Looking to jumpstart your business with a marketing strategy that’s bound to capture people’s attention? Look no further because video marketing is the answer! Imagine your products or services being showcased in a fun and captivating video that tells people what you offer and shows them how it can improve their lives. That’s the power of video marketing.
Video marketing is a powerful tool for businesses looking to engage with their target audience and drive brand awareness. It has become increasingly relevant for businesses in Nigeria. This guide will show you how you can harness video marketing to reach new customers and drive sales. Furthermore, this guide aims to help you effectively use video marketing to achieve your marketing goals and grow your business.
Table of Contents
What is Video Marketing?
Video marketing is a form of digital marketing that involves creating and sharing videos to promote a product, service, brand, or business. Video marketing aims to educate, entertain, and engage the target audience, build brand awareness, and drive traffic and conversions. The videos you create can be distributed through various online platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, websites, and email, among others.
Video marketing can take many forms, such as explainer videos, product demonstrations, and customer testimonials — I’ll tell you more soon. By combining visuals, audio, and motion, video marketing provides a dynamic and immersive experience that can help your business stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Now, let’s elaborate on why you should add video marketing to your marketing strategy.
5 Importance of Video Marketing
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Increased engagement and awareness
Video content is more engaging and memorable than text or static images. By creating compelling and entertaining videos, businesses can attract and retain the attention of their target audience, leading to increased brand awareness and recall.
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Better explanation of products or services
Video allows businesses to showcase their products or services in more detail and interactively, helping to educate and inform potential customers. For example, a beauty brand can create a video demonstrating how to use its makeup products.
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Improved search engine optimization (SEO)
Videos can help boost a website’s search engine ranking and visibility, as search engines favour rich and multimedia content. By including keywords in the video title, description, and tags, businesses can improve their chances of appearing in search results.
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Increased social shares
Videos are more likely to be shared on social media than text or image-based content. For example, a restaurant can create a video showcasing its menu and atmosphere, which customers can share on their social media profiles, leading to increased exposure and potential customers.
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Better conversion rates
Videos can help increase conversion rates by providing a more comprehensive and compelling representation of a business’s products or services. For example, a video demonstrating how to solve a problem using a software tool can be more effective in persuading viewers to make a purchase compared to a static image or text explanation.
10 Types of Video Marketing
There are various kinds of videos, which helps you understand each of them, so you know how to deploy them.
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Explainer videos
Short, animated videos that explain a concept, product, or service in a simple and easy-to-understand manner.
Example:
A SaaS company can create an explainer video demonstrating how its software solution works.
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Product demos
Videos showcasing a product’s features and benefits.
Example:
A technology company can create a product demo video to show how its new smartphone works.
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Customer testimonials
Videos featuring real customers sharing their experiences and opinions about a product or service.
Example:
A hotel can create a customer testimonial video featuring guests sharing their positive experiences during their stay.
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Brand films
Emotional, story-driven videos that aim to build a connection with the audience and establish a brand’s identity.
Example:
A fashion brand can create a brand film to showcase its brand ethos and values.
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How-to tutorials
Videos provide step-by-step instructions on using a product or performing a task.
Example:
A cooking brand can create a how-to tutorial video showing how to prepare a dish using its kitchenware products.
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Live videos
Real-time, streaming videos that allow businesses to connect with their audience more personally and interactively.
Example:
A fitness brand can create a live video to host a virtual workout session.
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Event videos
Videos capture an event’s highlights, such as a product launch or industry conference.
Example:
A software company can create an event video to showcase its participation in a tech trade show.
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Corporate videos
Informative videos that provide an overview of a company, its history, mission, and values.
Example:
A consulting firm can create a corporate video to introduce its services and team members.
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Animated videos
Videos using animation to convey a message or tell a story.
Example:
An environmental organization can create an animated video to raise awareness about climate change.
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Virtual Reality (VR) videos
Immersive, 360-degree videos that allow viewers to experience a product or service in a virtual environment.
Example:
A real estate company can create a VR video to give potential buyers a virtual tour of a property.
Read Also: How To Create A Successful Digital Marketing Campaign
How to Start Video Marketing
Now that you have all this information about video marketing, let’s make sense of it as we look at the steps to making a video for your business.
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Understand your target audience
Understanding your target audience is crucial in video marketing, as it helps ensure that your videos resonate with the right people. Suppose you’ve been in business for a while. In that case, chances are that you already have some knowledge about your audience, which will come in handy as you plan to utilize video marketing for your business.
There are three aspects to understanding your target audience.
- Demographic research
This involves gathering data on your target audience’s age, gender, income, education level, and other relevant characteristics. The information can be obtained from various sources, such as surveys, market research reports, and social media analytics. By knowing who your target audience is, you can create videos that address their needs and interests.
- Customer personas
A customer persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer based on demographic research and other insights. By creating a customer persona, you can better understand your target audience’s motivations, goals, and pain points and create videos that resonate with them.
- Identifying customer pain points
A customer pain point is a problem or frustration that a customer experiences when trying to achieve a goal. By understanding your customer’s pain points, you can create videos demonstrating how your products or services can solve their problems and provide a solution.
For example, imagine you run a home security company. Your target audience may be homeowners who are concerned about the safety of their homes and families. Through demographic research, you determine that your target audience comprises young families with children.
Your customer persona may be a busy, working mother who is concerned about her home and family safety when she is away. By identifying her pain points, you can create videos that show how your home security system can provide peace of mind and keep her family safe.
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Developing a video marketing strategy
It’s often said that battles are mostly not won on the number of one’s army but on how tactful one’s strategy is. Similarly, to win in the game of video marketing, you need a solid strategy, including the following.
- Defining your goals
Before you start creating videos, you must know what you want to achieve with your video marketing efforts. Some common goals include increasing brand awareness, generating leads, boosting sales, or improving customer engagement. By setting clear and measurable goals, you can ensure that your videos are aligned with your overall business objectives.
- Choosing the right platforms
When choosing platforms, consider your target audience, their preferred channels, and the type of content you want to create. For example, if you’re targeting a younger demographic, you might consider using Instagram or TikTok, whereas LinkedIn might be a better option if you’re targeting a more professional audience.
- Creating a content calendar
A content calendar is a schedule for your video content, outlining what type of videos you will create when you will create them, and where you will share them. By creating a content calendar, you can ensure that your video marketing efforts are consistent and organized and that your videos are aligned with your goals and target audience. You can also use the content calendar to track your results and measure the success of your video marketing efforts.
Read Also: 11 Dos and Don’ts of Content Marketing
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Producing high-quality video content
The quality of your video content is crucial to the success of your video marketing campaign. To produce high-quality video content, there are three key elements to consider: scriptwriting, equipment and filming techniques, and video editing and post-production.
- Scriptwriting
Writing a clear and concise script is the foundation of any successful video. Your script should clearly outline the message you want to convey and the story you want to tell. Think of it as a roadmap that guides the creation of your video.
- Equipment and filming techniques
The right equipment and filming techniques can make a big difference in the quality of your video. From lighting and sound to camera angles and shot composition, using the right techniques can help you create a professional-looking video that captures your audience’s attention.
- Video editing and post-production
Video editing and post-production are the final steps in the video production process. This is where you can add special effects, music, and sound effects and fine-tune the video to ensure it’s polished and ready for distribution. You can take your video from good to great with the right tools and techniques.
Think of it like cooking a meal. Scriptwriting is the recipe, equipment and filming techniques are the ingredients, and video editing and post-production are the plating and presentation. With the right combination of these elements, you can create a delicious video that will satisfy your audience’s appetite for engaging and informative content.
Read Also: 4 Best Laptop Specifications for Video Editing
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Promoting your videos
Now that you’ve created your marketing videos, it’s time to get them out. There are various ways you can promote your video, but we’ll take a look at three of such ways.
- Utilizing social media
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are powerful tools for promoting your videos and reaching a wider audience. By sharing your videos on these platforms, you can increase visibility and engagement and drive traffic back to your website. For example, you can create a short teaser video to post on your social media channels, encouraging followers to watch the full video on your website.
- Email marketing
Video marketing can also be integrated into your email marketing campaigns. Including videos in your email newsletters can provide a more engaging and interactive experience for your subscribers. For example, you can create a product demo video and include it in your monthly email newsletter to showcase a new product launch.
- Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing involves partnering with social media influencers to promote your videos and reach a larger audience. By partnering with an influencer in your industry, you can tap into their existing following and gain exposure to a new, targeted audience.
For example, you can create a product review video and work with an influencer to share it on their social media channels. This can increase brand awareness and drive traffic to your website.
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Measuring the success of your video marketing efforts
To understand the effectiveness of your video marketing campaigns and make data-driven improvements, it’s important to measure and track your progress.
- Setting up analytics
This involves setting up tools and systems to track and measure various metrics related to your video marketing efforts. Examples of these tools include Google Analytics, YouTube Analytics, and social media analytics.
- Tracking key metrics
Some key metrics to track include views, watch time, engagement rate, click-through rate, and conversions. This information can help you understand which videos resonate with your audience and what areas to improve upon.
- Making data-driven improvements
You can make informed decisions about what changes to make to your video marketing strategy based on the metrics and data collected. For example, if a particular video has a high engagement rate, you may want to create similar videos. On the other hand, if a video has a low view count, you should re-evaluate your target audience and distribution channels. You can continuously optimize your video marketing efforts and achieve better results by tracking metrics and making data-driven improvements.
Think of measuring the success of your video marketing efforts like a chef tasting a dish they just made. The chef will take a bite, evaluate the flavour, and adjust the recipe if needed. Similarly, you must evaluate your video marketing efforts and adjust based on the data and metrics collected to ensure your content hits the right spot with your target audience.
Read Also: 7 Things Entrepreneurs Should Know About Marketing
Tips for Creating Engaging Video Content
To create engaging video content that captures the attention of your audience and drives conversions, you should consider the following tips:
- Use storytelling techniques to make your video more relatable and memorable. A well-crafted story can evoke emotions and connect with your viewers on a deeper level.
- Choose the right tone and style that aligns with your brand’s personality and the message you want to convey. This could be humorous, informative, or inspiring, depending on your target audience and the goal of your video.
- Use visuals and graphics effectively to enhance your video’s message and make it more visually appealing. Incorporating text overlays, infographics, and animations can help explain complex concepts or highlight key points.
- Incorporate music and sound effects to create a more immersive viewing experience. Music can evoke emotions and help set the tone for your video, while sound effects can add depth and realism.
- Add a clear call-to-action at the end of your video to encourage viewers to take action. This could be to visit your website, sign up for your newsletter, or make a purchase. Make sure your call-to-action is easy to understand and accessible.
Read Also: Top 10 Digital Marketing Tools To Help Grow Your Business
Wrapping Up
Video marketing is a powerful tool that you can use to reach and engage your target audience. And by following the tips outlined in this guide, you can create compelling video content that will increase brand awareness and drive conversions and revenue.
Remember to stay creative, authentic, and consistent with your video marketing efforts, and you’ll be on your way to achieving your business goals in no time. Embrace the power of video, and watch your business soar to new heights!
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About Author
- Ajayi Olalekan is a Professional SEO writer & editor with 8+ years of print journalism and writing experience across different platforms — blogs, website, eBooks and social media. His writing experience also cuts across industries like IT, fashion, education management, real estate, consulting and entertainment.
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