With all the benefits of utilizing digital video content, it’s no wonder brands are turning to it more and more to attract their customers. Video keeps consumers around longer, and it increases CTR by 65%. Video is also a low-barrier program, meaning companies big and small can pick it up without a problem. For a video campaign to be successful, however, you’ll need a plan to get you from concept to placement.  Here’s IDR Production’s 7 tips for adding video to your digital marketing strategy:

1. Set your goals right off the bat. It’s hard to pick up the camera if you don’t know what you’re trying to achieve. Setting objectives for your video content often times makes it that much easier to go about doing it. Do you want to increase traffic to your website? Show off your latest product? Simply increase brand awareness? Each goal will require a different type of video, so by setting these goals early, you guarantee you’re using both your time and budget effectively.
2. Define what success is for you. Just as every video should have its own goal, every video should also have its own success metrics. How are you going to determine what a successful video looks like? While video views show how much exposure the content is getting, the view count doesn’t always mean as much as it’s made out to. Someone could watch your video for 10 seconds then click away, but it still gets counted as a view. This is when picking metrics based on your goals come in. Your metric could be click-throughs to your site, video retention time, or fewer calls to your call center. It’s important to pick a metric that in turn can show you that your goal has been achieved.
3. Look to repurpose content you already have. While companies are quick to get excited about creating new video content, a lot of the time this means overlooking what you may already have. Repurposing and reediting video can be a powerful tool, especially if your company is on a smaller budget. Looking at what you already have stockpiled can also show you what content you should be looking to produce. Are there ideas you can expand on or places you could clarify? Is there something you may be missing entirely? Before moving forward, it’s important to look back to make sure you’ve got your bases covered.
4. Come at it from the consumer’s point of view. If you’re making a video for your consumer, you’re probably going to want them to stick around for most of it. This is where you have to get inside your consumer’s mind. Ask yourself what they would want from this video. If they’re looking to gain new knowledge, inform them. If they’re looking to be entertained or awed by your product, entertain them. Identify why and where they have come into contact with your proposed video, and use that to tailor your message in a way that will keep them around. Once you know what consumers want, it becomes clearer as to how to get them to where you want. End your video with some call to action that gives consumers more access to the reason they came in the first place.
5. Think strategically about who you’re putting in front of the camera. Let’s face it; we all get a little bored listening to the same talking heads blab at us for a few minutes. Consider putting the human element back into your videos by shaking up who you put in front of the camera. By putting employees and satisfied clients in the lead shot, you’re showing that your credibility is more than just numbers and ambiguous faces. Real people and their stories make videos more engaging than statistics and read-off testimonials. These people are your built-in supporters, so use them in a way that expands your support network.
6. Choose your video placement sites. Where you’re going to put your video is just as important as what you’re putting in it. Hosting your video on third-party platforms as well as your own site means greater exposure and sharing potential for your content. This means a bigger ROI overall for your budget. The type of video being produced has a significant impact on what platform your video will do best on. Facebook and Instagram serve shorter, more entertaining videos. YouTube is well suited for longer, more informative videos, or for videos that you would like to integrate on a host of other platforms. Vine and Snapchat work well for showing more real-time videos with a more niche audience. Keeping these ideas in mind when selecting a platform means getting the most out of your video content.
7. Pick up the camera and start shooting. With all the other factors figured out, it should be pretty simple to see what direction your video should take. At this point, you can start writing your script and casting your actors. When you’re ready, make sure that you have all the equipment you’ll need for a complete and professional-looking video. From lighting to sound to a quality camera, make sure every element of your production is covered. After that, you’re ready to move onto editing and from there, you have video content that is at the ready to be placed into your digital marketing strategy.

Would you like to learn more about online video marketing, or about any other video topic? Reach out to IDR for additional information and answers to all your questions. You’ll discover why we’re Orange County’s premier producer of TV commercials, infomercials, and online videos for a wide range of businesses, organizations, and brands.