How To Incorporate Video Into Your Digital Marketing Strategy
It doesn’t have to be hard and expensive, and it can drive big benefits. Here’s how you can incorporate video into your digital marketing strategy
Video marketing is a powerful communication tool in your digital marketing arsenal and budgets are
increasing year-on-year as more marketers understand the value and importance of video in their digital marketing strategy.
In fact, according to Hubspot, 87% of online marketers use video content, and there is no doubt that this statistic will continue to rise as more industry professionals add video to their to-do list. Not only is video important for consumers on mobile devices and for high engagement across platforms, it’s also a means to tell a story and build a relationship with consumers through humor and emotion.
So, how and where can you use video in your digital marketing strategy?
Earlier this month Instagram released it’s newest feature - Instagram Stories - in a pretty blatant move to keep up with the growth and popularity of SnapChat. Stories is a feature that allows you to share live videos with your followers in a slideshow format that does not appear on your profile (but can be seen by all of the people who follow you in a bar at the top of your feed). In only a couple of weeks, Instagram Stories have become hugely popular (influencers have even added rates for Instagram Stories to their media kits) and shows no sign of slowing down. You can read more about the release of Instagram Stories here.
Marketers, brands and influencers can use video on Instagram to increase engagement and drive their content to the top of people’s feed (as per the new algorithm update). We know that video content on Instagram typically receives more views and impressions than standard imagery, so the more video content you can incorporate into your Instagram profile, the better.
Snapchat
Jump back in time to a couple of months ago and we would have told you that SnapChat is _the _next platform to be on. In fact, we were in the process of setting up a Scrunch SnapChat. But then Instagram Stories came along….
SnapChat has been, and will continue to be, a great social media tool for raw and unfiltered content that gives consumers a backstage pass to the behind-the-scenes action. SnapChat allows you to get to know people on a personal level, and build a relationship with an active community. For brands, B2B businesses, influencers and industry thought leaders, SnapChat has become an important platform, and I’m almost certain they will have something up their sleeve to compete with the Instagram Stories feature.
SnapChat can be fun, silly and entertaining, and it can be informative and add some serious value to followers, so if you want to use SnapChat, focus your efforts on building a community there and spend time engaging with users, answering questions and sharing all the different aspects of your work and life.
If you are creating video content for your platforms, Facebook is a great place to share the video, or an edited snippet to drive traffic to the original piece. Facebook supports video content that is uploaded directly to the platform (rather than being hosted on another platform like Youtube), so you are likely to get more views, impressions and engagements with video content on Facebook.
When creating and sharing video content on Facebook, keep them short and engaging, and don’t forget the first couple of seconds are critical as the auto-play feature allows videos to grabs user’s attention while they are scrolling through their newsfeed. 2 minutes is a good length for Facebook videos, and videos that perform well should be supported with a paid model to ensure you receive the most benefit from your video content.
Then there is the Facebook Live feature (another effort to compete with SnapChat) that is great for live events, interviews, Q&A activities and for sharing useful tips and information. Facebook live videos are super engaging and have the potential to perform well and grow your Facebook community.
Youtube
Youtube reports mobile video consumption rises 100% every year (Hubspot), so there is no denying that video is important for consumers who engage with your product, service or brand on mobile devices. All videos you create should be uploaded to a dedicated Youtube channel and optimized so they can easily be discovered by users searching for a particular topic. It’s also important to ensure your Youtube content is SEO-friendly.
Influencer content
If you don’t have the resources, time or skills to create high-quality video content, make it part of your influencer marketing strategy and focus your efforts on creating great imagery in collaboration with key influencers in your niche who create great video content.
As you know, there are many ways brands can work with influencers, so if you are really interested in video content, focus your budget there and prepare to invest big, and get big rewards in return. Video content is more engaging for consumers than a single Instagram photo or social media share, and it can also be repurposed a number of ways to create additional content assets.
Some of the ways influencers can create video content about your brand include tutorials and how-to videos (makeup, DIY projects and recipes), styling sessions and try-on hauls, travel guides and advice and recommendations about a particular topic.
Webinars
Webinars are a really effective way to grow your brand, establish credibility, build community and drive engagement, so if you have the resources available, webinars are definitely something to consider in your digital marketing strategy. In addition, webinars also help you build your email list and provide epic value to your community.
You can run a webinar on any topic you like, but remember that the most important part is to add value and inspire, rather than push a sales agenda. So, think of a nice area that you specialize in and work on setting up your first live webinar! When you host a webinar, it’s always a good idea to record it too so you can repurpose and share as a video, or convert into a blog post, infographic or other marketing asset.
You don’t need to spend millions on your webinar set up, just ensure your voice can be heard clearly and you have a good internet connection. If you don’t have this, invest in the gear that you will need - it’ll be worth it!
Landing pages
Finally, incorporate video into your digital marketing strategy by placing videos on your landing panges to increase conversions, potentially by 80%. Video content is much easier (and quicker) to consume, and allows potential new customers to get to know your product or service without them having to look for and sift through written content. Like Facebook videos, landing page videos need to capture attention within the first 10 seconds, otherwise it is likely people will bounce off the page, or your site completely. To make your landing page video work well, spark curiosity, be edgy and tell a story (don’t push your sales message here). People are visual learners, so give them something to engage with that adds value and entertains.
Video is, and can be, a powerful tool in your digital marketing strategy, so use it to your advantage and get great benefit from video content across platforms.
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