Experts have dubbed video one of the most important developments in the marketing world, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Video is no longer an up-and-coming content marketing trend—it’s an integral part of many companies’ marketing plans.

In other words, video waltzed through the content marketing door, took its shoes off, and got comfortable.

And it’s effective, too – including videos on your landing pages can increase conversions by 80%. In addition, 92% of mobile video consumers share videos with other people. Video is a powerful tool for reaching and engaging your target audience.

In this post, we’ll take a look at eight things your video marketing strategy should include to take your efforts to the next level.

1. Create a posting schedule

Viewers expect regular content updates, so it’s important to think of your videos in terms of campaigns instead of posting videos at random. Think of stories that you can tell and break them into multiple parts, posting a new update each week.

After you’ve established the content of your videos, create a publishing schedule. Establishing and maintaining a consistent posting schedule will encourage your audience to come back for more videos. You can also space your videos out over time and use them to lead viewers up to a big product launch or exciting announcement.

Continue to implement new campaigns according to your posting schedule to keep your audience engaged in your content. This will also help to establish your business as a leader in your industry if you post consistent, helpful video content.

2. Include tutorials and demos

Want to explain how your products work? With video marketing, you can create content that demonstrates how to use them.

If someone has a question about your products or services, they can view your videos before purchasing. For example, if I want to buy a new backpack for hiking, I can go online and check out reviews and video demos from popular brands. Then, I can better compare the features and choose the best backpack for me.

Tutorials and demos can ease customers’ concerns and help them feel confident in their decision to purchase a particular product or service. This will help to convert more of your site visitors into satisfied customers.

3. Tell stories

If you’re like me, you love good stories—stories that reel you in and keep you on the edge of your seat.

Incorporating stories into your video content is a great way to improve viewer engagement. Rather than simply introducing your company, your mission, and your products, look for ways to tell stories with your videos. How does your company impact your clients? Are you making a difference in the community? Develop your story, and use videos to share it with your audience.

4. Show your personality

Your videos are a great chance to showcase your company culture. People don’t want to watch boring videos. They are more likely to watch videos that are engaging and full of personality.

Think about what sets your business apart, and highlight that in your videos. Don’t waste time creating videos that don’t do your company justice.

5. Incorporate customer-generated content

People love seeing themselves in videos, so why not make your customers the stars of the show? You can encourage them to create videos while using your products and services, then post those videos to your social media profiles and website.

When people see themselves in the videos, they will likely share them with friends and family. And every time someone shares one of your videos, your brand will gain exposure in the newsfeeds of a wide audience of people.

6. Don’t forget calls to action

Don’t forget to include calls to action in your videos. If you want someone to visit your website or follow you on social media, let them know.

If someone is speaking in the video, they can easily instruct viewers to take a desired action. You can also include text in your videos that links to your website and encourages viewers to check it out for more information.

Customers might enjoy your video, but if they have no idea what to do after they watch it, you may be pouring time and money down the drain. Adding a call to action is simple, and can spark conversions that may never have otherwise happened.

7. Optimize videos with SEO content

Did you know that Google indexes YouTube videos? So when someone searches for your brand and a particular phrase, you have the opportunity to show up multiple times in the same search.

To optimize your videos, you can include keywords in your video descriptions. And you can add shortened links with calls to action that encourage people to visit your website or a landing page with a special offer.

You can also take advantage of YouTube’s tagging feature, which determines the relevance of your videos and groups similar videos together. This will help your video appear as a “related video” when viewers watch similar content.

8. Evaluate success

In order to create successful video marketing campaigns, you have to understand and evaluate the effectiveness of your video marketing strategies.

Many video hosting sites include analytics and can give you an idea of how your videos are performing. You can use these analytics to analyze metrics such as the number of times of video is played and the percentage of visitors who clicked the play button.

Additionally, you can integrate your videos on your site and monitor the results with Google Analytics. This will enable you to get the same level of insight with your videos as all of the other content on your site.

Video has gained a tremendous amount of momentum in the world of marketing, and it’s not expected to lose traction in the near future.

Source: WebFX; written by Emily Carter on May 26, 2020