Social media is sharply advancing its investment in videos, and for good reason. More and more live-streaming platforms are finding traction, allowing users to easily integrate video into digital marketing campaigns.
The video and application tools on smartphones allow people to digitally have a full production studio at their fingertips.
It’s clear. Video is the future of digital marketing
Sit back and get ready to fill your brain with some major knowledge.
This guide will tell you everything you need to know about video marketing options and provides step-by-step instructions on how to get set up fast.
Video Marketing 101
Short and sweet
There are tons of ways to use short videos to boost your views and promote your business. You don’t have to direct a feature film to wow people. Remember people have pretty short attention spans these days. Even a video that is less than a minute long can have a big impact if you take the right steps.
Golden Nuggets of Knowledge
The key is to make your video not only promotional but also informative. People want to hear from an expert on the subject, rather than a video trying to sell something. Figure out what problem your audience is seeking to solve and give actionable advice. The more the information you provide is valued, the more your video will be watched.
What Kind Of Video Will You Use?
There are a lot of types of videos out there and it’s important to decide on your approach. Consider your goals, your resources and your audience when choosing what kind of video to make. Here are a few categories you might pick from.
Live Stream and Discussions
Now that most of us have the bandwidth to stream, live videos are starting to gain momentum. You can stream live events or offer a live podcast. Consider using live streaming to share what’s new in your industry, first-to-know updates, or candid moments with your team.
Pros: No editing; immediate feedback.
Interviews
Reach out to people in your industry or network that you look up to. Think of someone who has an interesting story to tell or a ton of knowledge to share. Interviewing a specialist or market leader, can get big hits.
Pros: Entice followers of your interviewee to watch
Ongoing Video Series
Have a lot to share with your audience? Give them information in chunks. Create a regular series where key people in your business answer questions from the audience. A series has the added benefit of enticing returning viewers.
Pros: Sustained interest from your viewers; share a lot of information.
Tell Your Story: The “About Us” Video
The “about us” page is usually the second page of the website to be visited and the public likes to know the backstage of the brand: what and who is behind the brand, service or product. Let viewers see that you’re passionate about your business with an introduction of your team members and history.
Pros: Build trust by letting viewers get to know your company on a more personal level.
The Explainer Video
If you are selling a product or service, show the world what you have to offer with an explainer video. Explain the features, how to use them anyhow they will make your viewers’ lives better. When people can see the benefits of your product or service rather than read about them, they will be more inclined to spend money with you.
Pros: Show viewers the features of your product or service and how easy it is to use.
Testimonials and Reviews
People trust companies that are trusted by others. That’s why that testimonials and reviews hold so much weight. If people have awesome things to say about their experience with your company, share it with the world. Don’t have many reviews? Consider offering free trials to those who are willing to give an unbiased review of their product or service.
Pros: Build trust and a reputation for quality.
Animation
Animation isn’t just for kids. It draws people’s attention because it’s fun. You may want to use animation for your entire video, or as an intro. Good animation can be pricey, but it eliminates the costs associated with live action video. Since you don’t have to pay to rent a camera, hire actors and a producer, and buy props, you could end up saving money overall.
Pros: Attention grabbing and may save you money in the end.
Leave an impression
No matter what kind of video you’re making, you want to leave an impression.
All the Feels
Nothing leaves an impression like a video that has some emotion. This is the approach of most shows and movies, so why not your video? People feel more empathy watching a video than reading text, so use that to your advantage. You may strive to evoke laughter, trust, intrigue, or tears. People like to leave with a feeling, so let them.
Embrace Your Weirdness
Showcase what makes you different. Your business likely has some weirdness in its culture. Originality goes a long way. If you do things a little differently, let it shine.
Let’s talk Youtube
How to create a Youtube Channel
Creating a channel on YouTube is not a difficult task. Here are some basic steps to follow:
- After you sign in (or create your account) on YouTube, click on “my channel” on the left side of YouTube’s home page.
- Enter your first and last name if the channel is personal. If the goal is to create a business channel, click “use a business name or other name.”
- Type the name of your brand and click Create. Ready! You will be redirected to the dashboard of your newly created YouTube channel.
- To improve your work on YouTube it is very important that you customize your URL. This will make it easier for people to find your channel, and it will also make it easier for you to share the URL.
- You can choose the custom URL based on your display name, your YouTube username, your current short URLs, or the name of your linked website. All this depends on availability.
What does it take to make a video for YouTube?
You may be tempted to jump right in, or you may not know where to start. Below are some steps to prepare you for creating videos for your digital media and Youtube channel:
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Preparation
When you start a project, think about the theme and the content you are going to address, create a screenplay and script. To help with inspiration, watch lots of videos, especially those related to the subject you want to tackle. No matter the type of video or your industry, the performance in your video is important, so preparation is a must.
Act as natural as possible in front of the cameras so that your tone of voice is pleasant and conveys security. -
Write your script
The first thing to do is decide on the material that will be used. A script is key here. Of course, you can shoot spontaneously and stitch clips together digitally if that’s the style you’re going for. But this is not a good approach when we are talking about instructional videos, online courses, or advertising for your business. Think about the duration of the video and the viewers when preparing material for your script. -
Determine your equipment
You probably will not have the ability to do something as elaborate as big-name producers or companies with huge budgets. Good news, a YouTube video does not need high caliber production.
Yes, you want quality audio, picture and lighting for a professional look. Nowadays, a high-quality smartphone or webcam can be great allies for making an efficient video. If you have more sophisticated microphones, professional light sources and high-quality cameras, be sure to use them. Ask around, someone you may know have something you can borrow for a few days.
Money saving tip: Use a gaming headset or the earpiece you use for hands free phone calls to improve your audio when making videos that do not show your face while you talk. -
Record your video
Once you’ve done a script and planned out your scenes, it’s time for take one. Trust in your abilities, speak eloquently, and try to articulate words well to be understood clearly. It’s likely going to require more takes than you think. Be patient and plan plenty of time.
Improvement tip: Watch each take, even if you know you won’t use it in the final video. That way you can see what you like and what you can do better moving forward. -
Edit your content
There are several types of software, some paid and some free, to make audio and video edits on your computer. It doesn’t have to be Hollywood quality, but you’ll want to be able to improve lighting, images, contrast, clean the audio and fit the sound where you need it, adding a soundtrack or special effects if you want.
Once you’re done editing, save your output to an extension that is exportable to YouTube: .mov, .mpeg, .avi, .wmv, .flv, .webm or .3gpp, for example.
If video editing is not your forte, reach out to a pro to help you out. If you’re on a budget, you may seek out a student for this step.
Not ready to create your own videos?
You can still benefit
By mounting a YouTube channel with curatorial videos, you can still build a solid YouTube presence. Instead of uploading your own videos, manage and place the best YouTube videos created by other users in your channel’s playlists. The management of other content generates great movement, videos are no exception. If you create a YouTube channel full of videos from the best-known industries, you’ll already have a subscriber base when you start posting your own videos.
Get your video out to the world
Video landing pages
The value of landing pages with video is already known. When executing digital marketing campaigns, a specific niche is often isolated by behaviors or personality and therefore these pages should be customized. Video landing pages can increase conversions tremendously.
Homepage with explanatory videos
This type of video is parallel to landing pages since the homepage is also a landing page. This video is a very important one and it directly represents the face of your business. Make sure you answer some key questions like
- What is the problem of your audience?
- How will you solve this problem?
- How can you resolve this problem?
Aim to connect with your viewers on a personal level. Do not go into a long list of unnecessary details. Keep it short so the audience gets a positive impression and motivated to take the next step.
Use Vine or Instagram to post short videos
With apps like Vine and Instagram, you can upload short videos to reach a broader audience. While large brands often create high-production videos for these apps, it is possible for the little guys to stand out with a little creativity.
Embed your videos on social media and your blog
You can improve blog content and increase social engagement by embedding video messages on your site. In addition to integrating YouTube, Instagram or videos in Vine, you can embed video messages on Twitter and Facebook too. Incorporating video into social messaging is a powerful way to add content to your blog while enhancing social channel engagement.
Videos on Facebook
Social networks narrow the gap between the brand and the public and are one of the most effective means of propagating messages. This makes them a fantastic avenue to present your video to a new potential audience. Make sure the video you choose is a good representation of your business as it is likely that first-time visitors will watch it.
How to add a featured video on Facebook
Using these simple steps you can add a featured video to Facebook
- Go to the “Videos” tab of your page (which is below the cover photo) and click “Add Featured Video.”
- Select a video from the list of videos you’ve uploaded. (If you have not uploaded a video to Facebook, you need to do this first, then select the video that will be your featured video.)
- If you have a Facebook page for your software product, you can use a third-party tool to create a video that exemplifies it.
Attract YouTubers subscribers with a channel trailer
If you have a YouTube channel, create a trailer for your channel. This video is automatically played for visitors who are not subscribed to your channel. The channel trailer is useful for potential subscribers. YouTube suggests that you choose a short video that describes your channel and encourages visitors to sign up.
Here is how to add a trailer to your YouTube channel:
- Go to your YouTube channel and find the option to add a trailer.
- Click the ‘Trailer Channel’ button.
- Then select your video or enter the URL of the YouTube video.
- Then click ‘Save’.
- If you have not uploaded any videos yet, you will not see the Trailer Channel option. In this case, you need to enable the channel’s browse view first.
- Hover over the section with the channel name and click the pencil icon on the right.
- Select Edit Channel Navigation, and then in the Allow Browse view dialog box and click Save.
If you plan to upload lots of videos to YouTube, consider creating a personal video message by welcoming people to your channel. Let them know what types of videos you are going to publish, for example: interviews, tutorials, funny videos, ads or products evaluated.
To Summarize
The power of online video is irrefutable and a video marketing strategy is now an option for even a one man team. Nowadays producing and publishing a video is affordable and simple. Doubt often arises in the kind of video that one should invest in.
Whether your content strategy is not yet thought out or is working well already, always include a video. No matter how interesting your content is, a video is simply a more appealing presentation. Show your knowledge, build trust, win followers. Now, take these tips and apply them in your own business, considering how you can use video aimed at your specific market.
Still, not sure where to post your video? This article can help: The Differences and Core Strengths of Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat Video
Author Bio
Sarah Feldman is an experienced digital marketing professional who is currently associated with Digital Express, which offers the complete solution of digital marketing in Dubai. She loves to learn and share her knowledge of the latest digital marketing updates and trends.
