The video attracts more eyes than the written one, and it’s no wonder why. If you take a look at the video content that exists today, much of it is very entertaining and real engagements.
And while it’s no easy task to create the types of videos that attract your target audience’s attention and gain you greater brand awareness, mastering this engaging medium will help you achieve your marketing goals.
- Tell a story.
Make sure your video tells a good story. Companies often try so hard to make videos tick all their marketing boxes that they forget about the viewer. It is better to have a focused message.
2 . Relevance.
Ultimately, there are many stylistic choices you can make with the video, how to incorporate humorous elements. But all styles will fail if they are not relevant to your audience and customers.
- Split test for best results.
Video is no different than other types of content. It must be attractive and have value for your viewers. But all too often, people treat videos differently than other forms of marketing content. Record or create more videos than you need and cut them in different ways, then split the test. Without fail, one video will outperform the rest, and that’s your winner. - Give valuable information.
The information provided must be useful, generally unknown and offered without obligation. This becomes social currency, giving people something they can use or share that makes them look or feel good.
In YouTube videos, we don’t say “Buy our tours.”
We say: “Here is the information you need to see the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel for yourself.
If you want to go with one of our experts, we are here too .
- Use YouTube thumbnails.
I see a lot of businesses make the mistake of not using custom YouTube thumbnails and instead using overloaded ones. A custom YouTube thumbnail can really make a difference in drawing attention to the topic of your video. Also, keep your videos short.
Anything longer than a minute and 30 seconds will cause the viewer to lose interest. If you have a video that has the potential to be longer, break it up into a short series of videos instead of one long one. This will also create a “suspense” that will entice customers to come back and see what happens.
- Use the first three seconds with Intelligence.
It takes people less than three seconds to decide whether they want to watch your video or not. If you don’t get their attention, they’ll move on to the next thing in their newsfeed. For that reason, make sure the beginning of your video is engaging, direct, and visual.
Be sure to use descriptive and attractive titles to hook viewers.
- Integrate your marketing campaigns.
Video may be all the rage right now, but the most effective storytelling campaign is to integrate all of your marketing campaigns.
Telling a unified story through video, writing, social media, advertising, and public relations will capture your audience’s attention and resonate more deeply than a single-platform campaign.
- Build anticipation with a video series.
I once led the development of a three-part video series for a new industry product where the first two videos built anticipation for the next in the series. The first two videos didn’t mention the new product; rather, they made fun of it by highlighting the weak points and that a new product was coming to erase them.
Released within a week of each other, engagement rates for each video increased substantially.
- Get excited.
We always try to keep it real and connect with the emotion behind what drives our small business owners. Instead of having your customers talk about features, have them talk about the obstacles they overcame, the small victories they’ve celebrated, and what keeps them motivated.
Brave real talk is what resonates with other like-minded customers and your brand will be the medium for that connection.
- Invest properly.
Without a doubt, video is a powerful medium to reach today’s audience. However, even knowing that, many marketers are easily seduced by the “ultra-low cost” production approach and forget that execution is everything.
It’s critical to invest the time and resources necessary to create video assets that you can be proud of and that resonate with your audience.
- Use the right video at the right time and place.
Remember, right message, right person, right time. Short videos explaining products work very well on channels where people search for product information (like your website). When you’re sending videos to your customers, go the storytelling route and relate people and experiences to your brand (think social media). Those who seek information want information. Everyone else wants entertainment with a purpose. - Prioritize mobile.
YouTube reported that more than half of its users watch videos through a mobile device. Whether they’re traveling, waiting, or walking, there are a million times during the day when consumers can and are watching videos on their phones.