Video marketing has changed as the online world, and consumers, have evolved. Its main goal today is to provide engaging and valuable content to the average user.
Videos:
- Allow a person to get up close and personal with your company without actually being face to face
- Keep users captivated with sound, motion and images
- Can provide a powerful message in just seconds without all the extra fluff
Once you have video content, what do you do with it? Your first thought may be to put it on your website. This is important, but how do you plan to get the video out to the world immediately? The solution is incorporating social media into your overall video marketing strategy.
Understanding the Social Media Landscape
Social media is a powerful tool and has grown in popularity alongside video content. As of January 2020, there were 3.8 billion social media users worldwide. This means that there are users everywhere searching for the right solution to their problems—that solution may be you and your business.
Social media is a fantastic resource that can drive leads at the click of a button. By incorporating videos into your social media posts, you can improve key engagement metrics like clicks and shares, entertain users, show the value of your content and, overall, spread awareness of your company and its core offerings. Additionally, an estimated 80% of all traffic will consist of video by 2021, according to Cisco. It’s right in the data—video marketing matters, and you can maximize your results through social media.
How Video Marketing and Social Media Can Work in Unison (and Provide Results)
Social media and videos are two very powerful assets and, when combined, result in an electrifying social media video marketing strategy that is sure to win your audience over and boost return on investment (ROI). In fact, 88% of marketers are satisfied with the ROI of their social media video marketing efforts. Let’s dive in and see how your company can amplify its video marketing engagement and ROI results.
Refining Your Video Marketing Strategy for Social Media
Plan Ahead
Before you get started creating video content and engaging captions, take a step back and invest your time and energy into creating a thorough plan. Similar to all of the other content you’ve created, you need to have a set goal in mind. Then, ask yourself these questions to ensure your goal is achievable and detailed:
- What am I trying to accomplish?
- Will this content resonate with my target audience?
- How will this content stand out on a social media platform feed?
- How does this tie into my entire marketing plan?
- Does video have a positive impact on my bottom line?
- And most importantly, will this bring me significant ROI?
Decide Which Platform Is Best for Your Video Content
Video marketing content and strategies can vary depending on what platform you use, but the basic tactics for getting started still hold true. Think about these key points as you find the right fit for your video marketing content.
- Where is your target audience? You need to ensure that your content is posted through a platform where your target audience is active and engaged. For example, if you are a B2B that is looking to work with working professionals and C-suite executives, you are likely to find your ideal audience on LinkedIn. When you find the right platform and have the right content, you can boost engagement metrics and drive your prospects down the sales funnel.
- Is your video length right for this platform? Before posting, be sure to optimize your video length to each social media platform. The experts at HubSpot recommend the following video lengths for each platform:
As you can see, video lengths tend to be on the lower end to accommodate our short attention spans. Now that you’ve seen the ideal video lengths on social media, how will you get your point across given these standards?
- Does this call to action (CTA) fit well with my video? A clear and valuable CTA can be the difference between getting 500 or five views to your offer. When posting a video on social media, be sure that your CTA is worthwhile for the viewer and fills them in on exactly what they’re getting. For example, if your goal is for people to download a case study on your website, your video should give a brief overview of the case study’s content and ultimately suggest that users click the link in your social media post to download the offer.
Putting Social Media Video Marketing Into Action
Many businesses are still getting used to the major shift to digital platforms and media, and many are just seeing the importance of video marketing. While social media may not be the main focus, it can provide value to your overall video marketing strategy and can directly impact your sales. Keep these tips in mind as you start your journey into the land of social media video marketing.
- Stay Current: Both social media and video marketing trends are constantly changing. Stay ahead of your competitors by reading up on the latest trends and adjusting your overall strategy as needed. Additionally, when you’re already in sync with the latest trends, you can drive more leads by producing cutting-edge content that matches your target audience’s interests and needs.
- Mix It Up: Change up the videos you put out on social media. Don’t solely post customer testimonials; shake it up a bit and add in behind-the-scenes videos of your team at work. Your audience will appreciate the diversity of content and not get bored over the same videos time after time.
- Produce High-Quality Content: Not everyone is willing to spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars on a video that will only be used on social media. We understand that! In fact, with such growth in the popularity of video content, it is now easier than ever to create high-quality videos for next to nothing. Take advantage of platforms like Adobe Spark or Wistia that are user-friendly and give you a great end product, regardless of video creation experience! These platforms allow you to create fresh video content without breaking the bank.
- Build Connections: Producing video content that users can engage with and see a different side of your brand is key. This allows you to build trust and foster meaningful relationships with your audience and gain more prospects and evangelists. Whether you’re showing a product demo or taking a minute to sit down and share company news in a video, you are showing that your company is more than just a product or service. It’s a team of individuals that want to help you solve your problems—a team that cares about their products and their customers.
Video Marketing Content Recommendations
Has your team considered these video best practices? If not, it may be a part of why you're not seeing lead growth. With video marketing, the options for content are endless! Here are some popular video recommendations you can use to kick-off your social media video marketing:
- About Us Videos: Tell your audience what your business is and what it stands for. What separates you from the crowd? Who’s your team and what makes them an essential part of your business?
- Case Study Videos: Case studies help you show the value of your products and services and also highlight how your clients have benefited from your partnership.
- Product Demo Videos: Have a product that is hard to explain? Show it in progress with a product demo! Be sure to show the audience how the product works and how it benefits the business.
- FAQ Videos: Answer your audience’s burning questions through a quick video with an answer that can educate your followers.
- Promotion Videos: Is your company running a special? Do they offer an exclusive service? Promote it through a video that drives back to an offer!
- Customer Testimonial Videos: Build brand trust and recognition with customer testimonial videos.
- Content Recap Videos: Do you have a piece of content that was posted ages ago and needs a revamp? Make it a video! If you want to promote an older piece of content that did extremely well, make a video out of the key highlights and link back to the original content.
As more businesses enter the digital space, it will be harder to cut through the noise and get your video content to people. That’s why utilizing social media for your video marketing strategy is your secret weapon. With relative and captivating videos, a clear CTA and a goal in mind, you are set up for success.