Planning and creating a video marketing strategy for attention-grabbing videos may seem like an unachievable assignment, but it isn’t. To simplify the process, here are some best practices to help you get started:

Don’t create videos without a goal

Unless you know your video marketing goal, spending any time or effort creating videos may not yield results. Different video formats exist for a reason — so make sure you pick on a format that aligns with your goal. For example, if you are trying to create awareness about your brand, opt for a promo video.

Make story the hero of every video

Videos are a medium of storytelling. If you want your audience to watch them without hitting the pause or exit button, you need to tell a story that connects with them. However, lengthy videos result in lower levels of engagement. That’s why, focus on building a cohesive and concise story that delivers your message.

Learn more about your target audience

Unless you have a thorough understanding of what the target audience is looking for, your videos will fail to make an impact. Go beyond the demographics and think about which stage of the sales funnel they are at. It will make it easier for you to tailor the content of your video. For example, if the target audience is at the decision-making stage, a compelling customer testimonial video can nudge them in the right direction. In contrast, if the audience is at the awareness stage, explainer videos or promo videos will be a better choice. 

Always have a hook

Your videos are competing with several others — unless there’s something unique about it, the target audience can simply scroll past it without giving it a second look. Here’s where a hook at the beginning of your video can help. 

The first five seconds of your video are precious. You can start with an interesting fact or pose a question to pique the interest of the audience. Once you’ve drawn in the audience, the chances are that they will continue watching the video till the end. 

Don’t fuss over the sound

While adding sounds in the background of any video is a great idea, most of your audience prefers watching videos on mute. The video must remain highly watchable even when consumed as a silent video.

To do so, add closed captioning or subtitles. Captions also enhance the accessibility of videos, making them easily consumable by people with hearing loss. You can also focus on adding engaging visuals to improve your storytelling without too much reliance on sound effects or voice-overs. 

Aim for simplicity 

A video with too many messaging goals is a sure-fire way to disappoint your audience. You may end up forcing them to exit your video and start watching something else.

 It’s best to keep the video straightforward so that the audience doesn’t get confused.

Don’t ignore optimization 

Optimizing your videos is also a part of your video marketing strategy if you want to rank higher on search engines.  

You can optimize your videos by adding a transcription. You can also add the keywords in the title and meta description. 

Work on the CTAs

Call to action is a huge part of video making. For a successful video marketing strategy, jot down the various CTAs you can add to your videos. The viewers should know exactly what they need to do once they watch your video. For example, if you have a customer testimonial video to persuade the audience about a new financial product, the CTA can be ‘click here to invest.’ 

CTAs ensure that your customers are not left confused. So work on making them meaningful.

Focus on making videos mobile friendly

A vast majority of your audience might watch the videos on their mobile devices. Make sure to pay attention to the format and size of the video. Test the look and feel of videos on smartphones and tablets. 

Monitor the performance

Don’t leave the performance of your videos to chance. Follow the analytics to track how they are faring. You can also create multiple versions of a video and carry out A/B testing. It will give you an indication of what works for your audience.

Still have a few questions about adding video to your marketing strategy?

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