Video marketing is one of the most overlooked promotional strategies for new businesses. When you consider that it’s possible for the right video clip to get hundreds of millions of views in a single day, it becomes clear that it’s worth taking another look at this advertising solution.
Regardless of your business’s nature or what it does to turn a profit, there are always ways you can use video marketing to turn your luck around and get thousands of new orders in a matter of days. With that in mind, there is some expert advice below that should assist you in getting things right if you focus some of your efforts on video marketing this year.
Use professional equipment
There is no getting away from the fact that you have a much better chance of video marketing success if you use professional equipment. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that means you have to spend thousands of dollars. You don’t!
Maybe you could invest in an iPhone filmmaking kit or something similar for members of your marketing team? They can use that tech to create videos that will catch the viewer’s attention and encourage them to interact. Ideally, you want as many people as possible to comment and share your videos because that will increase their reach.
At the very least, you are going to need a camera that will film in 1080p for the best results. Thankfully, most smartphones have cameras of that level of quality these days. You’re also going to need some editing software and a way of recording high-quality audio for the best outcomes.
Of course, you can always outsource video production if you don’t want to handle the task in-house. However, that will make a dent in your marketing budget and involve a lot of hard work, and it will almost certainly cost more than the alternative.
Use content that causes emotions
For the best results from your video marketing campaign, it makes sense to create video clips that cause emotions. You might like the idea of publishing something funny that will make people laugh? You might also consider uploading something scary or upsetting that makes people worry or cry. Any of those strategies should mean your video gets as much attention as possible.
Be careful if you choose to focus on negative emotions because you don’t want anyone to associate those bad feelings with your brand. However, it is more than possible to use negative emotions if you get the process right.
You might also consider using content that makes people furious if you want them to share your videos. Perhaps you have a competitor who’s broken the law or something similar. While you need to watch what you say for legal reasons, there is no harm in encouraging people to become agitated by the news.
Use multiple videos to achieve your goal
The chances of the first video you upload going viral are pretty slim. With that in mind, it doesn’t make sense to put all your eggs in one basket. It is sensible for the best outcomes to plan a string of different videos over a couple of months. Hopefully, you will then create a snowball effect for future uploads.
Maybe you could plan a series of videos or something similar? Perhaps you have some expertise in your industry, and you feel the need to share it with your customers and clients? A video series will always work well because it will stand the test of time. Topical videos only have the potential to go viral for a few days. A worthwhile series could bring new customers to your company for years.
Avoid outright promotion
The worst thing you can do if you plan to create viral videos is release clips that advertise your products or services outright. If you upload a five-minute video that does nothing other than talk about your company, it is not going to get a lot of attention. Indeed, it is possible nobody will watch it.
Instead, you need to produce video clips that are in some way related to your industry or market. That way, you can subtly mention your products or services within content that has value for the viewer. You will achieve much better results than you otherwise would have done if you follow that strategy.
There is no harm in advertising your brand, and that is the purpose of creating the videos. However, you need to be smart if you don’t want to take anything away from the content. The basic rule of thumb is that your promotional efforts come second to the content in the video.
Include a call to action
Whether you tell people to visit your website, show them a product, or anything else, every clip you upload to sites like YouTube must include a call to action. That could be a single sentence at the end of the video, but it needs to be there.
Websites like YouTube allow you to publish links in the descriptions of the videos you upload. So, be sure to make the most of that facility. Include a link to your website and anything else you feel would encourage the viewer to become a client or customer.
Let’s presume your company manufactures personal protective equipment for people who work on building sites. You might create videos about site safety, and then mention your products as the perfect solution to the issues you highlight. You get the idea, right? You can apply the same strategy to any type of business or industry.
If you follow all the expert advice from this article, you will have a reasonable chance to achieve video marketing success in the next few months. As with any promotional strategy, there is always an element of luck involved. So, don’t beat yourself up too much if you don’t get things right the first time around. Keep at it, and you will generate the desired results eventually. It’s impossible to know which horse will win the race, but you can increase your chances of being on the winning side if you have many horses.