Video is one of the most effective ways to educate and engage your customers across all digital channels. It’s become a primary tool for advertising and marketing communications and is an indispensable asset for businesses looking to position themselves as an industry leader.
Proactively planning and implementing a well-defined video marketing strategy allows you to maximize impact without overwhelming limited resources. Integrating video into your marketing strategy involves the following key steps:
First things first – know what you want to achieve with your videos. Think about your business goals and how videos can help you get there.
Here are some of the top marketing goals video can help accomplish:
Next, clearly define who you’re talking to. Knowing your target audience inside and out lets you tailor your content to their needs and interests. Ask yourself who needs your service, why they need it, and where they’ll look for it. Determine specific user personas and develop journey maps for each to ensure a customer-centric perspective is followed.
Think about:
Now that you know who you’re talking to and why, let’s determine what content pillars and video formats will best align with your goals and resonate with your audience.
Identify the core themes, or content pillars, that you can use as the basis for producing meaningful and actionable content. Content pillars serve as a framework to organize topics into thematic categories. This ensures consistency and relevance in your messaging and demonstrates your brand’s commitment to its core values.
Also determine the best formats to use. The following are some common options for video for guiding your audience through the marketing funnel:
Next is deciding where to reach your audience. Different platforms suit different types of content and audiences and help determine the appropriate frequency of outreach.
Example Platforms:
A great video strategy will include a healthy mix of high-production and lower-production value projects to post across different platforms with varying frequency. An employee takeover of Instagram stories is a low-effort, fun monthly task, while a detailed webinar series may involve extensive planning and scripting.
Budget tips:
Step 1: Goals
First things first – know what you want to achieve with your videos. Think about your business goals and how videos can help you get there.
Here are some of the top marketing goals video can help accomplish:
- Building brand awareness
- Driving leads and converting leads into sales
- Showing products in action
- Educating customers
- Defining your brand through stories
- Demonstrating thought leadership
- Increasing engagement
Step 2: Audience
Next, clearly define who you’re talking to. Knowing your target audience inside and out lets you tailor your content to their needs and interests. Ask yourself who needs your service, why they need it, and where they’ll look for it. Determine specific user personas and develop journey maps for each to ensure a customer-centric perspective is followed.
Think about:
- Demographics: age, gender, location, education, job, income
- Psychographics: interests, hobbies, values, beliefs, lifestyle
- Behavior: how they spend free time, purchasing habits, how often they need your product/service, decision-making factors
- Media consumption: social platforms they use, content types they love, favorite websites
- Product-specific: problems your product/service solve, objections they might have, features they might care about
Step 3: Content
Now that you know who you’re talking to and why, let’s determine what content pillars and video formats will best align with your goals and resonate with your audience.
Identify the core themes, or content pillars, that you can use as the basis for producing meaningful and actionable content. Content pillars serve as a framework to organize topics into thematic categories. This ensures consistency and relevance in your messaging and demonstrates your brand’s commitment to its core values.
Also determine the best formats to use. The following are some common options for video for guiding your audience through the marketing funnel:
Awareness
Videos at this stage are designed to attract attention and introduce potential customers to your brand and show them that they have a problem that your product or service can solve.- Explainers: Animated videos that break down complex concepts.
- Vlogs: Video blogs that add a personal touch to a content platform.
- Livestreams: Real-time broadcasts of events that actively engage users.
- UGC: User-generated content showcasing real experiences with your product.
- Event coverage: Highlights and summaries of attended or hosted events.
- Behind-the-scenes: Glimpses into the daily operations of the company.
Consideration
These videos will help potential customers evaluate your offerings by providing more detailed information.- Testimonials: Real customer stories.
- Interviews: Conversations with industry experts, clients or team members.
- Tutorials/how-tos: Step-by-step guides to supplement product or service information.
Conversion
At this stage, your videos should build on the information provided during the consideration stage, offering that final push needed to encourage a purchase or desired action.- Product demos: Showcase your product’s features and benefits.
- Vlogs: Video blogs that add a personal touch to a content platform.
- Interviews: Conversations with industry experts, clients or team members.
Loyalty
Videos in this stage should aim to nurture relationships, encourage repeat purchases or desired actions, and turn satisfied customers into loyal advocates of your brand.- Thank you videos: Personalized or generic messages thanking a customer for purchasing from your brand.
- Exclusive content: Special access to videos that offer behind-the-scenes looks, sneak peaks, or insider information.
- Loyalty program promotions: Highlight perks and benefits of your loyalty program, encouraging customers to continue engaging and earning rewards.
Step 4: Platforms
Next is deciding where to reach your audience. Different platforms suit different types of content and audiences and help determine the appropriate frequency of outreach.
Example Platforms:
- Website: Embed videos on landing pages to boost engagement and SEO.
- YouTube: Host livestreams and long-form content like webinars and tutorials.
- Facebook/Instagram: Share short-form, engaging content.
- TikTok: Share short-form engaging content to a younger audience.
- LinkedIn: Post professional and industry related videos.
- Other: Don’t forget platforms like X, Pinterest or Reddit if they fit your audience.
Step 5: Budget
A great video strategy will include a healthy mix of high-production and lower-production value projects to post across different platforms with varying frequency. An employee takeover of Instagram stories is a low-effort, fun monthly task, while a detailed webinar series may involve extensive planning and scripting.
Budget tips:
- Repurpose existing content: Convert popular blog posts into videos, use existing video footage to create new content or break out longer videos into multiple chapters.
- Pilot projects: Start with a few test videos to gauge what works best before investing in larger projects or committing to a series.
- Leverage in-house talent: Encourage employees to participate in video creation. They can share their expertise or provide behind-the-scenes content.
- Optimize production costs: Film multiple videos in one session to save time and resources.
