Quite simply, if you’re not using inbound video as a central part of your marketing campaign, you’re being left behind by your competitors and the industry. Your business and brand need a video marketing strategy - FACT.
You can’t just churn out any old video content and expect it to be a success. It needs to be well thought out, perfectly executed and aligned with your holistic marketing efforts. Otherwise, you could be releasing videos that are harmful to your campaign and are counterproductive.
Getting started in video can be pretty daunting, we know it’s not easy to put yourself out there in front of the camera first up. However, your brand will reap the benefits of doing so. This post will outline everything you need to know about forming a video marketing strategy that’s proven to deliver results. Plus, help you have a clear head when the time comes to get in front of the lens.
We’ll cover:
- What is inbound video? A quick recap
- Understand your audience and set clear goals
- Ensure brand and message consistency throughout
- Set a realistic and relevant budget
- Channel and audience optimisation is key
What is inbound video? A quick recap
Inbound video is an excellent tool that businesses should be using to reach out and engage with their ideal audience. Videos are dominating at the minute - and that goes for any industry. The way that people have started to consume information has massively shifted, so businesses need to recognise this and start appealing to their needs and requirements.
If they don’t, they’ll be left in the wake of their competition. Audience’s want ease and what’s easier out of the following… reading a 7-minute blog post OR having the whole thing rounded up in a 2-minute appealing video clip? We know which one we’d choose to watch - and we bet you’d choose the latter too.
That doesn’t mean to say that videos shouldn’t be backed up by blog posts and other forms of content marketing - definitely not. Inbound video complements the whole campaign and is another medium that can help drive businesses towards their goals. Your marketing outlets aren’t individual entities, they should all be working together towards the same goals and objectives.
By 2022, it’s predicted that over 82 percent of online traffic will be made up of videos. So, if you’re not using an inbound video marketing approach, you need to think again. By not implementing video throughout your campaign, you’re massively shortening your potential. In fact, you’re shutting off a huge part of the market - inbound video is a great tool for your business.
Understand your audience and set clear goals
As with any marketing strategy, you must understand your audience and set clear goals before you layout your campaign. If you don’t, you might miss the mark completely and waste valuable time, money and resources on a campaign that doesn’t work. At this point, you’re likely to resign to the point that video marketing is “a load of old you know what.” But you couldn’t be more wrong.
It’s at this phase your research begins. Who are you looking to target? What type of content do you need to produce to relate to them? Which channels do they use the most? These are all examples of questions you need to ask yourself when defining your audience. If you leave out these three questions, you’ll likely make a fatal error when planning your video content strategy.
Goals are massively important. What are you aiming to achieve with your video campaign? Are you trying to raise brand awareness, collect your audience’s contact details or finalise and close the lead? The content and flow of your video marketing strategy will depend on what you’re trying to achieve. You want to hit your audience with the right content, at the right time.
Ensure brand and message consistency throughout
While video can seem like quite a stretch away from your regular marketing efforts, it should still portray the same messaging and branding throughout. Otherwise, how will your audience know it’s your brand creating these engaging videos? They won’t. It should be instantly recognisable who’s created the video and your brand should shine throughout.
Companies who are consistent with their branding and messaging are 20 percent more successful than those who aren’t. Something so little, yet so effective. When you think about it, it’s obvious really. If you engage with a brand well through their other channels, you’re going to want to know that it’s them still reaching out to you through video, aren’t you?
Whereas, if you’re unsure where the information is coming from, the video campaign will lose the credibility and thought leadership that you’ve been working so hard to create down the years. If your videos are housed on a third-party host site, like YouTube or Vimeo, make sure that they link back to your site through a landing page too.
Keep the messaging consistent. If your audience lands back on your site and the messaging is completely different from the video that they’ve engaged with, that’s a fast-track ticket to losing all trust. Nobody wants to feel like they’ve been lied to or cheated - be consistent and transparent always.
Set a realistic and relevant budget
One common mistake is that businesses think they can throw as much money as possible at a campaign and think it’s bound for instant success. It’s simply not true. Although, it’s a fine line that needs to be towed, as spend too little on your video content strategy and your audience will be able to tell instantaneously.
Your budget will be different depending on what channel you opt for. If you’re targeting a younger audience, channels like Snapchat and Tik Tok then come into play. These videos are short and fun to produce, and obviously won’t demand the same level of budget that a product demo or multi-channel brand awareness piece would, right?
Another misconception is that inbound video will break the bank. Again, simply not true. Although a ridiculously small budget is likely to reflect in the quality of work, amazing video content can still be produced with a modern smartphone and a couple more accessories. It doesn’t have to be a big professional production for the work to reflect a high level of quality.
All in all, you can only budget what you can afford. It has to be relevant to the size of your business. For instance, don’t think you’ll start your video campaign and be able to afford global superstar influencers to help promote the brand. It’s unrealistic, unachievable and the quality will suffer because of it. Be sensible with your budget - keep it relevant to your business size.
Channel and audience optimisation is key
As we’ve mentioned, it’s important to get your videos in front of the right people at the right time. That’s why making sure that your videos are released on the right channels is vital. Not only this, but you can’t release the same video across each channel and expect a roaring response. Videos have to be optimised for the different audiences of each channel.
For example, videos released on LinkedIn will be a lot more professional and in-depth than those on Instagram. The two platforms have completely different audiences. LinkedIn is a platform for professionals to connect and further their industry insights. So, the language, graphics and soundtrack used in your video will have to reflect this.
If you released the same video on Instagram, it’d stand out like a sore thumb. Plus, your audience wouldn’t want to engage with it. People go on Instagram to leisurely browse, research purchases and find inspiration, not for deep business insights. So, you must research each audience and optimise each video for the various channels you’re using.
Red-Fern can help with your video marketing strategy!
We know all too well what it feels like when the time comes to take the plunge and jump into the inbound video world. At first, it’s daunting and you can feel all stiff and wooden in front of the camera. However, as time goes on and the results come rolling in, the reward drives you on to continue producing amazing video marketing content.
So, why not let Red-Fern help you with your efforts? We’re experts in delivering video marketing strategies for our digital partners. We’re so passionate about video marketing and it shines right through in all that we do. Plus, we realise the importance of an inbound video campaign that dovetails with your wider marketing approach.
If you’re curious about inbound video or want to take the next step in putting yourself out there, why not book a discovery call with us? One of our expert teams will always be on hand to help you get the ball rolling. Plus, answer any questions or alleviate any worries. We look forward to hearing from you!