Video Marketing: A Simple and Complete Guide

The use of visual elements to make engaging, effective, and efficient content as part of Digital Marketing is usually called Video Marketing. It can be of any format- Testimonials, Explainers, How-to-videos, Product Reviews, Social content, Commercials, and much more.

1. What is common between BMW, Samsung, and Gillette’s video campaigns released? They have multiple million views and engagements.
2. Which is the most popular site after Google? YouTube.
3. What did the World mostly do in this pandemic –lockdowns? Watched videos. Videos on Facebook. Videos on Instagram Reels. Videos on Watsapp status.
4. What does this signify? Well, you get the drift. Video Marketing is here to stay.

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How important is Video Marketing today?

We, human beings are visual creatures. Studies show at least 65% of people are visual learners. The staggering statistics here are proof of this.

• 6 out of 10 people would rather watch online videos than TV. (Google)
• Users view more than 1 billion hours of video on YouTube every day. (YouTube).
• A Website has more chance to reach the front pages of Google search if it has a video on its page (Insivia).

Why is Video Marketing getting popular today?

Videos are emotional, effective, and easily accessible. Think of the last time you scrolled across a social media site. Chances are that you have come across a video most of the time-a a viral one that shows the talent of a seemingly ordinary person, a campaign for a social cause, or simply a laugh-out-loud one. Videos are the easiest to consume. They are efficient in putting across a message and when we take into account the number of people having a phone connection with internet accessibility, videos are becoming the unavoidable medium in the marketing world.

Videos can also increase your visibility, SEO presence, open up conversations and shoot up click rates. Recent research assures that a customer/consumer follows a video tutorial or a video product review before buying anything-from a Smart TV to a vacuum cleaner. The target audience can be easily reached through a properly executed video marketing campaign.

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Here are the types of Video Marketing:

1. Educational/Instructional Videos

These videos are crowd favorite. Every one of us has searched Google/YouTube for accessing new facts/figures/ideas/knowledge. The video format of explanations can work wonderfully in any position on a marketing campaign. It can be in the awareness stage (introductory space) or the execution stage (in the case of a product or a service). It piques the viewer’s interest and helps further in its advancement in the sale cycle.

2. Animated Videos

Animated videos have integrated into the world of Video marketing with much popularity nowadays. They make an entertaining and compelling format with high visual engagement. These videos assure the ‘fun’ part which makes the attention-grabbing easier and ‘cool quotient paving the way to sharing and spreading the message. Their exploding presence can be seen from the entry of numerous apps and tools which help a layman to make animated videos on his phone.

3. Brand Videos/Commercials

There is no further explanation needed to showcase the importance of having a video campaign/commercial to establish the brand. ‘Amul girl’, Vodafone Zoozoos, “Just Do It” –Nike and a lot of other marketing campaigns have shown us the power of commercials in reaching the brand across the generations. They can build trust, multiply visibility, sustain memory and increase sales.

As they are not limited to a particular format, they can be shared on different social media sites.

4. Event Videos or Live Videos

Live streams and presentations are the new normal in recent times. They have a special bonding with the audience as the engagements are real-time and lively. A live stream has become the most immediate and authentic way to connect to the target audience.

The event videos even in a snipped or edited version provide another venue to have an up-close and personal video format. They can be a platform to convey the social consciousness of the brand too.

5. Testimonial or Feedback Videos

Another type of video one cannot ignore in the marketing campaign –testimonials or feedbacks. Honest feedback from a customer or a personal remark about the product or service make excellent content

In the long run. Almost all the sales in the world in the modern-day happen after a view at the online reviews-Research and studies have shown the huge influence of genuine reviews. It is no wonder that numerous review videos are being uploaded every second on the internet.

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Now, how to make an exciting and enticing Video Marketing Campaign? Let’s look into the strategizing part.

The process behind the product

Any successful endeavor demands a detailed planning process behind them. This part of the campaign also needs a blueprint scheduling the various aspects.

This would include

• Researching the background or the story to be told
• Assessing Customer/consumer needs
• Strategizing the content of the video
• Shooting process or the production time
• Editing and refining the video content
• Embedding the video content in the campaign process
• Distributing the same on various platforms
• Maximizing the reach and impact of the video
• Analyzing the feedback of the performance
• Measuring the outcome to improve further

In a broader sense, this would comprise the following:

1. WHO? -The first and foremost is finding the purpose of the video-This stage requires the makers to decide on the form/type of the video to be produced. The message to be conveyed should also be discussed.

Additionally, some pointers to be noted in this stage are

• Create the basic framework of a powerful story.

A brainstorm with creative heads, preparing a script and storyboard along with sharing perspectives of everyone involved sets the agenda. The Four elements: Characters, Conflict, Resolution, and Quest – should be focused on.

• A timeline is to be prepared here. For example, pre-production, production, and post-production are to be scheduled in advance.

There is a lot of nitty-gritty when it comes to the function of production units- like hiring actors, technicians, and talents, purchasing equipment, scheduling the timeline, etc. Other areas like accounting the budget, acquiring licenses, and maintaining the pace of production also need supervision.

• The audio and video quality are the other two crucial areas to address.

An expert in the field or a trained creative director brings sufficient inputs. This is imperative to produce a standard and compelling video. The success of the campaign largely depends on the beautiful, quality-driven output. The post-production area can undertake other editing needs of the videos.

2. WHAT?-Pointing in the target audience is the next step. The buyer/consumer persona should be targeted at this stage to make a productive campaign. They may not effortlessly channel to the video. If it is not the general audience that one is targeting, they should find ways to reach the specific group it is intended for.

Certain snippets to think on the way are

• Title and keyword insertion is a good way to grab the attention of visitors/customers and SEO. Video increases the visibility quotient and when it is combined with the right keywords, it can create a huge difference in the receiver end.
• Links, thumbnails, site maps should also be given prominence to rank in the search engine. It would also clarify the matter to the audience. The authenticity of the post, which is a great parameter for search engine algorithms, borrows highly from the links and thumbnails inserted.
• Consistency is another key. Regular updates along with a proper timeline or schedule can work magic in the campaigns. Providing the right information in the backend also enables the search engines to categorize videos in the correct areas.

Key areas to be considered are

• Posting the video on the website increases the traffic and the site’s performance. Get other influencers/bloggers/channels to embed your video on their sites.
• Posting on YouTube and engaging the audience by reacting to comments. Utilizing Google Ad words to promote content on YouTube as Google now owns the platform.
• Pay to promote on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sites. IGTV, Reels, etc. bring the ultimate platform for short but effective marketing space.

More on this, in the latter part of the article.

Right. Since we went through a brief analysis of how a video marketing campaign is organized, let us look specifically into the marketing part.

Video-making can be outsourced to an agency or expert in the field. But the marketing part often ignored is another area that needs skillful supervision. Let us look into the fundamentals regarding the video marketing part.

Video Content Distribution or Video Content Marketing

Distributing the incredible video that you made on the right channels is a very essential part of marketing.

Let us analyze the two channels of distribution: Owned and paid.

Owned Media

This channel is one of the easiest to manage. It is unavoidable too. This can be through blogs, websites, emails, or social media handles. Here entails the primary source of contact for the audience. Purposeful and intelligent engagements at this point can pique their interest further.

On websites, the video can be posted from the landing pages to any significant space on other pages, to improve the impact.

In blogs, along with the relevant news of the product/service, the video will amplify the knowledge as well as the aesthetical space.

In an email, they would increase the credibility of the subject matter and clarify the direct communication process.

In social media sites, the video presence would increase the sight of the page as the algorithms now a day has increased their priority towards such content.

Paid Media

It means investing money to distribute the video on media. Research results agree that even a small investment in this area can significantly pull up the content. There are various ways to do this.

• Influencer tie-ups: let us agree, you have not passed a day recently without catching a shout-out or endorsement from an influencer. This is a great way to expand its reach. They surely generate lots of views and shares.
• Search Ads: Search ads usually invite low costs but if used properly they can be utilized to the maximum. Including keywords in the video description and adding attractive captions or offers in the content is a sure way to engage the audience.
• Social Media: Unlike the organic posts on one’s page, paid social media marketing allows us to target the intended persons to watch the content. They include differentiating the targeted group based on location, interest, income, and demography.
• Traditional advertising: An area still getting its prominence as there have been an obvious rise in watch time, platforms, and interests. A PR agency would definitely up the game. Publication in the news channels, entertainment venues, and local platforms –the more venues, the better is the campaign.

First and foremost the ideal length of a video as experts suggest are

• 2 minutes for YouTube
• 1 minute for Facebook
• 45 seconds for Twitter
• 30 seconds for Instagram.

The attention span of the person sitting in front of each medium might vary, studies say so. Keeping this in view let us look into the next stage.

Best Practices To Be Adopted

There are certain best practices to be adopted for major social media sites when it comes to video marketing. Let us analyze some of them.

Facebook

1. Upload the video directly to the Facebook page.
2. Try to catch the attention within the first four seconds.
3. Check the immense possibilities of 360 videos
4. A live video from the official page can do wonders for the campaign.

Instagram

1 . Since it is a platform designed for mobile, videos should be captured in that format.

1. Use relevant hashtags and location tagging
2. The targeted audience can be reached through Stories and Reels
3. Tie-ups with influencer crowds are inevitable in the present-day scenario.

YouTube

1. 1. Catchy titles, SEO tags, and captivating presentations are important.
2. Customize the thumbnails as the visual value is high on the platform.
3. Cross-promotion and engaging the community are YouTube norms.
4. Running a contest or Giveaway is actively pursued in most cases.

Right. So we have produced a video. Distributed it over the channels. Now what?

Here comes the analytical part.

It’s great to have reached this stage. But analysis of the production is crucial.

Analysis of Video Marketing 

Most of us think that the more liked and the most shared content is counted as successful ones. This is not right. There are several other key indicators to look into for measuring the performance of a video.

1. If the brand marketing goal is awareness, then the indicators to measure are views, impressions, awareness lift, ad recall lift, etc. What are these?

• Views-These are defined differently by each publishing site. For YouTube, it is the 30-second mark. For Facebook and Instagram, it is the 3-second mark.
• Impression-this is the count after the first frame of the video.
• Awareness lift-Research result of the number of people who remember your brand, after a stipulated period.
• Ad recall lift-Research result of the number of people who remember your ad/video content, after a certain number of days.

2. The goal of engagement or consideration is measured by view-through rate, watch time, favorability lift, etc.

• View-through rate: This is the total view count divided by the number of impressions. This VTR is calculated as the number of people who are interested in the product/service.
• Watch time: The cumulative watch time of the video is called watch-time. Certain video hosts like YouTube actively promote such content.
• Favorability Lift: This is also a research result which answers the question of whether the consumers see a particular brand in a favorable light or not. The watch counts and numbers might not deliver the same message.

3. If the marketing goal is to increase purchases in the sale cycle, the measuring metrics will be clicks, calls, sign-ups, and sales.

• Clicks- usually counted as the number of people clicking on a link attached or connecting to the sale page. The population who watch the video for more time is likely to click this option and buy the service/product.
• Calls- The cookies installed on the page help us to review the caller’s actions and know the premise. They have decided to seek the product by watching the video.
• Signups- An excellent idea to capture the leads. The decision to seek more knowledge of the product/service causes one to sign up for the newsletter or information tags.
• Sales- The most direct way is taken by some after watching the video. The feedback forms allow us to know these metrics. The user’s behavior should be tracked further to increase the prospects.

There is a post-purchase aspect of video marketing. This enables the company to increase the satisfaction level of the consumer and the repetition of the sale cycle.

Reaction to feedback videos, Testimonials, retention-factor to existing videos, etc. is the measurable component for this.

As of now, we have looked into the production aspects of a video, distribution, and analysis of the results using performance indicators. Now what?

Optimizing The Video After Analysis

This is the most insightful part. At this stage, we know the customer pattern and behaviors. From now on, we can optimize the video for present and future use.

The ways to do it are:

1. Analyzing the results
2. Learning about the prospects
3. Re-optimizing the content
4. Utilizing the data collected 

On analysis, we can find the drawbacks of the content. For example, take a look at the view counts. If your video views are dropping after 4 seconds, the low count should be taken as an indicator. The comments can also be a great pointer.

Prospects or Consumer learning is another aspect. Finding the types of interface they are using-like a phone or laptop, the demographic variations to signify the type of fonts to be used and many more consequential findings are to be recorded.

Even if it is not possible to edit the content already put out for consumption, another optimized version can be published. Giving a little more context to the idea, increasing links, uploading a shorter version, including fun bits, etc. can be thought of.

We can learn a multitude of things in each part of the process. Every success or failure teaches us valuable lessons. We can utilize them in future endeavors.

To sum it up there are some broad pointers that we need to focus on as a whole.

• Create videos with a strong message and an aesthetic sense
• Make the content multiple-platform friendly.
• Extra visuals or shortened versions to engage in various mediums.
• Publish it fearlessly and push more to increase its reach
• Paid campaigns, multiple channels, an enthusiastic drive –do what you can.
• Promote. Promote
• Track results through multiple indicators
• Optimize content as per them
• Put out a different or shorter version

Bottom-Line

 Videos are the most interesting way to connect with your audience. It is fun. In an impersonal digital world, video resonates with people instantly. Visual language is no wonder, the most welcoming of all. Apart from the business analysis, they are meaningful platforms that help to spread the message and share your philosophy with the world.

Video marketing is the most powerful tool in the hands of digital marketers if used properly.

FAQs

Q. How effective is video marketing?

Mostly we believe in what we see than what we hear. So definitely video marketing gives the clear picture of how the product is and how to use the product. Also, the study shows that 90% of the customers buy the product after watching the video content which helps them make the purchase decisions easier.

Q. Is video marketing a cheaper alternative than the traditional marketing strategies?

The traditional marketing strategies involved traditional print of ads which were not affordable much by the small businesses. Also not much effective. So yes, video marketing is way for a cheaper alternative and affordable for small businesses and also the start-ups.

Q. What are the hindrances in video marketing?

As we all are aware of how fast the technology is growing there are also cons to it. Sometimes there are technical glitch and many software also blocks the ads for uninterrupted video experiences.