have that info, but they just need it delivered in a specific way.
Try taking 3-4 blog articles that have a similar theme and create a short video series. Better yet, plan a live video feed for a specific time via Facebook or Instagram Live and promote it across your social channels. Invite people to weigh-in on the topic, ask questions and engage the issue. What is great about repurposing content for video is that all the research is already done! All the facts are there, in black and white, meaning there is a lot less time investment on your part.
As technology continues to advance, the ease of creating video does as well. This also breaks down barriers between the brand and the individual. Micro-marketing has never been more focused, allowing brands to literally target their message to one individual.
Rule #5 Don’t be afraid to go 1 on 1.
Tools like Vidyard are making it easy for companies to send lazer focused, personalized emails containing a personalized message and/or video to your list of leads or newsletter subscribers, just like the one below we made with AHA!Videos.
Think about it. How much more interesting would it be to get a personalized video-email than a vague, update newsletter blasted to 1,000s of subscribers. What if you woke up tomorrow and found a video in your inbox, from the CEO of a company whose newsletter you subscribed to last week, that started off with “Hi Austin, I just wanted to personally reachout and say thanks for signing up. There is a lot going on here at X Company, and I’m happy to share that news with you.”
Or, what if you got a personalized video birthday card from X Company on your birthday. Sure, it might creep some people out, but this is already a possibility and it will only become more commonplace as time goes on.
So there you have your 5 rules:
Rule #1 – Engage your Audience
Rule #2 – Seek excellence, but remain approachable
Rule #3 – Go Live!
Rule # 4 – Repurpose your content
Rule #5 – Don’t be afraid to go 1 on 1
If you are in need of assistance in creating content or planning a campaign, feel free to get in touch with us here at Aha Factory. We look forward to sharing our expertise in Online and Digital Marketing, as well as our Video Content Creation services.