The popularity of online videos is growing fast, and audiences are eagerly consuming video content.
You might think that incorporating video into your content strategy is complex and labor-intensive, but it can be a simple exercise with the right tips and tricks. Video is no longer confined to written blog posts on websites, and adding video into your content brings many advantages.
Social video is shared much more than text and image content, and most people pay more attention to the content of a video. Landing pages with videos also have a very high conversion rate.
Video has become a central point for Twitter, and video views on this platform have grown 220 times in the last year. Most Twitter views occur on mobile giving you access to audiences anywhere and in real-time.
It has never been easier to make professional videos to compliment the overall strategic intent of your content. Think of your smartphone as a business tool and start making your videos today.
An integrated strategy is far more than uploading a video onto YouTube. With the right software, you can track video ROI to ensure that you are heading in the right direction.
Creating an integrated video and content strategy requires careful planning and execution to ensure that the video projects show positive results.
Determine Content Optimization Scope
Start by reviewing the content strategy to assess the current status. Look at the current focus and goals and evaluate if videos could support achieving these. Identify parts of your content that require clarity or expansion.
Look at content and posts that are trending and those with the potential to improve. Set the new goals in terms of what needs to be achieved. There is a lot of information available on the basics of how to create a campaign to use for refresh thinking and articulate goals.
Determine how much video and what type you want to integrate. Other decision points include how often you wish to share video and how much you want to spend on video.
Video content can help create lasting connections with your audience when you fit it into your current content strategy.
Content that could benefit from videos include:
- Older content scheduled for repurposing
- Social media content
- Webinar registration pages
- Consistent weekly or monthly content
- Lead generation campaigns
Videos can convey content freshly and differently. Some video types and ideas include:
Show and tell videos
Educate and inform your audience visually to create a memorable impression and connection.
Product videos
Use video to increase the understanding of buyers during their awareness or decision phase. Establish a human connection and convey value while showing your brand voice and style.
Directional videos
Provide the audience with instructional content while watching the execution of a task. Share content and engage while complementing your content.
Event invitations
Create promotional videos to inform and excite the audience and increase attendance.
Get Social
Video can boost engagements and share counts on social media platforms and spread business awareness. You can create a video to convey any message you want.
The most successful social videos are those specifically created for specific platforms. There are three different forms of video content for Twitter alone that can be experimented with to drive engagement and increase following or sales.
Native video
Film a video directly through the Twitter app or upload content to automatically play through.
Live video
Create live stream videos to important moments and create a teaser regarding upcoming streams.
GIFs
GIF images can be powerful content-sharing tools that viewers can share easily.
Walk Before Running
It is best to walk before running, so start with short video content suitable for large, diverse audiences, such as a quick advertisement.
Consistency keeps audiences engaged and content top of mind. An ongoing video series can achieve consistency. Start with repurposing or expanding on concepts from other pieces to create weekly or video content.
Identify and use a marketing platform to assist you in measuring the ROI of your videos. Understanding the traffic and conversions your videos generate is invaluable in perfecting your integrated content strategy.
Post Website Videos
A website is supposed to be the hub of the organization’s online operations. It is best practice to include a video on the landing page to engage visitors immediately. Video testimonials and product demonstrations are an excellent way to show what the organization has to offer. Videos increase conversion rates and optimize the website experience.
Videos In Emails
Including a video in your email campaigns ensures that the reader receives the message as intended and remembered. Very rarely do people read full email content, and skimming can create a false statement. Notify email subscribers of new videos published for more views.
Mobile Friendly
During the planning and creation of video content, it is crucial to understand and cater to the fact that a large portion of the content is viewed on mobile devices. Optimize videos for mobile viewing, such as utilizing square-shaped videos.
Live Videos
A great deal of value is accredited to live videos by audiences. Utilize this factor to create long-lasting content for later viewers. Engage and interact in real-time with your audience to create excitement around new announcements and updates and record these interactions for later viewing.
Product Demonstrations
Add video content of how to use products or services to showcase the value add. Using product videos on online shopping platforms is very effective. Videos create value for interested parties who want to see the product in action first.
Valued Testimonials
Trust is a significant factor for audiences, and most people trust their peers more than companies. Leverage existing followers and customer base to provide testimonials of products and services that benefited them.
Influencers who share their networks to share how much they value a product or service are very effective and expensive.
Final Thoughts
There are many ways to integrate videos into your content strategy offering many choices and combinations. Experimenting to find the strategy that best suits the need of the individual or organization can take time, but getting it right is essential to achieve measurable results and worth the time.
