04 Apr 4 Tips for Video Marketing Success

Video marketing has become an essential part of any modern marketing strategy. With the meteoric rise of video-based social media like TikTok and the sustained popularity of platforms like YouTube and Instagram, this type of content has become one of the most effective ways to engage with audiences and promote products or services. However, successfully creating the marketing piece of your dreams requires careful planning and consideration.

In this blog post, we’ll share four essential tips for video marketing success that will help you create compelling content and achieve your marketing goals.

1. Define Your Goals

I was once in a meeting with a prospective client and, as we were getting ready to wrap up, I noticed an increasing amount of chatter and movement outside of their big conference room. The partners must have seen the inquisitive look on my face because, unprompted, they told me that all of the employees were very excited today.

“After this meeting, everyone is coming in here and we’re making one of those Harlem Shake videos.”

If you’re unfamiliar with this trend from a decade ago, the basic format of the Harlem Shake video is that one person is softly dancing in a calm, unassuming environment as the music in the background begins to swell. Then, after about 15 seconds, a disembodied voice chimes in demanding that you “do the Harlem Shake,” the bass drops, and mayhem ensues. Suddenly, all of the passive observants and onlookers are in wild, flamboyant costumes, wielding props, and partying as if their lives depended on it. This thing took over the Internet for like 6 weeks and accumulated over one billion views.

Our meeting took place in the Fall of 2013, roughly half a year since the explosion of this meme. In my head, I’m wondering why they decided to do this video now. I looked at it the same way as if they told me the whole team was about to join in to do this cool new dance, the Macarena. Though, in the moment, what I neglected to recognize was the pure enthusiasm radiating throughout this rather drab corporate office.

Their goals in that moment were not the same as most who hopped on the trend train. They weren’t chasing virality. They were simply looking to have a little bit of fun. No matter what it is that you desire from the project, so long as you remain locked in on your desired outcome and don’t stray from that vision, you have a far greater chance of reaching the finish line fulfilled.

2. Tell Meaningful Stories

So often, businesses are chasing the hard sell. They know and recognize that attention spans are shrinking, not just online but in general. On average, you have less than 10 seconds to hook a viewer, which has led them to believe that they need to get right to their offers and calls to action. Is this working? Probably not, but it hasn’t stopped them from trying.

Videos that are purely focused on furthering your brand or generating sales will more than likely be ignored. The absolute best content tells stories that connect with the viewer and, when done correctly, those are the pieces that will help to drive sales or leads without the need to be so blatant in your efforts. The key to a viewer’s heart is finding a way to tap into some sort of connective tissue, be it through shared social causes, nostalgia, history, pop culture, or any combination of the aforementioned – and it shouldn’t be longer or shorter than it takes to tell your story well.

We care deeply about meaningful stories. So much so, it’s our company motto. We also understand that while, yes, you’ve got a limited amount of time to hook someone before you’re swiped or scrolled away, there are far more creative ways to accomplish this.

3. Watch Without Sound

Did you know that as much as 85% of all video views on social media happen with the sound off? Services like Facebook attempted to rectify this by auto-playing videos with the sound turned on, but that does nothing to override users who have their devices in silent mode. So, with that handicap at play, is there something about your video that’s going to make the user want to tune in and listen? Or, have to done enough to ensure there’s something to be gained if they never actually turn the sound on?

In 2014, Steven Soderbergh recut the classic adventure film “Raiders Of The Lost Ark” in black-and-white, stripping away all of the dialogue and replacing the legendary John Williams score with the soundtrack that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross created for David Fincher’s “The Social Network.” When asked why he conducted this experiment, Soderbergh explained that his aim was to have people look at Raiders with fresh eyes in order to appreciate Spielberg’s impeccable command of cinematic space. Unsurprisingly, the movie still worked.

That’s not a direct 1:1 comparison because that auteur was still leaning on the crutch of an Academy Award winning piece of music, but he did ensure that the beautiful visuals did a lot of the heavy lifting. You can employ things like subtitles or text-heavy descriptions, some of which can even be auto-generated for you. Just as you should optimize for those who watch your content as if it’s a Chaplin picture, don’t forget to consider that, when enabled, bad sound can hurt you just as much as no sound.

4. Stay On Brand

If your audience has come to expect a certain type of content from you, it may not be in your best interest to stray too far from your basecamp. Imagine if a horror fan tuned in to watch a new installment of Friday The 13th and Jason Voorhees was inexplicably terrorizing campers with a rubber chicken. Would they stick around to see the conclusion? Would they suddenly feel prompted to trash the franchise publicly?

This may be an extreme example and I hope that it doesn’t scare you away from breaking convention in your videos. It’s just important to remember that you want to make sure all of your videos have a consistent look and feel; you want people to instantly recognize who this was made by.

If you’re really looking to do something different to inject life into your content, consider partnering with another brand or a person of influence. 90% of people trust recommendations more than they do corporate advertisement. When a company they like or a celebrity they follow has publicly aligned with your company, it will carry significantly more water than you simply saying how great you are.

Time To Get Started

Video is not only here to stay, but it has become an essential part of every SEO and social media marketing strategy. With the right approach, video marketing can be a highly effective way to grow your brand and drive conversions. The good news is that creating these doesn’t have to be complicated. You simply need to have a solid plan before you start and partner with the right people to help you create them.

If you’re looking to get started on a project, Votary has a passion for telling compelling stories through the art of filmmaking. We specialize in producing brand stories, creative commercials, and documentary series. If that sounds to you like we might be a fit, then let’s talk. Start a Conversation.

Subscribe.
Follow.