Did you know that Americans spend an average of 323 minutes a week watching videos on mobile devices? That’s right, they spend almost 5.5 hours watching video content, not including desktop, and other streaming devices.
If your business isn’t utilizing video as part of your marketing strategy, you need to get on board. Video marketing brings you closer to your customers.
It also generates more revenue for your business.
Before you grab your phone and record the first thing that comes to mind, you need to create a video marketing plan.
You’re in luck because this article takes you through the process step-by-step. Keep reading to learn the best tips for marketing with videos.
1. The Purpose of Your Videos
Your video marketing plan starts with a purpose for the video. Do you want to educate your audience about a topic related to your work? You might want to have training videos that are used internally.
Be clear about the purpose of the video and the outcome that you’d like to have. For example, the purpose of a video about nutrition is to educate the audience. The outcome is to have them become more aware of your brand.
2. Video Marketing Channels
Where will the videos appear? That will determine your video topics, the length of videos, and how they’re edited.
Instagram allows for short videos, while you can shoot longer videos for YouTube.
Many creators will choose YouTube as their main channel. They’ll then edit the same content to fit Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
3. Research Topics for Videos
How much research you need to do depends on where your videos will be published. For internal videos, you don’t need to do much research. You might look at other training videos for inspiration.
If your videos are on social media, you need to research what gets results. Look at accounts like yours and learn what works for those accounts.
Note the topics, the hashtags, and how they’re shot. YouTube operates like a search engine, so you should do keyword research with tools like TubeBuddy or VidIQ.
4. Get the Necessary Equipment
You don’t need a huge studio to be successful with video marketing. You do need some basic equipment.
You can use your phone camera to record video. Just make sure you’re able to record video with the right aspect ratio.
A 16:9 aspect ratio is a typical phone ratio, which is fine for story posts. However, you should shoot in a 1:1 aspect ratio for Instagram, or a 4:3 aspect ratio for other social channels.
You do need to have good video lighting for your shoot. You can invest in a ring light or pick up a couple of softboxes.
Do you want to look like a YouTuber that has colored lights in the background? Pick up an inexpensive RGB light.
If there’s one thing that you absolutely need, it’s good audio. People can forgive poor image quality and bad lighting. You’ll lose them with bad audio.
If you’re not sure what you need, an audio video consultant can help you determine what you need.
If you plan to do live videos, you should consider working with streaming software such as OBS, Restream, or StreamYard.
5. Write a Script
You can’t wing your videos, especially in the beginning. You have to look natural, enthusiastic, and
If you come across as slow, have a lot of pauses, or say “um” a lot, you will lose your audience.
Scripting the video beforehand gives you confidence in front of the camera.
As you get more comfortable on video, you can move to an outline. The bottom line is that you should always have a plan for your video.
6. Record the Video
You already put so much planning into the video, this part should be easy. You should check your audio and lighting before you record.
If you’re reading from a script, you can get a teleprompter to help you maintain eye contact with the camera. There are apps you can use on mobile devices or you can spend money on a real teleprompter.
7. Edit the Video
There’s a good chance that your video will not be shot in one perfect take. That’s why you need to edit your video. Plus, you get the chance to add text graphics, effects, and trim down the fluff in the video.
Editing takes a lot of skill to master, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Start by learning the basic editing cuts, such as a jump cut.
You’ll want to get editing software that can handle the tasks.
Davinci Resolve and VSDC are a couple of widely used programs that are very affordable. Mac users can use iMovie. If you already have Adobe products, you can use Premiere Pro.
8. Release the Video
If you’re going to launch the video on Facebook or Instagram, you should use an app that allows you to create a title bar and captions.
Most people on those platforms don’t watch videos with the sound on. Sites like Clipscribe and apps like AutoCap transcribe and caption your videos for you.
If you’re releasing your video on YouTube, there’s still a bit more work to be done. Your video needs a title, compelling thumbnail image, and description.
These things are too important to be overlooked. Your title and thumbnail get people to watch your video. Your title and description help your SEO, too.
Once you complete and release your video, you should always respond to comments. That kind of engagement helps your content gain more traction across all platforms.
A Video Marketing Plan for Great Results
Video marketing takes a lot of work. You want to make sure that you present your business in the best possible light, which is why you need a video marketing plan.
Now you have a system to create amazing videos and produce content consistently.
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