If you haven’t heard by now, we’re here to tell you: video is one of the most effective ways to market your business.
With today’s technology, it’s easier than ever to produce business videos for marketing and promoting anything you do or sell.
But easier isn’t always effective. It’s easy to produce videos that don’t drive business. Or worse, videos that drive people away from your business to a competitor.
Don’t stress. Mastering compelling marketing videos can be a challenge.
But with these nine video marketing tips, you’ll create better videos in no time–no matter your skill level.
1. Tell Stories
One of the most important parts of a good marketing video is the story. You can quickly bore an audience with a video that’s too technical or overly-detailed.
Don’t tell potential customers that your product works. Instead, tell them a story about how it worked for another customer.
Tell the story of your business:
- What inspired you to start your business?
- Why do you love what you do?
- How has your product or service changed lives?
Let stories prove your worth.
Facts and figures describe. Stories sell.
2. Target the Right Audiences
Facebook makes it easy to target an audience. Choose ages, gender, interests, and distance where you feel your video is most useful.
Be careful not to limit your selection too much. But when given the opportunity to choose the best target for your product or services, apply some general demographics to help you get the most out of your video marketing.
3. Use Your First Few Seconds Well
Today’s short attention spans don’t work in your favor when creating marketing videos. The first few seconds of your video are critical.
Make sure your video starts with something to grab attention. Whether it’s text or a compelling image, the start of your video needs to cause viewers to stop scrolling long enough to watch.
Be careful to avoid a few things at the start of your video. It’s not the place for a bunch of confusing stats or your brand name. For more guidance on how to set up your intro video, be sure to read through these expert video tips.
Think back to telling stories. Start your story quickly and get to the point of why you’re reaching out through this video.
4. Silence is Important
Can you tell your story without sound? You’ll need to do just that to reach the majority of your online audience.
With today’s almost-unconscious scrolling on social media, videos must be effective without sound. Almost 85% of Facebook users view videos without turning on the sound.
But don’t get discouraged. Get creative.
Using text in your video helps reach a larger audience across multiple social media platforms. Ideally, a viewer should understand everything about your video message without the use of sound.
Use bold, short headline-like text to grab attention. Transcribe important messages into text on the screen, like subtitles.
It takes a little more work to add text to video. But, it’s worth it.
Don’t exclude the majority of social media losers but neglecting to use text in your videos.
5. Craft Excellent Content
For the most compelling content, your videos should have an outline with a start, middle, and finish.
Start any video marketing campaign with a planning session. What’s the goal? What’s the story? What’s the best way to tell it?
Research the most successful types of videos. Viewers love “How to” videos that are short and informative.
Does your business solve a problem? Show an example of how your product or service saved the day. Explainer videos with graphics also work well.
When you decide the point of your video, find a creative way to present it in a captivating way. If your story needs voice-over work, this useful article can you help learn how to write a script.
No matter the format, make sure you include a call-to-action and contact information in the video.
6. It’s All About the Title
Sometimes, no matter how compelling your video is, people will pass by if the title doesn’t catch their attention.
Make sure you come up with a catchy title for your video when posting it online.
Something not too long, not too short, but just right.
7. Thumbnails Matter
Thumbnails are those still image screengrabs that sit behind the play button on your video.
More often than not, you see a video on Facebook with a thumbnail of an awkward facial expression. You probably keep scrolling while giggling at the goofy face.
Be sure you check every video to select the best thumbnail to attract viewers.
8. Add Atmosphere
Your content might be the greatest ever put into a video. But it could fall flat without the right atmosphere.
Think about watching a movie with only dialogue–no music score or sound effects. It won’t be a pleasant experience. And you won’t recommend it to others.
Choose music and sound that enhances your video’s story. Select the best editor to complete your project with video and sound.
The atmosphere shouldn’t overwhelm or distract. It should help your message get through in a pleasant way.
9. SEO Matters, Too
After you complete your video, be sure you craft an effective description with keywords to attract viewers.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is what helps your video show up in newsfeeds and browser searches.
By creating a video description with common search words, you help the internet connect your video to the audience looking for your product or services.
It’s one of the last steps to putting your video online. But it’s one of the most important.
Use These Video Marketing Tips to Grow Your Audience
Using these video marketing tips will help you grow your online audience. With a larger audience, your customer base also grows.
As you develop your video marketing plan, be sure you also consider each social media platform. Video formats and lengths vary depending on the platform.
Read more here in our article about the best video formats for different platforms. Combine these nine video marketing tips with the best video version for each platform.
You’ll soon reach your best potential customer audiences no matter where you share your video.
