Making a video that effectively communicates your business goals is just the beginning of your video marketing strategy. And what good are videos if you don’t know what to do with them? So what do you do with these videos now that you’ve got them? Follow our easy 4-step guide to effectively implement your video marketing strategy.
Step 1 – Download your files
Once we’ve finished creating your video, the first step is to download it. If you’ve used Vimeo before, you know how this works. You can move on to Step 2. If you’re new to Vimeo, it’s pretty easy to get your video file. We already sent you a link to your video so you could watch it and make sure it’s perfect! That link should look like this: https://vimeo.com/679289955. You’ll be directed to a page that looks like this (with your video here, of course):
Once you’ve downloaded your file and saved it, you’re ready for the fun part. Now’s the time to implement your video marketing strategy!
Before you can implement your video marketing strategy, you need to find your people. That’s a super simple way of saying a quite complicated process. Basically, we need to figure out where your videos should be showcased and how to do that. The first step in this process is to ask yourself the following questions.
Step 2 – Find your people
How old is your intended audience?
It’s important to narrow down your intended audience’s age to more than just a specific generation. Narrowing it down to an age range helps you define your target. This also identifies whether or not you have multiple targets. If you have multiple target age groups, we may need to refine your message so that you can speak directly to those target age groups. Communication styles vary among different age groups, so making sure you speak directly to them on their level ensures that your message is clear.
What are your target audience’s demographics?
Where does your target audience live? What’s their level of education? Where are they in life? What do they do in their spare time? Knowing as much as you can about your audience helps you reach them where they are. And it helps you reach the people who want or need your company. You want to be where the people who need you are. And knowing all about them helps you get your message there.
How is your audience feeling right now? What problems can you solve for them?
Find out where your target audience has already looked for a solution. What other options are available and how do you compare to those other options? Are you a good fit for their situation? Knowing where you sit among others in your profession, and how you differ from them, can help you reach the right people.
Ready to move on and implement your strategy?
Once you know all about your target audience, you can start forming a buyer persona or several buyer personas. These personas determine your next steps as you implement your video marketing strategy, so keep them top of mind as you move on to the next steps.
Step 3 – Find your platform
Remember to keep your buyer personas from Step 2 in mind as you choose your platform. Additionally, you need to look at where you are naturally getting engagement. Remember – if your video only lives on your website, it’s only going to be seen by people who regularly visit your website. If you want to reach more people that aren’t already on your website, consider one of the following platforms.
Social Media
This is going to be an oversimplification, but there is a lot of room here for trial and error to see what works best for you. The great thing is that a lot of social media (until you get into paid ads) is free – so the only thing you lose if it doesn’t work on a specific platform is the time you spent uploading it. Of course, if you are already getting a lot of engagement on a specific social media platform, keep posting there! You’re doing great! But there are always new platforms to try.
If you don’t know what platform works best for you, or if you’re wanting to try out a new platform, here are some things you’re going to want to remember.
- If your content is social in nature – meaning it includes people and tells a story – then social media is a great place to start. Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are great places to start, especially if you’re new to the social media marketplace.
- With any platform, it’s important to use the native video player and format. For example, Instagram and TikTok utilize a vertical layout to play videos because that’s how phone users typically hold their phone. It’s best to format your video for a vertical screen for these types of platforms.
- All social platforms use an algorithm to spread information. These algorithms do what’s best for the platform which is not always what’s best for your business. Contact people via email, text, phone call, carrier pigeon, or bat signal to let them know you have new content posted so they can go view it. The algorithm will learn that they are interested in your content, which will then start showing up for them organically.
- Most social platforms are free and can only make money from selling ads. Consider letting your video gather organic reach for about a week, then try running an inexpensive ad with it. These ads can exponentially increase the reach of your content. As long as you target these ads to your buyer persona(s) from step 2, you should see results.
- Experiment with new platforms as they come out. Some of them, like TikTok, get a big following and continue to grow, which can help you reach more people in your target audience.
YouTube
Google owns YouTube, so having your videos on a YouTube account that is linked to your website helps with SEO and can help you show up higher in a Google search. That’s a lot of jargon to say that having your videos on YouTube can help people find your business when they search for what you offer on Google. YouTube allows you to embed your video on your website or landing page, and it can be customized for your specific business needs. Additionally, if your video is interesting enough to a particular niche, it could be found organically on YouTube which could bring new customers to your business.
When uploading your video to YouTube, always use the highest resolution version you have – you always want to put your best foot forward and that includes your online presence. And just like with social, you’ll want to use the native player and format. YouTube is most often viewed on a computer screen, which is horizontal, so be sure to upload your video in a horizontal format.
Emailing your video to a mailing list is not an outdated method of sharing information. In fact, this is a great way to ensure people who are interested in your business – because they signed up for your email newsletter – are getting the information they want from you. When sending a video in an email, it’s best to embed the video in the email itself instead of making your audience navigate to an external video player to watch your video. Make sure to keep your email list up-to-date so that you know your audience wants what you’re providing and will participate in any call to action.
TV
Depending on your budget, TV might still be a viable option for you, depending again on your buyer persona from Step 2. And when we say TV, we don’t just mean the old-school way of advertising. Today’s audiences watch TV in so many different ways, and there are just as many ways to reach your target audience as there are ways to watch TV. For starters, some local stations offer deals for PSAs from non-profits and even seasonal promotions that might make it more accessible and affordable to advertise on traditional TV. Another way to use TV is to find out about local interest segments and see if you’re offering something that local TV would like to promote.
What if your target audience doesn’t watch local TV? Chances are they’re watching a streaming service like Hulu or YouTube TV. Including OTT for streaming services in your video marketing strategy can help you reach a much wider audience.
Step 4 – Implement your video marketing strategy
Congratulations! You’re now ready to put all of your research into practice and implement your marketing strategy!
Overwhelmed with all that goes into making your videos work for you? We’re happy to do the heavy lifting for you. Let us know what stage of the process you’re in, and we can help you implement your video marketing strategy so you can get back to serving your clients.
I found it interesting that television marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience since there are so many ways to watch TV, such as local interest segments where you can promote. My mom is quite active in church, and she always likes listening to other people’s stories about their faith. I hope there’s a Christian TV ministry she can check out during her free time.