While there’s only a fourth of the year left, there’s still plenty of time to introduce video content into your marketing plan. Video continues to be one of the most effective ways to market to a broad audience. In fact, according to a study conducted by Cisco, it’s predicted that by 2022, online video content will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic.
The bottom line is that humans are visual, which means that video content is more memorable and engaging in comparison to text-based content. If you’re interested in creating video content, there are some tips and tricks you’ll want to know to be successful.
Here are six tips for using video marketing in 2019.
Table of Contents
1. Define Your Target Audience
Just as you write blogs for a certain subset of consumers, you want to do the same when creating video content. Before creating a video, make sure that you define who you’re making the video for. Which consumers are likely to be most interested in the message you’re sharing?
When creating a target audience, there are all sorts of factors you can consider; such as gender, age, location, language, and interests. By defining your audience, you can ensure that your content always reaches the most relevant people.
2. Focus on Value
We’ve all been scrolling on social media, only to come across one of those annoying and frustrating overly-sales-oriented videos. This type of content definitely doesn’t reach the ranks of being some of the most viewed YouTube videos. In fact, if you’re like most people, you watch a few seconds of those videos and then get back to scrolling. You don’t want to be that company!
Even if your end goal is to increase sales, a sales pitch video won’t be well-received. You’ll only end up annoying and repelling customers versus attracting them to your product and brand.
If you want to create successful videos that produce measurable results, focus on the value of the content. Appeal to your consumer’s wants and needs. Include a catchy call to action that fits into the overall story.
3. Get the Point Across Quickly
Social media and constant scrolling have given us even shorter attention spans. These days your marketing success is sealed in just a few seconds. Videos need to catch the viewer’s attention within 10 seconds. This means you need to get right to the point and spark your audience’s curiosity. You can do this by:
- Using teasers
- Creating a hook
- Asking questions
- Using graphical elements
- Being funny
You’ll also want to upload your video using an interesting thumbnail. Both YouTube and Facebook allow you to select a thumbnail. This way, you can attract attention that gets people excited to watch your video even before playing it.
Within the first few seconds, viewers should know why they want to watch your video. Whether you’re teaching them something new, making them laugh, or inspiring them, the key is to be catchy, quickly.
4. Silence Matters
Aside from getting your point across quickly, it’s just as important to find ways to tell your story with and without sound. Consumers are more likely to watch a video with the sound off than on.
If you want to get Instagram followers or increase your likes on Facebook, you’ll need to tailor videos to the silent majority.
So how can you create compelling content without using audio? Some of the best options include using enticing visuals, colorful captions, and subtitles. Lengthy text descriptions are also beneficial.
5. Use CTAs
You don’t create video content just for the sake of creating it. In order to get consumers to take the action you want, you’ll need to convince them to do so.
Before posting your video online, you’ll want to ensure that you use a catchy call to action (CTA). The purpose of the video will drive the CTA. If you’re looking to sell a new product, use a CTA such as “click for a discount” or “buy now.” You can also use non-sales CTAs such as:
- Drop a comment
- Follow and like the page
- Subscribe to the channel
- Share the video with friends
- Check out other posts
CTAs can be used at the beginning, middle, or end of a video, but most markets choose to include a catchy phrase at the end.
6. Search Engine Optimize
You’d never write a blog post without optimizing it for search. With consumers performing billions of searches each day, it’s more important than ever to optimize your video content. Without optimization, your videos won’t get the views you need.
To optimize video content for search engines, be sure to always write a video description, use keywords in video titles, use video transcripts, and use a catchy thumbnail image.
Conclusion
Video marketing may seem simple, but there’s a lot of detail and technique that goes into it. If you’re just now introducing video into your marketing campaign, keep these tips and tricks in mind so that you can experience success and a high return on investment.
About Carson Derrow
