With marketing relying heavily on digital media, video content should have its place in your marketing strategy. After all, videos can engage your customers or clients and increase your brand awareness, so they’re a powerful tool if you know what you’re doing.
But what if you don’t? The internet has an influx of videos, so what’s stopping users from scrolling past your promotional content? And how do you get social algorithms to push up your content? Well, that’s where we come in and tell you all about the secrets of marketing videos. That way, you can get your target audience engaged and interested! Let’s get into it.
1. Add a Hook
Getting your audience hooked from the start is super important. According to Facebook, 45% of viewers will watch at least 30 seconds of a video if they make it past the three seconds mark.
Accordingly, your goal is to hook them in those three seconds. So, script an enticing, inspiring, and fun introduction. Give viewers a glimpse of the video’s core message, which should spark their interest.
2. Tell a Story
We’re wired to tell stories and listen to them; we aren’t wired to watch videos listing product specifications. So, what’s the story behind your brand, service, or product?
“Why is that important?”, you may ask. Well, people insert themselves into the narratives they’re told, which we know as empathy. It allows them to connect with you on a personal level. So, target your audience’s desires and pain points – get them to feel something by touching on your personal experiences.
3. Be Informative
What value does your video concept offer? Educating your audience is an effective marketing strategy, as people are more likely to watch your videos if you’re giving them information, advice, or tips than if you’re merely promoting your brand.
For instance, you can post relevant tutorials with useful information. You can even take it a step further by creating an entire video series, setting yourself apart as an industry leader.
Another idea is to post product explainer videos. To illustrate, explain the purpose of your service or product, the pain points it targets, how it resolves them, and why viewers should invest in your service or product.
Q&A videos are another type of informative video content. If you’re looking to address your audience’s questions and concerns, this is the way to do it. The best part is you can get the questions from your brand’s social media platforms, which should get people hyped for its release!
4. Enhance the Production Quality
Your marketing videos represent your brand, so you want them to look professional. This is especially important if you’re using the video for your brand’s Instagram account because it should match your images’ quality.
That means no background noises or shakiness, good lighting, and solid camera work. Also, choosing a proper template, usually an mp4 container with H.264 video and AAC audio codec, is helpful.
Finally, we can’t forget video editing apps. Pick a user-friendly app with basic features, and you’re good to go. Think Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro. Of course, hiring a professional production company can save you the trouble if you can afford it.
5. Keep It Short
When it comes to today’s social media content, keeping it short and sweet is key. Most users won’t watch a ten-minute video. Instead, they’ll scroll past it or jump to a different site.
For that reason, you want a video trimming feature to cut down your video so that it’s the perfect length. A good tip is to use micro-video apps; they can make your videos Instagram and Twitter-friendly. For example, if the video is for Instagram, it can’t go over 120 seconds. If it’s for Facebook, keep it under a minute (or two minutes maximum).
6. Take BTS Shots
Is there a better way to build a relationship with your audience than to invite them to see your business from the inside? Get up close and personal with behind-the-scenes videos that uncover its natural surroundings. In other words, satisfy their curiosity, and show them the process, the effort, and the team that brings your brand’s image to life.
Not to mention, BTS videos help showcase your brand culture. Don’t strive for a picture-perfect image; people want transparency and authenticity. So, upload the bloopers and silly mistakes. This might just be the perfect way for you to solidify trust, humanize your brand, and connect with your audience.
7. Take Risks
If you want to blow up, don’t play it safe. After all, what are the chances of a typical ad blowing up? Now, compare that to a new TikTok challenge that incorporates your product somehow. Get people excited, inspired, or both; that’s what they’ll remember!
Of course, you can be the judge of how far you want to take your risks – you don’t want to overdo it and hurt your brand image and credibility in the process.
8. Make the Video Mobile Friendly
To increase viewership and drive sales, you need to create a marketing video with mobile users in mind. According to Business Insider, tablets and smartphones account for 15% of all online video hours. Also, about 50 million people in the U.S alone watch videos on their phones. Not to mention, 81.8% of Facebook users only access the platform via their phones.
But what does mobile-friendly mean exactly? For one, users should be able to download your videos and watch them whenever they want. Also, you need to crop your videos to be compatible with small screens and social media apps. To be specific, 1:1 is recommended on Instagram and TikTok. As for Facebook, ratios 1:1 and 4:5 are recommended.
9. Add a Call to Action
If you want to drive sales, it’s a must to to add a Call to Action (CTA). This is how you can get your audience to engage with your content.
Do you want their feedback on something? Asking questions can drive engagement and get a conversation started in the comments section. Do you want them to visit your website, click on a button, or sign up for a newsletter? Ask them to do that.
The bottom line is to end your video with a CTA, and don’t make it too salesy.
10. Use SEO
Using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) makes it easier for search engines to find your videos and for people to watch them.
One of the main ideas here is to write a unique title and a solid detailed video description with relevant keywords. This description will help Google understand what the content is about. Another tip is to enable embedding on the video, which should promote inbound marketing links.
11. Generate Hype
Yes, getting your audience hyped makes all the difference when it comes to your marketing content. Announce the launch date of your videos in advance, and promote them on your brand’s social media platforms, website, and blog. Remember what we’ve said about asking questions in preparation for your Q&A videos?
But what other examples do we have? Let’s say you have a business event coming up, such as a conference or tradeshow, and you want to increase engagement and attendance simultaneously.
Posting videos telling your viewers why they should attend is a great idea. Explain the expectations they should have, the perks of attendance, and the value you and your team will be offering. Additionally, you can interview excited attendees to spread the hype and get more people to know about the event.
12. Infuse Your Content With Humor
Serious content won’t capture the audience’s attention, but a little humor (like some funny outtakes) goes a long way! Humor makes your content more fun, lighthearted, and interesting and gets your audience to truly engage with it. It also boosts your chances of getting shares and going viral.
13. Add Music Tracks
Depending on the video, you might want to add music. It helps evoke emotions and engage your audience. Just be sure to pick a track that matches your video’s message and tone, and that won’t get copyrighted.
14. Be Consistent
Consistency is necessary if you want more views. Schedule your video uploads, and post at regular intervals every week or month. This way, your audience will know when to expect your videos, and you can keep them from being disengaged.
In Conclusion
Ultimately, you can create engaging content by writing intriguing, informative, and actionable scripts, enhancing the production quality, and taking risks. When you work on each of these areas, you learn to drive viewership, engagement, and brand awareness.
If you need any help with your video marketing strategy, schedule a consultation with our team at Shiftweb, and watch as your engagement metrics go up!