Video content marketing is at an all-time high, with more kids (and adults included) wanting to be Youtube Stars than doctors and lawyers anymore.
People's attention to video has been always through the roof. It doesn't really have anything to do with what's on, we'll keep watching, and this happens because eyesight is our dominant sense counting for about 80% of the stimulus our brain gets. That's why television is the main source of information for so many people.
But things evolve. What we see remains the main way we learn, but the way we get our information has changed a lot over the past 50 years or so. Yes, television is still a huge thing, but with the development of mobile devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones) we have the opportunity to deliver our message to even more people, without paying enormous amounts of money to get on national television.
Having a video content strategy can make the difference between competing small businesses. One could spend a lot of money to get on TV but the other could take the better option - investing in video content marketing.
4 Tips to Jumpstart Your Video Content Marketing Strategy
You know how big Youtube is. You see how rapidly Facebook is developing tools and new ways for video content (ie. Facebook Video Ads). You read about small businesses going viral with the help with video and now you want to start working on your own little video studio and start producing great video content for marketing. Here are some of our tips for those who want to jump-start their small business' video content strategy.
1. Always do your research.
Don't get ahead of yourself. You should build a video content strategy, but first things first, you need to gather up data and analyze. Find out what's your target audience, what's your most selling product and how can you reach them.
If you're a local business, your video content marketing should be different than what another company who deals online should have. Be smart about the questions you ask and you'll get your answers.
2. Do it on your own vs. video marketing team.
Don't know if you should hire someone to apply the best video marketing tactics to your content strategy or if you should do it alone? It all depends on the size of your business. If you only have 2 - 3 employees and sell selected wine from your suppliers, maybe start your very own Youtube channel where you post wine reviews, tips, tricks and do your magic.
Don't worry if you won't get a lot of views at the beginning. You will improve your video content and those who are interested will find your videos entertaining.
The great thing about a video content strategy is that's always scalable. You can start small and then upgrade your video gear and team to make more professional videos.
If you're already a bigger business, then you should focus on hiring people who know what they're doing. Budget still low? Try to focus on students who study video marketing and production and those who still haven't made a name for themselves in the industry.
When to improve your video content strategy?3. You don't need a fancy video studio.
At least not at the beginning. If you have a small business, there's a high chance that your budget is limited so make do with what you have. While doing this, you should try to focus on using your resources to get good lighting, sound and scenery.
Like I said before, if you have a really small local business, you should focus on getting your content online and then improve your performance. Always mix your video content with online written content.
You can read my other article on how to find untapped sources for great content.
4. Find your working video channel.
You may think there are two main video channels where you could share your content. That's not entirely true. Yes. You can make your video and upload it to Youtube or Facebook (and I'm saving the pros and cons for these on for a future article) but you shouldn't stop here.
More and more services start to show up and promote the video content marketing tools they have. If I was the owner of a small business I would do the following:
- I would think of a video idea.
- I would make the video and upload it to Youtube. After a few hours I would add a promo of it on my Facebook page directing people to my Youtube channel.
- I would use other social platforms and apps centered on video such as Instagram, Snapchat, Periscope and Meerkat to promote my Youtube content (you can do this even when you're filming the Youtube video, like a promo or after the video is released to get in touch with your customers & fans for their feedback.
- I would continue using the above video apps (Snapchat, Periscope, Meerkat) to promote my business and let people see what's happening behind the curtains.
You can jumpstart your video content strategy in no time at all. You just have to be smart about it, do your research, choose the best ideas for video content and the right channels to promote it. Start small and analyze after every step. Is your viewer & customer base increasing? Do you get feedback? Are you happy with the outcome of your video content strategy? Always ask these questions and you should be just fine.