Every successful strategy begins with a clear plan of action.
This means that you’ll want to begin by defining your overall video marketing objective. This will help you stay focused, and will ensure you set measurable and attainable goals.
In fact, your video marketing plan will be what ultimately guides you through the entire process. From deciding on the type of videos you’ll create, setting your production and marketing budget, to defining your timelines—a solid plan will keep you moving steadily in the right direction.
Depending on your business, there are different types of goals you’ll want to consider.
The main two are:
Revenue-Based Goals & Brand-Based Goals.
Revenue-based goals involve directly increasing sales as well as lead-form inquiries that could result in future or follow-up sales.
Whereas brand-based goals would include things like building a targeted email list, increasing viewer engagement and overall awareness, and driving more traffic to your website or blog.
And while revenue-based goals are designed to put more money in your pocket quickly, brand-based goals are equally as important because they are geared towards positioning your business for future, long-term success.
When deciding on your initial goal, you’ll want to be as specific as possible. Instead of thinking, I want to increase revenue, set a specific income goal amount or percentage that you are aiming for.
The same goes for brand-based goals. Rather than aiming to simply increase the number of email subscribers, consider a more specific goal, such as increasing subscriber rates by 80%, or adding 1,000 new people to your email list.
Setting your initial goal will also help you determine what kind of videos you want to create.
For example, if you are primarily focused on brand-building, your videos would likely consist of content geared towards engaging a new audience, introducing your brand and creating awareness of the products and services you offer.
However, if your primary objective is to increase sales and you’ve already cultivated an audience in other ways, your videos might be geared towards the decision stage, where people are close to making a purchase and all you have to do is nurture those prospects.
You also want to make sure your goals are both measurable and achievable. One way to do that is to begin by creating a mission statement that outlines what your goals are, and then write down ideas as to how you will reach your objectives. Then, keep a pulse on your growth and overall progress every step of the way.
Knowing your metrics and paying close attention to your achievements is incredibly important. Not only will it help shape the way you create your video campaigns, but it will indicate, early on, what is working and what may need strengthening.
And regardless of your primary objective, you should eventually create videos that cover all the different stages of the buying process.
Someone who is new to your brand wouldn’t be at the same step as someone who is familiar with your business and so you should create videos for different segments of your audience.
Here are a few ideas:
- Create an explainer video to give your new website visitors an understanding of what your business does.
- Create a detailed sales video, geared towards solidifying the sale.
- Create an engagement video to build a better relationship and a deeper level of trust with your audience.
Different types of video content are also used to successfully guide your customers along their pathway from exploration to purchase.
According to Vidyard.com, this is the ideal video content mix you should be aiming for in your purchase pathway, based on what has already worked well for major brands:
- Interest Stage: 15%
- Learning Stage: 25%
- Evaluation Stage: 40%
- Justification Stage 20%
Most of your efforts should be at the evaluation stage around the middle of the purchase pathway.
Let’s take a closer look at the different stages:
Interest & Learning Stage:
This is when you would create a comprehensive video that covers a variety of questions about your product or service.
This allows you to position yourself as an authority in your market and helps people better understand your brand.
Webinars:
A webinar is a great way to move prospects down that pathway quickly. Repurpose your blog posts, e-books, and other guides into webinars that carry a strong message and guide viewers towards their next step.
Facebook Videos:
Facebook offers several types of video marketing, like hosting a live stream that provides a more personal touch and helps to quickly establish a relationship with your customers.
Another option is creating native videos. According to VentureBeat, Facebook’s native videos actually have 4 times more organic reach than YouTube videos!
Explainer Videos:
These are short and concise videos that introduce your product or service. You’d put this type of video at the top of your landing page to give prospects a quick sense of who you are, what you do, and how you can help them.
YouTube Videos:
The most popular video platform, YouTube makes it easy for you to rank for specific keywords that will drive fresh traffic to your content.
Interviews with Thought Leaders:
One of the best ways to build authority in any industry is by networking with established businesses or experts in your market.
By recording interviews with influencers in your industry, you can appeal to their existing audience and build your own following faster than ever.
The top of the pathway is meant to introduce your brand to potential prospects and solidify your place in your market.
This means that you’ll likely want to structure your video content so it’s designed to convert a viewer into an email subscriber.
That way you can follow up with them later and continue establishing a relationship with those leads.
In the evaluation stage, your videos would likely include some of the following:
Product Demos:
If your company sells products, this is the stage where you send out an e-mail asking if the prospect would be interested in a product demo.
You could also create videos based on highlighting how your product works and how it benefits those who purchase it.
Client Testimonials:
80% of people trust recommendations from people they know over any other type of advertising.
This is why videos that include personal and genuine testimonials from clients are often used to persuade viewers into taking action. They are incredibly powerful at spreading your marketing message.
In the justification stage of the pathway, videos can build trust, which in turn, will boost conversation rates. Video marketing content at this stage can overlap a little with some of the middle of the pathway content.
For example, case studies, testimonials, etc. can also be helpful for closing a new customer.
Video content at this stage of the pathway may also include:
FAQ Videos:
This is a great way to address any questions potential customers may have about your product or service. Some of these objections may include “I don’t need this right now,” “I can’t afford it right now,” and “I just don’t trust you yet.”
Use your FAQ videos to address these and other questions, while helping to move your lead into the final stage.
Instructional Videos:
One of a customer’s biggest fears is that after making a costly purchase, they might not get the support they need, or that they simply won’t understand the content.
A great way to demonstrate that you’re invested in their success after the purchase is through a series of instructional videos, provided to them free or as a bonus.
You could also offer additional resources or avenues for support such as providing video-based content via a private YouTube channel.
