Digital marketing is not just about creating written content and regularly posting photos. Using video files also makes it possible to reach your target more effectively. However, even though most marketers know that video is important, the goals behind it aren’t always clear.

According to Wyzowl’s Video Marketing Statistics 2018 Survey, 81% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, up from 63% in 2017. In addition, 81% of people were convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video. Here’s how to set up a video marketing strategy !

Understand your audience and set campaign goals

To succeed in any marketing campaign, you will first have to determine its target. After that, it will be possible to determine its preferred type of content, as well as the appropriate channels to broadcast them. Indeed, there is no point in creating quality video content and paying for it to be broadcast on websites that the target audience does not even visit.

But above all, it will be necessary to set the objectives to be achieved through the video marketing campaign. Some companies may, for example, want to increase their awareness, sales, traffic, or all of the above. It will also be necessary to use the right tone and message. To do this, brand managers will need to take the time to gather consumer information. The creation of the video will only be done later.

Stay true to the brand and set the message in every video

Even if the content of the video is original, those who watch it must directly recognize the brand and the product promoted. According to a McKinsey study, companies that have a consistent brand image are 20% more successful than those that don’t. For example, if videos are posted on YouTube or other social networks, they must link to the product site. The message must also be the same on each channel. If the videos seen through the different communication channels have nothing in common, it could become harmful to the company.

Set up a reasonable budget

A common mistake is to think that by investing considerable sums in a video project, it will automatically be a great success. Conversely, not spending enough on a large-scale campaign could damage the image of the brand, by letting the message pass in a low-quality way.

When it comes to making video content, keep in mind the objectives of the campaign and make sure to allocate the appropriate budget to it . For example, if the target is Gen Z, it may not be worth spending a lot of money on video production. Instead, it is possible to consider producing short videos for social networks, such as Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram. On the other hand, with a larger budget, creating a captivating story in the manner of Hollywood (possibly with celebrities) is a significant alternative.

Optimize videos for each channel

Depending on the channels chosen for each campaign, videos should be optimized to get the most engagement.

• Facebook: you will have to create something short, upload the videos directly to the channel and add captions.
• YouTube: it will be necessary to wait 2 weeks after the launch of the video to make changes and refine the target.
• Twitter: it will be necessary to find a balance between precise targeting (keyword analysis) and targeting without excess.

Measure video marketing performance

Performance evaluation helps determine what’s not working in a video marketing campaign. Indeed, this does not always concern the shared message. Gaps can come from other parameters, such as the timing of broadcast or the channels chosen. Videos can also be too long or too short. To be sure, you just have to do regular tests.

Key performance indicators include:

• engagement rate ;
• The number of views
• read rate ;
• sharing on social networks;
• comments.

In practice, it will be necessary to stick to a dashboard, in which the performance of the campaign will be noted. Preferably, analysts will have to respect a specific time frame for testing. It will also be necessary to assign numerical objectives to know where the company stands in relation to its video marketing campaign. It will be easier to make adjustments with concrete elements available.

Don’t forget connected TV (CTV) commercials

More consumers than ever are streaming TV content on their devices. CTV ads are a great way to reach them where they spend much of their time.

An IAB survey found that 60% of U.S. advertisers plan to allocate their budget from « classic » TV to connected TV or OTT in 2021. In developing the plan, consideration should be given to whether outreach through CTV ads is an effective solution.

As mentioned throughout the article, digital marketing can improve the visibility of a brand and increase the turnover of a company. However, it’s not just about creating animated and recreational content. Particular attention will have to be paid to the brand image and the message to be conveyed. Essentially, you have to keep in mind the profile of the target. Only after taking these criteria into account will videographers be able to create consistent content for consumers.