Video is one of the most effective formats for communicating information, comprising 82% of all internet traffic worldwide. Thanks to the medium’s dynamic nature, video is more effective than image or text at creating an emotional response, communicating complex information, and capturing user attention. In this article, we’ll discuss video marketing, its importance, and how to use it effectively.
What is video marketing?
Video marketing refers to the use of video content to promote a product, service, or brand. It is often used to support other digital marketing efforts, such as inbound marketing, content marketing, and social media marketing campaigns.
Video marketing materials are primarily distributed through digital channels, such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and company landing pages. Common types of videos include commercials, explainers, product demos, and livestreams.
The importance of video marketing
Video is one of the most effective communication formats. The combination of visuals, text, and sound conveys complex information efficiently and engagingly. It helps you stand out in a bloated digital landscape that has slews of content competing for user attention.
In fact, Wyzowl’s video marketing survey shows that 44% of users prefer to learn about a product or service through video, beating out formats like ebooks (16%), infographics (15%), text-based articles (13%), and sales calls (5%).
Whether you’re attracting new leads, persuading undecided buyers, or appeasing existing customers, the trick to marketing is keeping your audience engaged. No medium can achieve that task more effectively than video.
Types of marketing videos
When we think of video marketing, the first thing that comes to mind is video advertising. However, there are other forms of video marketing that boost brand awareness in less overt ways. Below are a few examples of marketing videos.
- Explainers are short videos that communicate complex concepts in a simple and engaging way.
- Tutorials teach audiences how to execute a specific task.
- Educational videos explain concepts related to the brand and its values to give value to the customer while promoting brand awareness.
- Product demos film a product or service in action to demonstrate how it works.
- Case study videos demonstrate how a product or service addressed a previous customer’s problem.
- Testimonials are videos of customer discussing their experience with the product or service.
- Event recaps are short videos that capture the highlights of a recent company event.
- Company culture videos provide a glimpse into working life at an organization to promote PR or recruitment efforts.
- Livestreams are videos being filmed in real-time. Topics range from interviews, events, behind-the-scenes glimpses into company life, and more.
Video marketing distribution channels
There are multiple ways to distribute marketing videos. Aligning your selected channel with your target audience’s viewing habits will increase your chances of growing visibility, engagement, and conversion.
Social media
If you want to deliver any type of message, there’s no better channel than social media. In 2024, DataReportal revealed that the average social media user spends two hours and twenty-three minutes per day on social media platforms, proving that the habit has become completely embedded in our day-to-day lives. The world’s ever-increasing reliance on these networks makes them one of the most effective channels for distributing marketing videos.
Of course, different platforms have different features, limitations, and user cultures. We discuss them in depth below.
YouTube
YouTube is one of the best known video sharing sites on the internet. It allows two types of videos: regular long-form videos and mobile-oriented short-form videos called “shorts.” Because the algorithm rewards videos that retain the user’s attention, the website is the most popular platform for long-form videos.
More complex marketing videos, such as tutorials, educational videos, product demos, and case studies, are suitable for YouTube. A common strategy is to drive engagement toward long-form videos with YouTube Shorts. Typically, YouTube users would use YouTube shorts to display the highlights of their long-form videos and give users an idea of what to expect before they commit their time.
TikTok
TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms of the 2020s. In contrast with YouTube, it prioritizes short, mobile-oriented content. Its userbase is predominantly Gen Z and young millennials looking for easily-digestible entertainment.
Brands whose identities lean more casual and humorous do well on TikTok. Take the language-learning app Duolingo, for example, which uses TikTok to build the mythos of Duo the owl. Their cartoon brand mascot who compels users to take their lessons through sass and ominous threats. To build a connection with their users, Duolingo posts videos of Duo participating in pop culture trends, such as listening to Taylor Swift, twerking in the Duolingo office, and engaging in the newest meme of the week.
However, TikTok can get serious when needed. It’s a popular medium for broadcasting informative content. Usually, experts provide condensed versions of complex lessons supported with text and video evidence. This trend means that TikTok is a great platform for explainers, short product demos, and short educational videos.
As long as you make your content easy to digest within a few minutes, it will do well with a TikTok audience.
Of the many video-sharing platforms, Instagram is the most visual-centric. Its userbase has historically prioritized aesthetic sensibilities, which made it a great place for promoting your brand’s visual identity.
There are three types of Instagram videos:
- Instagram Reels are 15- to 90-second videos to which you can add filters, music, and text. Due to the medium’s similarities with TikTok, there is usually an overlap between Instagram Reels and TikTok audiences (although Instagram usually skews older). This means the videos you post on Instagram should be easy to digest within the time constraints. It also helps to make your videos visually appealing.
- Instagram Stories are temporary stories that appear above your profile and disappear in 24 hours. Uploading videos to Instagram Stories can help you broadcast limited-time promotions, such as discounts and sales.
- Instagram Live is for live streams. The chance to interact with audiences and display authenticity through unscripted content makes this medium effective for building customer trust.
LinkedIn’s userbase primarily consists of professionals looking to network and upskill. Therefore, the content you post needs to provide educational value. Videos should help professionals reach their goals by providing useful insights. Explainers, educational videos, and tutorials are suitable video types for LinkedIn.
The platform also consists of brands building their reputation to attract clients and talent. It’s a good place to post videos that communicate your brand’s identity and product or service effectiveness. Video types that suit LinkedIn include case study videos, testimonials, event recaps, and company culture videos.
Paid advertising
Paid advertising helps you generate brand recognition on social media without relying on the algorithm to bring users to your page. Instead, you can pay a fee to work with social media websites, which will display your content to a targeted set of users whose viewing histories or psychographics betray interests that align with your offerings. You can place ads on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
However, be wary that the average user will not automatically be receptive to a paid ad since it is not the content they searched for or had algorithmically recommended to them.
Data from GWI shows that 31.5% of users worldwide use ad blockers, preventing them from seeing your ad. Meanwhile, a report by Simulmedia claimed that people who see a specific ad 4 to 6 times are 4.1% less likely to purchase a product than people who see it fewer times.
Ad blocking and ad fatigue may also lead to lowered conversions. They might also view it as untrustworthy, inauthentic, and interruptive.
Landing pages
You can also leverage videos to enhance your landing page. The purpose of a landing page is to drive users to perform a call to action, usually a sign-up for a purchase, trial, product demo, or email newsletter. With a video on your landing page, you can more effectively communicate what you want your users to do and how they’ll benefit.
One example of a landing page marketing video in action is the Rolex US landing page. It uses clips of the watchmaking process to drive users to its watchmaking information page. It’s an effective alternative to using pictures, which cannot display the same processes with the same level of intrigue and space-efficiency.
How to develop a video marketing strategy
Before producing a marketing video, it’s important to map out a video marketing strategy. Understanding your goals, target audience, requirements, and key metrics will give the video production process a solid sense of direction.
Step 1: Define your goals
The first step in your video marketing strategy is determining why you want to produce your video and how it would help your business.
As part of a marketing effort, your marketing video will naturally help you move through one of the four stages in the marketing funnel. Narrowing down which stage best aligns with your goals will help give your video a sense of focus. We explain the four stages of the marketing funnel below:
Awareness
The awareness stage aims to attract customers to your brand by either introducing them to the problem the brand promises to solve or by raising awareness of the brand and its name, products or services, values, style, and culture.
Awareness videos don’t need to promote the brand directly. Instead, they can use their brand name to post videos on topics relevant to the customers’ interests. For example, a project management software might post educational videos on the Agile methodology to attract customers who work in project management.
Consideration
The consideration stage is about introducing your product or service as a viable solution to your customer’s pain points. Videos produced for the consideration stage should outline the product’s main selling points and how the brand compares with competitors.
Product demos and case study videos are effective video types for the consideration stage. They discuss your product in greater detail and outline the reasons customers should choose it over competitor products.
Conversion
At the conversion stage, your lead is already aware of your product and what it can do. They can intellectually comprehend how they would benefit from your product, but need an emotional push to make the purchase.
Conversion stage videos should make customers more confident in their buying decisions by leveraging video’s ability to evoke an emotional response. Customer testimonials would be helpful at this stage, especially if you highlight your customer’s feelings about the brand, product, or service.
Because conversion videos aim to compel customers to perform a desired action, they are best placed on landing pages. You can also have a link to the desired action in the video description.
Loyalty
The loyalty stage is about maintaining your connection with existing customers. Appealing to customers at the loyalty stage means creating content that aligns with their current interests and proves your dedication to their well-being.
Tutorials addressing common product concerns, such as how to use your product or fix common bugs, are useful for building loyalty. You can also use live streams to provide a glimpse into company life and foster a sense of closeness with your customers.
Step 2: Determine key metrics
Once you’ve identified your goals, determine the key metrics you will use to measure success. We list standard video metrics below:
View count
View count measures the number of users who watched your video. This metric effectively measures your success in raising awareness. If you strategically distribute the video to existing customers, it also measures your success in fostering loyalty.
Watch time
Watch time measures how long a user spends watching your video. It is useful for measuring success in creating consideration for your brand, as it reflects an ability to retain audience attention. Again, if your video targets existing customers, it also helps measure success in building loyalty.
Engagement
Collecting engagement data, such as likes and comments, is the best way to affirm whether your strategy is working. Engagement is simultaneously a quantitative and qualitative metric: the number of likes affirms that customers approve of your video marketing strategies, while comments tell you which parts customers liked best.
The number of likes reflects how many viewers reacted positively to your video. It’s flexible enough to measure success in any marketing funnel stage except conversion.
Meanwhile, you can refer to comments to gauge customers’ specific reactions to your concept. Comments give you a solid idea of what your customers want, which can guide the creation of future videos.
Click-through rate
The click-through rate compares the total number of viewers to the number of viewers who performed a call to action that your video linked to. It determines whether your video is enticing enough to convert viewers to acting leads.
Step 3: Identify a target market
Penetrating a specific market through customized campaigns is easier and more effective than casting a wide net. Before you plan your video, build a profile of your ideal customer. Narrowing down their pain points, goals, values, and interests will give you a stronger idea of what to produce.
Duolingo, for example, understands that most of its users are tech-savvy young adults who want to learn a language but lack time or resources for formal training. They created a brand identity that aligns with the interests of individuals who grew up using the internet; their videos jump on the latest internet memes while adopting the brash humor characteristic of Gen Z and millennial social media.
Step 4: Select a distribution channel
After determining your goal and target market, it’s time to select the appropriate distribution channel. Here’s a summarized refresher of the main distribution channels covered in the section above.
- YouTube is suitable for long-form videos, particularly videos that discuss complex topics at length.
- TikTok is suitable for short-form videos, namely memes and easy-to-digest educational content.
- Instagram is suitable for building a brand’s visual identity or connecting with audiences through live streams.
- LinkedIn is suitable for networking with professionals.
- Paid Advertising is suitable for building brand awareness.
- Landing Pages are suitable for driving conversion.
Step 5: Establish a timeline and budget
Once you have a solid concept idea, it’s time to build an action plan. Assess company financials to create a budget for video production. Then, map out your production timeline.
When mapping out a timeline, it’s important to account for three distinct video production phases.
Pre-production
This stage is about laying solid groundwork for efficient production. You start by turning your concept into a script to provide a beat-by-beat outline of how the story will unfold. It also helps to have a storyboard communicating how you want the video to appear visually.
Aside from conceptualization, pre-production is also about resource preparation. Start scouting viable locations, sets, props, and talent. Make sure to address any necessary legal requirements, such as securing filming permits for specific locations.
Production
The production phase is straightforward: it is when you shoot or animate your scenes. Refer to the script to determine how long each scene would take to film. Make sure to allot time for travel, setup, emergencies, and mistakes.
Post-production
Post-production involves stringing your footage into a coherent sequence. Allot time for color grading, editing, sound mixing, and scoring.
Sometimes, mistakes or inadequacies in footage are not discovered until the post-production phase. To account for these mistakes, budget extra time for re-shoots and automated dialogue replacement (ADR).
Bring your video marketing vision to life with SplitMotion
Creating a high-quality marketing video is a difficult task. If you want to effectively bring your vision to life, outsource the video production to the experts. SpitMotion will oversee the entire video production process for you, from concept development and scripting to filming and editing. Check out the SplitMotion services page for more information.
