Video marketing is an essential tool for modern entrepreneurs. Video content has incredible potential to develop trust, increase conversions and ultimately drive profits. Almost all social media platforms are moving towards incorporating more video content. While YouTube has continued its domination - Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter have all spent 2017 introducing new video features and encouraging users to move towards video content. Earlier this year LinkedIn launched LinkedIn Video, their video advertising platform. Facebook recently announced their partnership with Universal Music Group that will allow for user-generated videos with licensed music and new social features on Facebook, Instagram and Oculus. Twitter also launched in-stream video ads earlier this year. This battle for market share provides guidance to entrepreneurs. Social Media platforms are responding to the market. The market is moving towards video content. Consumers are watching more video content and businesses are experiencing better results from video content.
In today’s economy, it is integral for businesses to use video content.
In today’s economy, it is integral for businesses to use video content. The first step is developing a strong video content strategy. Developing a strong video content strategy is an iterative process that requires consistency, constant review, and frequent improvement. It requires the right equipment and a strong understanding of distribution platforms. It requires a strong understanding of consumer behaviour. The following 3 steps can help entrepreneurs develop a profitable video content strategy for their business:
1. Define your goal. Use video analytics to constantly improve your strategy.
Developing a concrete video marketing strategy is essential. A video marketing strategy is one component of an overall marketing strategy. The first step is understanding and developing the end goal. Whether the goal is awareness, leads, or anything else– it should guide the overall video marketing strategy. Once an end goal is outlined –video content can be catered towards fulfilling it.
It’s all about using data. Video marketing is great because it provides more data. It also provides better data. A video marketer is able to view where exactly consumers stopped watching, what sections were re-watched, as well as how and when consumers engaged with content. These insights are very valuable and can help build a strong and profitable video-marketing strategy. While there are best practices for length, time of publication and content– it is important to use analytics to constantly improve video strategy and tailor it to the specific audience.
2. Buy the Right Equipment
Equipment has significant impact on the value of video marketing content. Investing in the right hardware can make life a lot easier. The right equipment can help amateur videographers make high-quality video content. It can help more experienced professionals push the limits of their video content strategy.
Equipment has significant impact on the value of video marketing content.
The go-to camera for many popular YouTube influencers and online celebrities is the Canon 80D. Casey Neistat has famously expressed his love for the 80D and its predecessor, the 70D. Peter McKinnon has also vlogged about the marvels of this great camera. Many influencers have talked about moving from 4K cameras to the Canon 80D because of its versatility and features. The 80D features the same focusing technology as more expensive prosumer cameras like the C300 Mark II or C700 – which both cost over $10,000. The focusing technology is called the Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus. It’s a remarkable piece of technology. It provides accurate autofocus and sharp images even in low-light situations. Many cameras lose focus if the autofocus cannot keep up with the subject’s movement. The 80D is great because it continues tracking the subject smoothly and accurately.
Having the right audio equipment can increase the production value of video content and make footage appear more professional. While Canon has dominated the camera space for influencers and online video content creators – Rode is the go-to brand for audio equipment. The top three camera microphones used by influencers according to Influencer Equipment are all Rode microphones. The brand is used by major influencers like Casey Neistat, Lilly Singh and PewDiePie. The Rode VideoMic Pro is a popular choice. If you are on a tighter budget, the Rode VideoMic GO is also a great microphone. The 80D Creator Kit is a great package that includes a few essential pieces of equipment including a Rode microphone and an 18-135mm IS USM lens which is great for making video content.
3. Optimize Your Content
It is important to first optimize content based on universal best practices. As more data is collected, content can be tailored more specifically to the audience. Content optimization is a broad and complex discipline. There are a few core characteristics that can provide a good foundation.
Use subtitles in your video content.
An easy way to optimize content is adding subtitles. Subtitles have significant benefits for user engagement. A study by Discovery Digital Networks found that videos with closed captioning experienced a 14% increase in views. This is especially evident in Facebook videos. Facebook automatically plays videos, on mute, once they are visible on a timeline. Subtitles draw the consumers attention. The increase in views is also caused by greater access because consumers can watch the video in a noisy crowd or a quiet library.
Make sure your content is the right length.
The right length depends on the platform you are using. Each social media platform has different users. Particular users have different engagement and different behavior on each social media platform. HubSpot research found the optimal length for social platforms:
- Instagram: 26 seconds
- Twitter: 43 seconds
- Facebook: 1 minute
- YouTube: 2 minutes
While these benchmarks are an important framework. It is important to remember that effective video content marketing is an iterative process involving constant improvement. Every audience is different and some audiences may respond better to longer content. Social media platforms are also pushing content developers towards longer content. This push may result in changing behaviours from viewers.
It is important to remember that effective video content marketing is an iterative process involving constant improvement.
The key takeaway is that video marketing is an important tool to drive engagement, develop trust, increase conversions and ultimately drive profits. Social video is evolving and platforms are increasingly competing for video marketer’s attention and market share. As consumers watch more video content and businesses continue to experience better results from video content – it is becoming increasingly important for entrepreneurs to take advantage of this crucial marketing medium.