The number of time people spend watching movies online increased by 32% on average every year between 2013 and 2018. In the same survey, Zenith expects that in 2021, the typical person will watch videos for 100 minutes each day. In other words, that’s 25 days’ worth of time. Marketers should keep this in mind as they create a social media video marketing strategy.
It is fortunate for us that there are numerous ways to use video in social media marketing. We’re not confined to TV-style commercials or highly polished instructional videos. It’s never been easier to get your feet wet in video marketing because of the rise of live streaming videos, the rise of brand authenticity, and the accessibility of editing software.
Create an effective social media video marketing strategy by following our 5-step method.
1.Set goals for video marketing
Setting goals at the start of any new social media project is essential. Is there a specific goal you have for your videos? At what stage of the sales funnel will these films be used?
When you’re just getting started, it’s best to keep your goals simple so that you don’t get overwhelmed. Creating brand recognition is an example of a marketing aim achieved through the use of video. To be discussed further, this is directly connected to and informs your future videos, depending on the type of video you produce.
The five steps of a marketing funnel are awareness, consideration, conversion, loyalty, and advocacy, and videos may easily fit into each stage if you create your video content strategy to strategically target these stages. Consider where your video marketing objectives will sit in the funnel as you consider objectives.
2. Pick your Platforms
Video can be found on virtually every major social media network, as well as a slew of niche ones. Snapchat and TikTok, on the other hand, both rely largely on a single video format, whereas Facebook and other more established platforms offer a variety of video formats.
If you’ve never utilized video before, start with platforms where you already have a following to get confidence in using it. More than half of the time spent on Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat is spent watching videos, according to Statista statistics collected in February 2019. Choosing one of these three would be a wonderful initial step in your video marketing campaign.
3. Select the Video Formats
Using social media videos to assist your overall content strategy can be done in a variety of ways, and we’re not just talking about where you post the videos. Your marketing strategy should begin with a thorough analysis of your brand’s target audience and target demographics. It’s acceptable if your films aren’t all the same; what matters most is that they help you achieve your core objectives.
Here are some examples of different sorts of videos and their advantages. It is possible to come up with many more creative concepts for social media videos.
Educative: This can help new clients become familiar with your brand by informing them about it. A more refined and professional tone is often used to promote the brand as an authority. If the films are intended for current consumers, they could focus on how-to tutorials and advice for using your product to its fullest potential.
Bloopers: Images from “behind the scenes” provide insight into the workings of a business and its staff. They can be used to amuse the crowd or provide a sneak glimpse behind the scenes.
Interviews: You can introduce your audience to new influencers and vice versa through interviews with guest speakers. If you want to add a little more authenticity to your brand, you can hand the virtual microphone to a guest.
Funny: Pranks, gags, and cute puppies all fall into this category. They are meant to entertain the audience, but they can also be used to emphasize your brand’s voice and establish a sense of community among your customers.
Testimonials: Using testimonials to build social proof for your brand is a common marketing strategy. Potential customers will be more likely to make a purchase after seeing themselves reflected in a film showing how your product or service is used and how satisfied they are with it.
4. Organize the Creation of Content
In the long term, a well-planned content development strategy will save you time and money. Regardless of whether you use a flowchart or pen and paper, you need to know how films will be made and produced before you begin filming.
There are a variety of video creation and post-production choices available to you. Steps 4 and 5 can be made a lot easier by working with an agency or production business. There will be no requirement for you to be involved in the planning or approval process.
To make this all in-house, you’ll need to think about all the procedures involved in creating a video. Here are just a few examples; this list is not exhaustive:
- Establishing a list of equipment and props that are required
- Scriptwriting
- Script revisions
- Making a storyboard for a video
- Organizing the shoot to get the best possible footage. For the most part, the shooting process will be nonlinear.
- Locating the most appropriate individuals to be highlighted
- Make a list of the locations you’ll be shooting in and plan your shooting schedule based on the amount of natural light available.
- How to deliver your footage to be edited to the right place
- Identifying the individuals responsible for signing off on each step of the process. For example, you should check to see if the script matches your speaking style. This may necessitate the input of two people.
- Be sure that any music you’re using is properly licensed for personal use only.
5. Analyze and Comprehend Metrics
In the end, assessing a strategy is the most critical phase of all. If you don’t look at the data linked to a video, you won’t know how well it does. What is the total number of views? Is there a timer? Did you see the tweets, likes, and responses? It’s critical that you understand the metrics provided by each network before beginning production.