Video is a powerful content medium. It lets you tell your story and build a stable, transparent relationship with your audience. 

Companies are quickly getting in on the trend, and the details of your video marketing campaign will differ from all others. However, some guidelines apply across the board, ensuring more success for businesses from all walks of life.

Let’s explore the general principles of incorporating this valuable asset into your overall marketing efforts.

Determining the Basics

Business ads prime your audience to consume the new item you’re putting on the market. There are endless ways to create effective teasers and promotional content that showcases what you have to offer to the world, but the Internet and its many users favor video.

Before you start publishing, consider these factors to discover the best pathway towards high-quality execution.

The Format

Think about the key factors that make your brand recognizable. Are you playful and cartoonish or straight-to-the-point and informative?

These qualities inform the format your audience will enjoy the most. For example, an animation is fantastic for wacky socks manufacturers, while a talking head with testimonials works better for healthcare products.

Once you start using video more often, mixing it up will be the way to go (more on that later). For your first few releases, though, stick to the type that best reflects your overall brand.

The Length

Video length determines what you can show and how punchy your content must be to hit the mark. It depends on your brand, your target demographic, and the platform.

Best practice guides advise that you keep your posts up to 10 minutes long but suggest that bite-sized ads make the most conversions. For instance:

• YouTube – around ten minutes
• Facebook – two to five minutes
• Snapchat – up to ten seconds
• LinkedIn – a minute maximum

You might find a limit of one, three, or even five minutes too constricting to communicate your message. A good rule of thumb is to put the statement above the utility and go longer if you deem it necessary, but use a hook to keep people watching.

The Platform

You’ll place the ad on your company website, but that’s not the place where most people will see it. One of the goals of this marketing strategy is to encourage new visitors.

Social networks are your best bet if you’re targeting the general population, as long as you make it catchy and worth clicking.

A hub where other industry professionals go to educate themselves about the latest developments is another excellent option. In that case, you don’t have to focus so much on attention-grabbing elements.

Don’t stick to one platform, though. Combining various funnels is your way towards broader audiences and higher conversion rates.

Encourage Viewing and Sharing

The next step is to consider how you’ll make your video stand out from the sea of competition. You want to inspire people to share your ads with their friends and family, effectively expanding your reach. 

An attention-grabbing thumbnail and the correct posting strategy promotes watch-time. When it comes to spreading the word, keep these rules in mind:

• Facilitate it. Even if a person wants to spread your content, they’ll give up if you make the process challenging or confusing. Include quick share buttons and make it possible to embed the piece in blog posts.
• Ask for it. It might seem extreme to ask people to like and share. Remember – everybody’s doing it, and it won’t make viewers see your brand as pushy. 
• Make it relevant. Explain the importance of whatever you’re advertising to promote distribution. Going for a line such as ‘Send this to a friend who might like the X product’ sounds natural and helpful.

The content of your videos can also make or break the sharing cycle. The following qualities and themes tend to be the most effective:

• Humor. Funny ads are catchy, and they stick.
• Utility. Marketing that includes actionable advice ensures sharing, at least with those already looking for the type of solution you’re offering.
• (Light) controversy. Make a bold statement or go against the established industry rules.
• Relatability. If people can relate to the actors or situations in your advertisement, they tend to spread it around.

Potential customers are much more likely to accept suggestions from friends than elusive algorithms. Sharing boosts awareness of and trust in your brand.

Optimize for Conversions

Sharing is one thing, but marketing needs to drive sales to count as successful. Luckily, optimizing your videos to generate conversions is the less tricky part.

Search engine optimization for video is your go-to. That way, Google will suggest your business to people looking for a product or service like yours. Don’t disregard encouraging people to head over to your website and check out the offers on social media, though.

Call to Action

Precise CTA phrases are vital to any successful ad. The exact wording and invitation depend on your objective but make it direct and to-the-point. Beating around the bush only makes the brand seem shady and dishonest.

Have the ad invite the viewer to share, visit a website, or call a number. Include a clickable link in the video and the description as a further prompt.

Publish in the Right Time

Your videos will gain the most traction during the first 48 hours. Get many views, likes, and comments then, and the algorithm will keep showing your post to people. Use analytics to determine the ideal posting schedule.

Give Options

Interested viewers have differing preferences. So, give several options to people interested in the company to broaden the pool of potential customers.

Incentivize Engagement

Giving immediate engagement incentives will push people to interact with your company. Give discounts to the first viewers, organize a giveaway, and link to free services.

Mix Up the Content

Once you have your toes in the water, start experimenting with video formats, lengths, and platforms. There’s a world of options at your disposal, some of which include:

• Animations and cartoons
• Illustrations and whiteboards
• Time-lapses and behind-the-scenes
• Talking heads and interviews 
• Product demos and how-to’s
• Case studies

These let you play around with the tone and delivery method to reach more extensive demographics and grow your presence across social networks. 

Keep the authenticity and continue bringing value, and customers will love to see you branching out and trying new things with time.

Don’t Miss Out

The situation is straightforward – you’re missing out on valuable opportunities by NOT incorporating video content into your marketing strategy. No matter which style, length, or level of expertise you employ, you’ll quickly see measurable results. 

So, follow these general principles and take them one step at a time. Find an avenue that works for your company and discover your brand voice. Make the content worth your audience’s time, and you’ll see your business flourish.