Think back to the last video you saw. I’m guessing it was while you were scrolling through a social feed - and chances are you remember that video with a good amount of detail. As digital consumers, we see countless videos throughout the course of one day. Our eyes are attracted to movement so it makes sense we would be more likely to receive a message via video rather than a static ad or message.

Social media posts with video gain 48% more views than those without. Video marketing is on the rise and has shown to be a very successful marketing tactic.

video marketing in a nutshell

Video marketing is a tool that is very versatile; it grabs people’s attention better than text, allows viewers to retain what they’re learning, can drive more traffic to your website, and ultimately lead to a higher purchasing intent. 

Where businesses and brands can struggle with video marketing is the ample amount of planning and strategy time that goes into it. Like most other marketing tactics, if not prepared correctly, it won’t have the intended outcome. On the flipside - unlike other marketing tactics - video creation takes a lot more time and energy. It’s one thing to create social media posts, blogs, or emails, but video marketing takes a lot more patience in order to reach your audience through a more engaging route.

getting started with video creation & content

The best way to get familiar with video marketing is to start! Dip your toe in the waters as soon as possible; the more you play around with it and fine-tune it, the stronger and more impactful your content will be. 

The first step when beginning is to create a video marketing strategy. Like other tactics, you should define  goals, target audience, what specific messages you want communicated through video, create a timeline, and even a budget. 

Once you have a strategy, the next question to consider is what type of video content you want to create. Different video content can range from commercials, social media videos, how-to or explainer videos, specific product videos, or customer testimonial videos. These different types work great in different situations and for different businesses, so consider which one(s) will be the most useful for your needs. 

There are three different parts of video creation that you should plan for: pre-production, production, and post-production. 

Pre-production is where all the planning happens. The details matter in this stage. Outlining your video content in a very detailed way, can make the rest of the process (both production and post-production) must easier. Brainstorming main ideas and video content is crucial in the pre-production stage. 

Next is the production stage, where all your hard work comes into play. While in the production stage, you’ll have to layout different aspects that you might need to change and alter throughout the process. Examples of this would be lighting in the filming space(s), sound quality, and styling.

After the production stage, is when you have to move to the post-production. This is the stage where you can implement different effects that finalize the video project. Examples of this include sound, visual, and graphic effects. You can also add a call to action at the end, which is a great utilization of inbound marketing.

Once the video is complete, it is important to distribute it on the correct platforms. Consider if you want to put it on all your platforms, such as website and social media, or where it will likely perform best. Another important post-production step is to analyze the performance or impact of the video. You may need to wait 30-60 days to gain insight as to how a video is working, but taking time to look at the numbers can help you know what is working and what isn’t.

so what's the big deal?

A study conducted by HubSpot shows tells us 85% of consumers want to see more video content from brands. Give the customer what they want! You really cannot go wrong with video marketing. If you’re just starting out, or you’ve already had experience with video, your customer will react more positively to video content rather than strictly words.

Whether you like it or not, video marketing is here to stay, and will only become more prominent in the marketing world. Video retention rates are much higher than other routes of communication and marketers are starting to realize the importance of it. Written content and images are no longer sufficient.