Exclusive Traffic Insights – The Perfect Combos For Winning Campaigns
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Jun 4, 2020
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4 min read
With 2.08 billion global smartphone users in 2016 – and that number expected to climb even higher in 2017 – today’s road to marketing success involves reaching out to the smartphone audience, and roping them in. And one of the best ways to do that is with video. Video is key to today’s marketing strategy, and one of the best aspects of this medium is it doesn’t require a huge budget. Look at the videos that have gone viral this year. Many of them were made fairly simply.
So even if you are on a shoestring budget, don’t be intimidated by the concept of producing a video. Certainly, even with a very limited investment of time and money, you can develop and implement a successful promotional video. Here are a few tips to set up a good video marketing strategy.
Know Your Audience
The first step in any marketing venture (and video is no exception) involves defining your goal. What is the purpose of your video? A video could educate, entertain, or inspire – and it must do one of these things if it’s going to be successful. Find the right niche for your video. Don’t forget: Material that is purely self-promotional doesn’t get shared on social media channels and does not have any impact. That’s not the kind of video you want.
When thinking about the type of video you want to create, spend some time identifying the following:
- Who’s your target audience?
- What are their needs and wants?
- What makes them share, like, or buy?
- What type of content are they likely to appreciate?
The Next Step: Brainstorm
Videos can go in lots of different directions, so let your mind think freely and come up with a bunch of interesting ideas. Videos can be designed to be instructional, or they can share your brand story. Alternatively, they can offer a customer perspective, or they can entertain. It’s really a question of what you think your customers will enjoy and share. A fun example of a company that uses video very effectively is Lowe’s, a home improvement retailer that shares cute, 6-second videos explaining home improvement tasks. You can check out their videos here.
One tip: Don’t be afraid to borrow ideas from other companies! Some of the best campaigns began by taking a strategy from an unrelated market and applying it to a new industry.
You may want to experiment with your first few videos and try various formats to see what works. It depends on your niche.
Get to Work!
No, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to make the video yourself. Of course, you can definitely consider that as an option, and it’s the least expensive way to go. But if you feel you don’t have the skill to make a great video, you do have other choices.
If you have the budget for it, you can hire an agency to develop a top-quality piece. Remember, however, that you once you’ve paid the agency, you’ll still need to promote your video – they don’t do that for you. An alternative option is to work with vloggers who can both make your video, and promote it.
Promote
Once you have finished making your video, find bloggers, other businesses, and friends who are happy to help you spread the word about your new content. You can’t merely record a video and publish it to YouTube – you need to find creative ways to promote it strategically.
Leave Something for the Next Time…
A good trick is to find ways to keep your audience waiting and eager for more. If you can create something that leaves viewers curious about your next production, you will generate a group of loyal fans who will share, like, and subscribe. And that’s the real success!
