The Ultimate Guide To Video Marketing

Videos are not a new thing, and nor is their use in marketing strategies. Then what is this sudden hype around Video Marketing about?

As a marketer, this one question would certainly have bothered you at least once! This is the puzzle that this ultimate guide to Video Marketing tries to solve – for experienced as well as novice marketers.

What is Video Marketing?

Videos have been a part of traditional marketing strategies – be they in the form of ads on TV or in movie theaters. Marketers are well aware of the engagement and power of this medium. However, with the recent explosion of social media platforms having video capabilities, like Facebook, to complete videos-based platforms like YouTube, there has been a persistent need for a full-fledged Video Marketing strategy. With the rise of short-video-based platforms like TikTok, leading to competitors like Instagram Reels coming up, this need is being felt even more strongly.

But what exactly is Video Marketing? In layman’s terms, it is the use of videos to engage and drive consumer behavior in the desired manner. Since they engage more than one of the senses, videos are a much more engaging tool than others like print or audio. Thus, marketers use the power of storytelling via videos to promote their products or services.

What is happening in the world of Video Marketing?

If we go back a little in time, we realize that the initial video marketing tool, advertisements, was a one-way communication. The marketer puts out a concept or an idea through the video, and the audience watches it. While this certainly is more effective than reading the newspaper or listening to the radio, the advent of social media took this a step further. Now, the audience is not just a spectator! They can respond to the video in the form of likes or comments.

This new approach is a dream come true for marketers in many ways – they can interact with the audience in real-time, get a fair idea of what is working and what is not, etc. However, this dream can quickly turn into a nightmare if this instant feedback becomes negative. Thus, there is a need for comprehensive  video marketing, which helps chart out a path in such a scenario.

Another great feature enabled by technology is the personalization of videos based on the user’s interests and location. Now, a user can be shown a message based on their interest area rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. This not only makes the content more relatable, but also keeps the audience coming back for more. These are two prime considerations every marketer must have when designing their video marketing plan.

Developing a Video Marketing Plan

With that background, let’s move on to the most important question – how to develop a good video marketing plan? Here are a few pointers that every marketer will find useful, irrespective of the product or service you are marketing.

1. Brainstorming & Conceptualization – This is one step that is as old as marketing itself. However, the importance of this step cannot be emphasized enough. No matter how great the production values of your video are, if the concept doesn’t work, your videos won’t. So, a great concept is at the heart of every marketing strategy, video or otherwise. Get your creative juices flowing and come up with a relevant concept that can connect your audiences to your product/service.

A good rule of thumb is to define what you want your videos to achieve. Based on this, there are different types of videos that can be made.

1. Awareness Videos – The prime purpose of these videos is to introduce the audience to your brand and its offerings.
2. Demo Videos – These are very helpful if you are coming up with a new product. These videos can help the audience understand how exactly your product should be used.
3. Expert Videos/Recommendations – As the name suggests, this is where experts in the field talk about certain concepts, and then you place your product/service in the context.
4. Behind The Scenes Videos – Let your audience see the human face behind the faceless brand. This helps in developing a much better connection.
5. Special Event Videos – If there is a festival around the corner or your brand is organizing an event, this is a superb way to generate some buzz around the event.
6. Testimonial Videos – Nothing beats the impact of other users sharing their experiences with the brand. This makes the brand relevant and approachable for any consumer. Thus, testimonial videos are a strong way to promote your brand and must be a part of your video marketing strategy.

1. Planning – This is the stage where you decide how many videos you will make, which platforms these videos will be launched on (TV, website, social media channels, etc.). This plan should also include the frequency of showcasing these videos on different platforms and the demographics of the audience being targeted. Understanding the customer profile also helps in fine-tuning the concept of the videos.
2. Making the Video – This does not imply simply shooting the video. Instead, video making involves a lot of steps.
1. Pre-planning – Once you have the concept available, it needs to be developed into a full-fledged script before shooting can begin. A strong script is essential for everyone to understand what needs to be conveyed and how.
2. Shooting – This is certainly an important part of the process, where the whole effort is to capture what has so far only been an idea.
3. Editing – As experts say, this is the most critical step. Crisp editing is what makes the idea come alive. While there are many expensive tools available to do this, in the world of social media, where the frequency is more important, one can easily use the multitude of online video editors available for a faster turnaround time on a budget.
3. Launching the Videos – This is the most crucial part of your video marketing strategy. Not just creating the video, but which platform it has to be launched on, at what time, and then monitoring the feedback on each of these videos is equally important.

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