Video marketing is the watchword for brands that have a unique story to tell and an eye on strategic impact. Easy-to-consume, visual and memorable in format, video engages audiences and evokes emotions like no other medium can. From informative tutorials and eye-catching ads to dramatic storytelling, videos have the powerful potential to leave lasting impacts that stay with audiences.

What Is Video Marketing?

Digital video marketing is one of the most impactful ways that brands can create awareness, build an audience and drive people toward a cause or call to action. In addition to boasting high click and conversion rates, videos offer an engaging way to share your brand story beyond words. For novice brands wondering what exactly is video marketing, the answer is quite simple — video content marketing is any type of video a brand uses to market or advertise across any channel.

As a video marketing agency, Communications Strategy Group (CSG®) provides an integrated approach to deliver on-brand, sophisticated, creative video content. Our team of writers and designers works in tandem with professional videographers and editors to imagine and create all types of videos that help our clients achieve their business goals. We believe that an integrated approach makes all the difference — the same team that brings content and design to life for our clients supports the creation of video assets that advance the objectives set forth by our strategic marketing teams.

As part of our dedication to deliberate, thoughtful marketing, we develop video marketing campaigns that maximize impact and minimize effort:

  • Shoot Once, Use Many Times: When our team plans a shoot we plan coverage for the project at hand as well as future edits and cutdowns to ensure that the footage supports as many initiatives as possible.
  • Repurpose and Reframe: We always consider possibilities for the iteration and evolution of video assets. In this way, what begins as a testimonial or talking head video may be edited and reshaped into the framework of a video case study.
  • The Medium with Legs: Video is a content marketing investment unlike any other — it can be trimmed and edited and repackaged countless times and shared on virtually any channel. While a standard published piece is quicker to develop and deploy, it might have a relatively short lifespan and support short-term goals. Video requires careful planning and upfront work, but results in an evergreen asset capable of serving a myriad of short- and long-term goals.

Types of Video Marketing

One of the most diverse and flexible marketing mediums around, digital video marketing comes in many forms — from live-action to animation. The right type of video and approach should align with your organization’s overall goals or specific challenges. At CSG, we work with our clients to determine the most impactful video deliverable. Our body of work ranges from short-form commercials to long-form educational content. Here are just some of the types of videos our team can develop:

Testimonial and Case Studies

In marketing, education matters, but social proof matters even more. Case studies and testimonial videos present an opportunity to accomplish both. Typically presenting a mix of product visuals, statistics, and interviews or talking head footage, these videos highlight the value products and services have to offer — in the words of actual customers.

Thought Leadership Interviews

Modern consumers like to understand the people and purpose behind the brands they support. Candid interviews with founders and leaders have the potential to shed light on a brand’s personality, values, mission and spirit.

Commercial

During the NFL’s Big Game, ahead of a YouTube video or as an incentive to get a free life in an addictive mobile game — we all have experience with commercials. Whether for broadcast or the web, designed to inspire tears or laughter, these types of video advertising promote products and services, engage with brand champions and potential customers alike and create brand awareness.

Short Explainer Videos

Sometimes it only takes 30 seconds to take your audience from unaware to up-to-speed. Short and sweet explainer videos can easily explain pain points, provide product demos and answer essential questions.

Long Explainer Videos

For complex topics, there’s nothing as powerful as a visual aid. If your sales team is frequently asked to explain how an innovative technology or product works, a long-form explainer is a perfect opportunity to offer that full clarification when they’re not in the room.

Social Media Videos

Quick-hitting social videos bring life and movement to a crowded space and present a great opportunity to maximize existing footage.

Video Marketing Statistics and Trends Over the Years

Video popularity has skyrocketed over the past decade — and organizations are reaping the vast benefits of video marketing. Video marketing strategies have a huge impact on the success of brands, promotional campaigns and content marketing efforts. While the idea of needing a video marketing strategy to stay competitive isn’t new, the future of digital story-telling shows us how critical video is for every platform and channel. Video is no longer just one piece of a brand’s overall marketing plan — it’s central to everything, including outreach, campaign efforts and a social media strategy.

Need proof that video plays an important part of your digital content marketing strategy? Consider these telling statistics:

  • 83% of viewers prefer YouTube over any other video platform.
  • 71% of consumers are watching more videos online than they were a year ago.
  • When testing a video ad against a text ad on Facebook, the video received 480% more clicks, was 497% cheaper per click, and cost 280% less per lead.
  • 78% of people watch online videos every week, while 54% watch videos every day.
  • By 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic — 15 times higher than it was in 2017.

Why Your Company Needs to Invest in Video Marketing

Still not sold on the impact of video marketing? Whether you’re wary of digital video marketing results on a smaller budget or have fears of dappling in a new-to-you medium, it’s important to understand that the future of marketing is video. Check out seven reasons why your organization should invest in video marketing to reap a spectrum of powerful benefits:

Video Improves Conversions and Sales

Did you know adding a product video on your landing page can increase conversions by 80%?

Video has the power to lead directly to sales. Studies show that 74% of users who watched an explainer-video about a product or service subsequently bought it. Since most of the information transmitted to our brain is visual, it’s no wonder that pictures can boost engagement — and achieve bottom-line goals — in a way that no other medium can.

Video Has a Stellar ROI

Even though video production is not yet the simplest or most affordable tactic, it pays off big time. 83% of businesses say that video provides a good return on investment. And with the amount of video editing tools and smartphone technology available, creating high-quality videos has never been easier.

Video Promotes Brand Recognition

No one likes the idea of their audience forgetting a marketing campaign days after seeing it, which is why video is a great tactic to invest in. 80% of customers remember a video they have watched in the past month. Because video appeals to the visual and audible senses, it makes it easier for viewers to remember and recall what they watched.

When viewers remember your video, they remember your brand, message and perspective — and will think of you when they have a challenge you can solve.

Video Boosts SEO

Videos’ powerful statistics continue when it comes to SEO. 65% of business decision-makers visit a marketer’s website after viewing a branded video, and because site traffic is one part of Google’s SEO algorithm, quality videos can drive site traffic, helping your organic search ranking. Videos also allow brands to increase the time spent by visitors on their site, and longer exposure builds trust and signals search engines that your site has good content. In fact, you’re 53 times more likely to show up first on Google if you have a video embedded on your website.

Video Performs on All Devices

There are no boundaries when it comes to when and where people consume video content. From coffee shops, grocery store lines, over dinner, during commutes and much more, video views from mobile devices are happening everywhere at all times. With video, your organization has the opportunity to connect and interact with your audience at all hours of the day and on all devices.

Video and mobile go hand in hand. 90% of consumers watch videos on their mobile and YouTube reveals that mobile video consumption rises 100% every year. Since people like to watch videos on the go, and the number of smartphone users is growing, your video audience keeps growing too.

Video Builds Trust

Trust is the foundation of everything for brands — conversions, sales, brand loyalty, recognition, and more. Through its ability to engage and ignite emotions, video content has the tremendous potential to improve your audience’s trust in your brand. Even promotional videos contribute to that trust. Consumers can be skeptical about buying products and services on the internet for fear of fraud, but effective marketing videos that present products in a conversational form can aid that challenge. In fact, 57% of consumers say that videos gave them more confidence to purchase online.

Video Can Explain Anything and Everything

No matter what your organization is setting out to accomplish, video is an effective medium. Launching a new product or service? Create a video to show how it works. 98% of users say they’ve watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. Trying to explain a difficult concept? Create animated videos that bring concepts to life that no text or live video can. The perfect combination of entertainment, nostalgia and simplicity, animated videos achieve results.

13-Step Video Marketing Strategy

Whether you’re a large corporation with a video team brimming with capabilities, a scrappy start-up looking to launch video in-house, or somewhere in between looking to outsource to an expert, it’s important to understand the basic steps of creating a video marketing strategy. From beginner to expert, here are 13 overarching steps to deliver an effective video deliverable that achieves business goals:

1. Plan Your Idea

First thing’s first — you’ll need an idea for your video. What are you setting out to achieve? What’s the ideal outcome? What marketing goal will this video support? Once you have an overall idea, you can narrow in on the best way to execute your video.

2. Write a Script

While scripting may seem counterintuitive, putting pen to paper can create a more streamlined video and save countless editing time. Start by listing out key points and ordering them logically. Then create a two-column script. Write your audio script in the left column and insert matching visual ideas in the right column. This helps everyone understand and organize how the audio and visual parts of the script work together.

Use clear, relaxed and conversational language. Avoid using complex sentence structures and eloquent clauses. Instead, connect with your audience by writing in first person and using visual language. Keep the language concise, avoiding jargon and buzzwords. As you’re writing, practice reading your script out loud to get a sense of how the audio will sound and nail down inflections. Lastly, keep a timer on hand to track your script length as you write and edit. Video scripts are typically much shorter than you’d expect.

3. Get to Know Your Camera’s Capabilities

Fear of new equipment can keep businesses from attempting video marketing, but learning to shoot video doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Whether an iPhone or a professional camera, creating a great video ultimately comes down to understanding equipment capability.

No matter which camera you decide on, be sure to experiment before filming to understand focus, test lighting and ensure your device has enough storage or memory. When shooting with an iPhone, flip your phone horizontally to create the best possible viewing experience. Then, move close enough to your subject so you don’t have to use the zoom feature — it often makes the final video look pixelated and blurry.

4. Create a Studio Setup

Creating an in-office studio can become pricey quickly, but there are also plenty of cost-effective ways to create professional videos in your space. Here is a list of basic equipment that will make creating videos much easier:

  • A tripod to maintain a steady shot.
  • Camera batteries to maximize time management.
  • SD cards to save footage.
  • A microphone to enhance sound quality.
  • A light stand to enhance visual quality in a range of settings.

To create an effective office studio, make sure the room isn’t too empty. Bring in furniture and rugs to minimize room echoes. Consider photography paper to create unique backgrounds that are more appealing than a white wall. And don’t forget to turn off the overhead lights when shooting to avoid harsh fluorescent glares.

5. Source and Prepare Talent

Whether you’re working with an experienced actor or a volunteering team member, give your talent the script in advance so they can familiarize themselves with the material. Remember to break the script into short paragraphs and record each section individually until you capture a great take. Always prep enough time to capture content so you and your talent aren’t rushed.

6. Consider the Editing Process While Shooting

In the hectic rush of shooting a video, it can be easy to forget crucial details. Video marketing is more than the art of communication. Marketers creating video marketing also need to ensure filming follows a budget, schedule and plan. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to little details and consider the editing process while shooting. Here are a few tips:

  • Leave a buffer at the beginning and the end of each clip.
  • Record extra footage for jump cuts so the transition feels more natural.
  • Mark good clips visually so you or an editor can quickly identify them when reviewing footage.

7. Save and File Footage

File organization might sound dull, but it’s essential for video marketing. Invest in an external hard drive to store your project files for easy storage and collaboration. With your project’s folder, create a set of buckets to store your video footage, audio, design assets, and more. And don’t forget to back up your files early and often to avoid losing hours of video footage.

8. Edit, Edit, Edit

After you’ve filmed your video footage, it’s time to start the editing process. There is a range of great options for video editing based on your skill level, operating system and budget. If you’re just getting started iMovie is simple, user-friendly, and free on all Apple products. iMovie allows you to create and edit your videos by cutting together clips and makes it easy to add titles, music, sound effects, basic color correction, filters and special effects. The platform can support high-quality clips and makes it easy to share your work directly to a video hosting platform.

For more advanced video editors, Adobe Premiere Pro is the leading video editing software that offers a customizable interface and advanced editing tools. The software allows you to collaborate with other editors, organize material, and sync with other programs in the Adobe suite like After Effects and Photoshop. It also offers advanced, built-in color correction and grading tools that set it apart from other more affordable options.

9. Select Music

Music is a powerful tool that can alter your video’s mood and tone. The right music and sound effects can help keep your viewer’s attention, evoke emotions and define your overall editing style. Consider these steps when selecting music for your video:

  • Set a music budget and research your local copyright laws. Most music isn’t free. If you use another artist’s music without permission or proper licensing, you risk video removal and legal action.
  • Understand what music your target audience responds to. Think about your audience and the overall feel of your production. Pay attention to videos that have a similar style to see how their music enhances the experience.
  • Choose the right song. The wrong song can make your video feel unprofessional and out of date. Try to choose simple songs that are easy to loop and think about whether instrumental music or something with digital samples is best for your audience.

10. Record Voice-overs

If your video features a voice-over, now is the time to weave them in. A voice-over is an effective tool that can help make your content more relatable, emotional and fluid. Here are some best practices to consider:

  • Record in a quiet room away from distracting sounds like sirens and chatter.
  • Pay attention to the room’s acoustics to ensure there is no echoing or muffling.
  • Do a practice read before recording to take note of difficult pauses, transitions and words.
  • Have your voice run through the script beforehand to warm up the vocal cords.
  • Keep recording until you get a perfect take. It’s much easier to record new audio than fix a voice in the editing process.

11. Host Your Video

Now that you’re ready to publish your video, it’s time to decide where to host it. Video marketing isn’t just about which people are watching, it’s where they’re watching. Here are some of the most popular video hosting platforms:

YouTube

The largest video hosting platform, second largest search platform and the most visited website in the world, chances are you’re familiar with YouTube. Every day, people watch over five billion videos on YouTube and the platform is free to upload videos and optimize them for search. YouTube also allows you to build an audience of subscribers to your video channel, organize videos into playlists, and easily search within the content. One drawback of YouTube is the number of ads on the platform from other advertisers that can detract from your audience’s experience.

Vimeo

The second largest video hosting platform, Vimeo is a great option to showcase high-quality, artistic content. Vimeo has limited ads and commercials that would otherwise detract from your viewer’s experience and includes more professional content than YouTube. Vimeo offers several premium account choices for businesses that provide more storage, advanced analytics, customer support, player customization and access to lead generation tools.

Vidyard

An online video platform for business, Vidyard offers tools to create, host and share videos to enable sales and service teams to connect with customers. Tools include native publishing, data reporting and video personalization. Vidyard is a great hosting option for businesses looking to personalize videos and further tailor marketing and sales strategies.

12. Share Your Video

Now it’s time to share your video with the world! Successful video marketing strategies involve sharing content through owned and paid channels. Owned channels, such as website, blog and email are properties that you have free access to and can control. These channels give you the freedom to experiment with your video content and test what works before investing in paid channels.

Paid channels, on the other hand, help get your video content out to prospective customers and include avenues such as display ads, video ads, native advertising, sponsored content and influencer marketing. An organization’s overall marketing strategy will dictate how and where a video campaign is shared.

13. Track Analytics and Measure Results

Remember the primary marketing goal that the initial video was tied to? Now it’s time to measure results through analytics. Measuring performance on each platform and channel over time provides valuable information. While it’s easy to get wrapped up in view counts, there are a number of important metrics to consider when evaluating your video campaign:

  • View count– the number of times users have seen your video, often used to track brand awareness.
  • Play rate- the percentage of people who played your video divided by the number of impressions it received, useful for determining how relevant or appealing your video is to your audience.
  • Social sharing and comments- good metrics to track if your goal is to reach a lot of people, social sharing and comments are helpful in determining how relevant your content is to your target audience.
  • Video completions- the number of times users play your video in its entirety, which can be more reliable than view count when trying to gauge your video’s success.
  • Completion rate- the number of people who completed your video divided by the number of people who played it, which is a helpful way to gauge a viewer’s reaction to your video.
  • Click-through rate- the number of times users click your call-to-action (CTA) divided by the number of times it’s viewed, which is a great indicator of how effective your video is at encouraging people to take your desired action.
  • Conversion rate- the number of times visitors completed your desired action divided by the number of clicks on your CTA.
  • Bounce rate and time-on-page- measuring these metrics is a great way to understand if embedded videos change the way people interact with your other content, such as a landing page.

Tips for An Effective Video Marketing Campaign

Creating a successful video marketing campaign involves artistic creativity, analytical strategy and collaborative teamwork. Consider these seven tips for developing an effective video marketing campaign for your organization:

1. Understand Your Target Audience

Who are you creating video content for? Answering this question will guide every other decision in video creation — from the type of video to how it is shared in the world.

2. Customize the Video for Each Platform

Before you start making your video, think about where you’re going to broadcast it and how you can get boost SEO and reach. For example, a video for Facebook will be shot and edited differently than one that lives on your website’s homepage.

3. Add Videos on Your Website

We’ve already determined that websites featuring video receive more traffic than ones that don’t. Drive web traffic, boost sales and grow your audience by adding engaging, relevant and powerful videos to your website.

4. Make Sure the Video is High Quality

High-quality video doesn’t mean it has to cost a lot to create. High quality can refer to authenticity, helpfulness of content and user experience. Listen to your audience’s feedback to determine what they consider high quality and how you can continue to deliver it.

5. Have Consistent Branding

Video content is a great way to enhance and promote your organization’s unique branding. From tone and voice to logos and colors, make sure your videos have a consistent look and feel, and that they tie back to your overall visual identity.

6. Always Track Important KPIs Based on the Buyer’s Journey

Before diving into production, it’s important to define your video goals and find the best metrics to help you understand whether you’ve accomplished those goals. Choose several key performance indicators that correspond with your video goals to start with tracking your video marketing.

7. Optimize Campaign Based on Insights

After reviewing your video marketing analytics, it’s time to act on them. If metrics are lower than you hoped or are suddenly changing course, it’s time to optimize your content. For example, if many people are seeing your video, but only a few are playing it, there is an opportunity to pivot for better engagement.

8. Get Expert Help 

Video marketing is a delicate art and science. To meet their business and creative needs, some organizations find the most success and quickest results by hiring a video marketing agency. CSG offers full-service strategic and creative services to deliver creative video marketing campaigns that support your organization’s goals and tell its unique story.

Develop Your Video Marketing Strategy With Us

Video is a powerful medium that can make a marketing impact on a spectrum of budgets. Contact us today if you’re searching for a team of experts that can deliver a video marketing strategy that is tailored to your organization’s unique strengths, supports your overall strategy and maximizes your spend. As a video marketing agency, CSG works alongside brands to find the right style and approach that meets their needs, resonates with target audiences, moves the marketing needle and creates a lasting impact.