Tips for Planning Your Business Video Marketing Strategy
It’s important to understand your customer’s buying journey and how video fits in. Where do you start? And what type of video content is going to get you the most bang for your buck? This post will give you the tools you need to make smart decisions about your business video marketing priorities, and hopefully inspire you with a variety of topics that cover a multitude of goals and objectives.
For starters, let’s talk about your customer’s purchase cycle. Oftentimes, customers start out unaware of you and your company. Eventually, as they become aware of their problem and the solutions that exist, they start to consider the options for solving their problem. Finally they’ll make a decision, and once they’re a customer, it’s all about retention – keeping your customers happy and coming back for more.
At Original Video Productions, we believe video for business requires a long-term strategy, and how you prioritize the video content you create should be driven by where you need to make the most progress. Is it making potential customers aware of your company? Is it explaining your product or service? Is it convincing a potential customer to choose you over the competition? Or is it about retaining the customers you do have?
Whatever your challenge, hopefully below you’ll discover the answer to get started using video for your business.
1. Commercial Video
Advertising content is a way of pushing your product or service out in to the world without over explaining exactly how it works. These videos should be as short as possible, have a wide appeal, and use a quick and focused theme.
When and how should you use them?
These videos are great for raising awareness about one specific product offering from your company. These can be broadcast commercials, YouTube pre-roll ads, and social media shares.
2. Educational Content Videos
An educational short is a snack-sized, useful piece of content (2 minutes or less) leveraging your team and their in-house knowledge.
When and how should you use it?
Educational shorts should be used to attract new customers or at the awareness stage of the funnel. They can be promoted as content marketing on your blog, FAQ page, social media channels, and more.
3. Product Demo Videos
Demo videos are ideal for showcasing your product to prospective and existing customers. Demo videos can take someone who is unfamiliar with your product walk them through how that product works and give them the information that they need to make a buying decision.
Product demonstration videos can be an extremely powerful tool for moving a prospective customer from browser to buyer. By making them comfortable with the product and overcoming skepticism about the results it can deliver, the selling process is made significantly easier. It provides proof that the product does what you say it will do.
When and how should I use them?
These videos are typically used to help during the consideration phase of the purchasing funnel, and should be placed on your website’s homepage, and on YouTube or other searchable sites.
4. Company Story Videos
A company story is a great way to introduce your team, culture, and company philosophy in less than 5 minutes. Founders, employees, and executives are used as in-house talent to talk about where you’ve been, and where you’re going.
When and how should you use them?
These videos should be used at the consideration phase of the purchasing funnel, as well as to create loyalty and a feeling of personal connection with existing clients. Try sending your story out in newsletters, and including it on the About Us section of your website.
5. Customer Testimonial & Case Study Videos
A customer story, or testimonial video, uses real clients and customers to evangelize your product or service. A case study video might talk about a project you worked on for a client, the challenge you were up against, and the results it led to.
When and how should you use them?
Customer story and case study videos should be used during the consideration and decision phases of the purchasing funnel. Send these videos out in newsletters, place them on Social Media and your blog, and include them in an About Us or Testimonial section of your website.
Final Thoughts…
In addition to the tops above, first and foremost, you need to determine what your video content will accomplish (and for whom?).
In short, Whether you’ve just stepped into the scene, or you’ve been using videos for ages, we’ll sum it up like this:
- what type of content you’ll make: Educational videos? Entertaining? Practical? A mix? Your brand’s tone and audience’s needs should determine your approach here.
- Exactly who you’re making this content for: outline your target demographic with as much detail as you can.
- What your audience should takeaway from your videos: What’s the value add of your content in particular? What does it help your audience do?
Having a proper video marketing strategy keeps you from creating aimless content. Your videos should have a purpose aligned with your business goals.
Are you ready to get started with a marketing video for your business? Contact Original Video for a free, no-obligation “discovery sessions” and find out more about the endless opportunities for your business with video.
