I am often asked many questions about the field of video marketing, and one I found particularly interesting was ‘do I need a strategy?’; so much so I’ve written a blog to respond! In short, the answer to this question is a huge yes! A video strategy for business is every bit as important as the execution. Planning your video content is very important to ensure your videos are successful.
The main reason is that in today’s climate, the entry barrier to create and upload video is pretty non-existent; anyone with a smartphone or internet-compatible device can snap a video and throw it online.
Video has an online usage reach of over 90%, which is a pretty phenomenal audience. A strategy is the difference between your video marketing being successful or an expensive flop.
By having a solid plan with your video marketing, you’ll have a greater idea of how much ROI your efforts make. In addition, a strategy will enable you to meet your smart goals and address real business objectives. But, it can be challenging to know where to start.
This post is designed to help you develop a strong business plan for your video marketing and understand the main elements of the strategy. I’ll break it down into seven steps, and explain each one, so read on to find out how best to plan your video content!
7 Steps to Successfully Plan Your Video Content
Different methods affect the planning of a video marketing strategy, but the following seven are the ones I believe to be the most successful.
#1 Define Your Video Marketing Goals
Goal setting is the definitive way to measure your strategy’s progress and see whether you’re on the right track; or if changes are needed. It is essential that these goals are S.M.A.R.T goals, which stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
An example of a S.M.A.R.T video marketing goal may look like this:
‘We aim to increase the visiting time on landing pages by 10% this quarter by embedding relevant videos,’ or, ‘We will improve consumer engagement by 15% by the next 3-months by providing live Q&A video streams.’
#2 Create a Mission Statement for Your Video Marketing Strategy
A mission statement should be a single sentence that is to the point and answers the following questions:
- What type of video content are you planning to create? Entertaining, educational, or a mixture.
- Who is your video content for? You can’t make a great video without knowing the personas and demographics of the audience you’re targeting.
- What do you want your viewers to take away from the video? This could be a new idea about your brand or more details on a certain product or service.
In layman’s terms, to justify making a video, you should understand exactly why you’re making it, who it is for, and what it is you’re trying to accomplish.
Some examples of a video marketing mission statement are:
‘’At (business name), we create (type) video content for (target audience personas), to ensure that they (take what away from the video).’’
Mine may look like this: ‘’My name is Jeremy Mason, and I create informative videos for businesses, entrepreneurs and marketers, to ensure they know how to use video marketing strategies to boost their business effectively’’.
Mission statements are a great way to introduce yourself at the start of a video and let viewers know precisely what they can expect if they stay tuned.
Download Our Free Exclusive Video Marketing Cheat Sheet Bundle
Use Them To Create Client-Attracting Videos As Early As Next Week ... Even If You Don't Have The Latest Camera Tech, Are New To Shooting Video And Don't Know How To Get Your Videos Seen By Your Businesses Perfect Audience
#3 Research Your Target Audience
You need to know who you want to be watching your content for it to be a successful campaign, and this involves researching and defining your target audience. You’ll want to know things like their preferences, geographics, age range, income bracket, and consumer habits to create content that properly connects.
It isn’t about gaining the highest number of views but about creating the views that count.
When it comes to a target audience, the more specific you are then, the more successful your marketing strategy will be. This stage involves a lot of timely research, which will result in a worthwhile time investment, providing you don’t cut corners – which is so easily done.
Start by looking at the consumers your business currently has and research what their video preferences are: what videos are working, what isn’t, and for those that aren’t resulting in engagement, then you need to look at why. This will help to build an accurate profile of your audience.
It may be that you haven’t even started experimenting with video yet, and that’s fine; you can look at the marketing methods you already have in place to see how effective they are at connecting with consumers. Are your emails being read and the POA acted on? If some are, but not all, what is different about those that are successful?
#4 Decide on the Type of Video You Want to Create
This step of the planning stage is the one that I feel requires the most thought. Before diving straight into video creation, it’s essential to know what type of video you are going to create. This can also be a case of trial and error and an aspect that you should be open to changes for, as the campaign runs and you can monitor its success – or lack of.
Consider what type of video is the most suited to your audience, business, and image. We can no more expect Microsoft to use gimmicks and jingles as we can expect Barbie to hire Sir David Attenborough as a voice actor – it has to fit.
The most highly watched video types on YouTube are comedy, music, entertainment/pop culture, and “how to.” Unboxing videos are up there, as are vlogs and review videos.
For a business, there are many different types of video you could attempt in addition to the most popular; these include:
- Explainer videos – similar to ‘how to’
- Testimonial videos – from verified consumers, influencers, or celebrities (budget depending!)
- Promotional videos – of a service or product
- Sales presentations
- Live streams – include Q&As to increase engagement
- Podcasts
- Full-length features
#5 Set a Realistic Budget
Budget is so important; it’s limiting at times, but it is essential that it’s stuck to. There are key things to consider to ensure that you get the most ROI, but finances will often dictate the creative avenues you can explore.
The style and quality of your production will also be a factor in the expenditure and could impact how many videos you can make. There are questions to consider, such as is it best to make the video in-house or hire the help of a professional production company.
It may look professional to have an expert shoot and edit your video content, but this comes at a price and will take up a considerable amount of your budget – which would also need to be used for filming equipment, video software, content writers, editors, actors, and advertising platforms.
According to data, 60% of businesses spend around 25% of their total marketing budget on video, and this seems a reasonable ballpoint.
I would advise you to look at what budget is realistic for your business. While there isn’t any one-size-fits-all approach to video production, many companies are combining in-house production with a little help from specialized agencies, and very successfully.
Unlock the Power of Video Marketing with 'The Kit Bag' Newsletter
#6 Establish Who Is In Charge
Depending on the quality of the production you’re aiming for – and, of course, that budget – you may be able to afford to invest in the hire of a dedicated video marketer or in-house videographer. It may be that you’re going to go it alone, which can be as rewarding as it can be stressful – believe me!
There should be a designated person, or people, who are accountable for:
- Creating concepts and storyboarding
- Scriptwriting
- Script editing
- Organizing the video shoot logistics
- Video shooting
- Video Editing
- Video distribution and publishing
Going it alone has its advantages, but it does lack that critical second pair of eyes, which can be so vital to keeping the ego intact and remaining objective. However, there is a fine line between a strong team and too many cooks in the kitchen.
#7 Decide Where to Publish
Once you have finished creating your video(s), it is time to decide where best to publish them, and here we have a few options:
- YouTube
- Outbound emails
- Social media channels
- Multiple pages on your website
If budget allows, publishing to multiple platforms will reach the maximum reach and engagement, but if you’re pushed to the limit with your finances, then consider where would be the most profitable place to start.
To Sum Up
When you plan ahead, the end result is more successful, and this is no different when it comes to video marketing. By having a plan, you’re at no risk of costly or timely mistakes and can monitor the campaign’s progress – fundamentally, changing techniques before it’s too late.
Planning video content can seem like a long-winded journey, but it is the best possible way to ensure your strategy is executed effectively. If you want to know more about how to plan a video campaign, then check out my video here, and please do leave me a comment if you want to know something that I haven’t covered.
