Video is becoming one of the most essential parts of online marketing, but many companies have not yet created any video content. Leaders may feel intimidated or lost by the process. However, it’s a lot simpler – and more cost-effective – than it first appears.
Let’s look at key steps in starting your own in-house video marketing program.
Understand Your Video Marketing Goals
Text blogs remain the biggest plank in digital marketing strategy for most companies, but it’s vital to find natural ways to integrate video. Video can inform, persuade, and fan engagement. Look at your current content output and determine ways video can be complementary.
Decide How to Realize Those Goals
There are many different types of videos, from candid “behind the scenes” pieces to animation and kinetic text. Determine what genre of video your brand should focus on and you’ll usually discover the approach that’s right for you:
Education
Educational videos are the bread and butter of most B2B brands. They are built around thought leadership or actionable steps your audience can take right away. An interview with one of your company leaders makes for a fine educational video, for example.
Entertainment
Entertaining videos build awareness – yes, even for B2B. Giving your viewers the chance to laugh provokes positive emotional associations with your brand. Plus, you can differentiate from competitors who are too stolid to crack a smile.
Inspiration
Inspirational and motivational content has long been a cornerstone of video content for smaller entrepreneurs. However, it can also get your bigger B2B customers revved up and ready to win.
Dive into Video Content Creation
For some companies, reaching out for an outsourced solution is the natural next step. However, it’s a good idea to explore production on your own so you can find ways to create videos that yield faster turnaround time and more authenticity.
Getting your feet wet with short streaming video, such as Facebook Live, is a great starting point. People respond well to videos that reveal what goes on behind the scenes … and the lack of fancy video equipment actually makes it seem more “real.”
Optimize and Produce Consistently
Your first video will be your worst, but it’s something to build on. Now, you need to ensure your content is fully aligned with your keyword strategy and has all the appropriate on-page SEO for its platform. Monitor video performance in your analytics suite and watch user comments to see how people are reacting. And add video content as an ongoing process in your content calendar!
Video marketing has huge ROI. You don’t need to be an experienced videographer to get started: Simply understand your audience and create the right content to meet their needs.