3 steps to reach your ideal customer with video content

Is video a part of your marketing strategy? If not, it has to be! Why? Well, consumers are now comfortable with video marketing, and many now expect it from brands they know and trust.

I know it took me a while to get comfortable with the video, especially the ones that required me to get in front of the camera! But there are plenty of ways you can make videos, so if you’re camera shy, fear not, you don’t need to be a video star to get started.

The truth is, having a well-written product description, a catchy paid ad, or a slick landing page is no longer enough to satisfy much of your target audience. According to a recent Wyzowl survey, 84% of respondents said they were convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.

Now, maybe you are stating that yes, you focus on video marketing. That’s great! But do you have a strategy based on your ideal customer profile, or are you just throwing out content in the hope that something will stick?

According to CISCO, video traffic will be 82% of all global consumer Internet traffic by 2021.

Here are some benefits of video marketing to further convince you that a carefully crafted plan pays off:

  • You can create awareness about your product or service.
  • It’s a smart way to engage/entertain your target audience on your website/social media
  • It helps to clearly explain your product or service to people.
  • You contribute to customer retention if you offer valuable advice and tips.

It’s time to seize the opportunity to use this essential but often overlooked marketing tactic.

Here are three steps to creating a video marketing strategy that will increase engagement, leads, and sales.

1. Choose your channels.

Not every brand should create YouTube videos, and not every small business owner should put videos on the home page of their website.

For example, I have found that Twitter is the best platform for sharing our blogs and articles, but Facebook is the best for connecting with my target audience through video. Could making Facebook Live videos be your ticket to the hearts of your customers?

To give you an idea of ​​which platforms might be best for your small business, here’s a quick breakdown:

  • YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world (after Google, which it owns). You will find a wide variety of industries and topics on this platform.
  • Twitter is generally used more as a news site than a social networking site, and content has always been largely consumed on mobile devices.
  • LinkedIn is an ideal point to share more professional material. LinkedIn claims that people say it is 3 times more reliable in delivering valuable content, compared to other social platforms.
  • Facebook: According to Facebook, there were more than 3.5 billion live streams in 2018. Since 2016, Facebook Live streams have doubled each year.
  • Snapchat is growing rapidly and is generally associated with a younger user base (think millennials).
  • TikTok is also considered a platform for young people; statistics show that approximately 50% of the global audience is under the age of 34; 26% are between 18 and 24 years old.

So where is your ideal client?

2. Plan your content carefully.

I’m not telling you that every word has to be written, or that you can’t do an impromptu Facebook Live in response to a current event.

But before you record your message, ask yourself a few questions. Will this footage add value to your customer’s life? Does it represent the voice, tone and mission of your brand? Are you succinctly explaining yourself and providing a clear call to action?

To find the answers to these questions, always go back to your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). This will tell you who your target audience is, from their age range and occupation, to their lifestyle and pain points.

As part of determining your ideal customer profile, you likely created buyer personas as part of your initial branding strategy. If you haven’t yet created brand personas to define your ideal target market, contact us to find out how we can help.

And it’s not just about what you say, but how long it takes you to say it. A big part of your video marketing strategy will determine the length of your content. For example, research shows that Instagram videos should be around 30 seconds long and YouTube around two minutes. BuzzSumo found that the highest-performing Facebook Lives are between 15 and 20 minutes long.

By creating a calendar and planning your time ahead of time, using this tactic will be easier and more effective. You won’t be fumbling around for ideas at the last minute or shooting things that don’t resonate with your target audience.

3. Try it and try it repeatedly!

Many small business owners are intimidated by the idea of ​​recording content to share with their customers.

But you don’t need a big budget, fancy equipment, or movie-star looks to be successful. What you do need is the ability and willingness to listen to your customers.

Just like you would with a display ad campaign or landing page, you need to look at your data to determine what works and what doesn’t. You can see the performance of a campaign by measuring things like:

  • Engagement Rate: This measures the interaction someone had with your content, including watch time and whether or not they skipped over.
  • Game rate: This is the percentage of visitors who actually clicked play and started watching.
  • Sharing socially: This shows how many people share your images on social platforms.

A/B testing can be a valuable way to see things like what works best at what time of day, which channels are best for specific content, and what length your target audience prefers.

*****

READ: Your 2020 guide on how to get the most out of video marketing

In recent years, we’ve seen a massive increase in video content appearing online, and there’s no sign of it slowing down.

From creating webinars to including short clips in emails, a video marketing strategy is a must if you want to truly engage with your audience to improve brand awareness and increase leads and sales. Here are three trends for 2020 and beyond.

Read more on our website.

*****

Video marketing has gone from being a nice thing to having. It’s worth your time and effort to create compelling and engaging images that will keep your customers coming back for more.

But no matter what comes to mind, remember that today’s customers deserve and demand empathy-based marketing. Learn more about empathic content marketing here, and happy filming!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *