How to Create an Effective Video Marketing Strategy

If you’re a brand in 2024, it is almost guaranteed you have a video presence online. With up to 93% of brands reportedly acquiring new customers due to videos on social media, it is clear they have power. And it’s not going anywhere. But, as with any part of your business, it is imperative that strategy backs up each endeavor. The same applies to video. Which is why today we’re talking how to create an effective video marketing strategy, and reap great rewards.

What Is a Video Marketing Strategy?

Your brand’s video marketing is hands down your most effective tool when it comes to sales and overall growth. Up to 90% of marketers report video having helped them generate leads. And viewers retain up to 95% of a video’s message vs. only 10% when written. You get the picture.

There are countless ways to create video, and several platforms where you can post and publish. And, of course, there are many different elements logistically to factor in when creating your content. Which is where your strategy comes in. Implementing a video marketing strategy is what’s going to keep you on track with both creating your video content and achieving your goals.

First things first? Setting those goals.

What Are Your Brand Objectives?

This may seem obvious, but it’s worth repeating. If you don’t have clear objectives BEFORE you start working towards them, they will surely fail (or, at the very least, falter along the way). It is vital for you (and your team) to set clear goals and desired outcomes before beginning your video content journey.

What goes hand-in-hand with this, is then setting a timeline. Granted, if you’re starting down an entirely new path, you may not definitively yet know how long something will take to accomplish. That being said, as with any creative endeavors, a good rule of thumb is to set a realistic timeline with some breathing room. Maybe add an additional week to the due date, to allow for any hiccoughs or bumps along the way. Then, if you complete it sooner, hurray! You can move on to the next step.

What’s Your Video Budget?

Setting your video budget is like giving yourself the keys to the kingdom. It’s what unlocks actual video creation and success. So it’s important to know what you’re working with when starting that journey.

There’s no definitive “magic” number when it comes to what a good video budget is, unfortunately, as every brand has its own unique needs, goals, etc. But take heart: great video does not necessarily always mean a huge budget. If you’re creative, and willing to gradually build towards your goals, anything is possible.

To help get you started with setting your video budget, you can click here.

Who’s Your Audience?

Video created without knowing who you’re creating it for is like taking a shot in the dark. And, of course, no one wants to do that if they can avoid it. And good news? You can! By identifying your target audience.

Ways to do this? Here are a few questions to get you started on this process:

• Who’s your type of customer? CEO, small business, parents, etc.
• What are their demographics (age, gender, location, etc.)?
• What is the problem(s) they have that your product or service solves?
• What is their buyer persona? (What IS a buyer persona?)

Identifying your target audience, however, is NOT a one-and-done. For starters, in time you may want to expand your customer base, and try to reach people outside of that circle. Also, as with everything in marketing, audience needs and wants are ever-changing so it’ll benefit you to check in from time to time to re-evaluate your audience, and how to effectively reach them.

Lastly, once you’ve accomplished this, at what stage of your marketing funnel are they when viewing your content? A video being watched by someone brand new to your business won’t be useful to those who are already a seasoned customer. Thus, when planning your video creation strategy, know WHO you are creating for in your audience.

Do You Have a Brand Kit?

If you’re a new business owner, you may not yet know what a brand kit is. Simply put, a brand kit is an easy and straightforward way to package up all the details of your brand identity. This includes (but is not limited to) fonts, colors, logos, etc. Any element that helps people immediately (and visually) recognize your brand at first sight.

If you’ve been in business a long time, you most likely already have one of these. Regardless, it is imperative that you either create a brand kit or cohesively establish it throughout your video content. The reason why? Keeping a cohesive “look” and feel to your content (video or otherwise) is going to supply your team with necessary tools to create while also helping your audience immediately identify you. It’s consistent, and customer trust always starts with knowing they can rely on you and your brand.

Want help building your brand kit? Click here.

Video Ideas for Your Brand

Now comes the fun part. Creating video! But wait, what sort of video do you want to create? And what options are there when it comes to different types of video?

The answer is, well, a lot. What will help you define the type of video you want to create is factoring in all of what’s been covered thus far. Some further questions to help establish this are:

1. Where does your audience scroll? What platforms do they visit most?
2. What is the preferred video content of these platforms? Short-form? Long-form? Both?
3. What is the goal of the video? Establishing brand awareness? Promoting a product?
4. What is the budget? Can you afford high quality video production or do you need to keep to a tighter budget?

Once you’ve decided this, you can start by perusing some of our video ideas for you here to get you going. And don’t worry. Once you get rolling, you’ll find it much easier over time to quickly identify your video needs and ideas.

Creating an effective video marketing strategy may seem daunting at first. But, we assure you, once it’s in place, the rest of the journey is going to be made that much easier. And should you want any help with your video creation process, we’d love to hear from you.