In 2021, it’s fair to say that a content marketing strategy is incomplete without video.
A 2020 report revealed that most consumers discovered a brand via video ads and later purchased from them. And it’s not hard to understand why.
Videos provide information quickly while also retaining viewer attention through visual stimulation. If you had to read a two-page product brochure or watch a minute-long promotional video, the choice is simple.
If you’re still not convinced about the power of video content, here are three video marketing statistics from a 2020 survey to highlight its importance:
- 84% of people say that they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.
- 84% of video marketers say video has helped them generate leads.
- 86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool.
These stats clearly show why every business must integrate video into their content marketing strategy, and we’ve explained how you can get started in five steps.
How to Integrate Video Into Your Content Marketing Strategy
1. Define goals
Introducing videos into your content marketing strategy is a significant change. Before making any big change, it’s essential to set goals.
Do you want to create videos to spread brand awareness? Do you want them to help customers understand your product better or improve engagement on a specific platform?
Perform enough research to answer all these questions confidently and set clear, measurable goals. Your video marketing campaign can aim to achieve one or all of the goals we mentioned. It’s all up to you.
Apart from goals, you need to work with other departments to identify a budget, hire professionals to create videos, and buy the right software.
Once the foundation is set, you can delve into the specifics like what to post, where, when, etc.
2. Types of videos
Now let’s focus on the marketing aspects. First, you need to decide what kind of videos you want to create.
For example, you can embed an intro or explainer video on your website’s homepage. Swagbucks, an online coupon provider, has a 43-second video that explains how its program works.
Videos like this help consumers understand products as soon as they enter a website. It also creates a sense of transparency and makes it easier for them to buy or subscribe.
Other video types you can use for digital marketing are:
- Product videos: Similar to ads you see for phones, product videos mix good visuals and highlight a product’s USP or stand-out feature.
- How-to videos: Depending on your industry, this could be general advice to help consumers or tutorials on how to use your product.
- Event videos: A simple video highlight of a brand event that you held can be used on social media for promotion. This also applies to online events.
- Testimonials: Testimonials are a powerful marketing tool that increases customer trust. Your current customers explaining the benefits of using your product/service will encourage others to give your brand a chance.
- Webinar: You can use a webinar to establish a presence among industry peers and establish your brand as an expert source for information.
- Expert interviews: Interviews with industry experts can build authority. They can be shared as helpful snippets on social media, while you can post the complete long-form interview video on your website.
- Live Streaming: Connect with your audience by hosting a live Q&A session or a masterclass on social media.
The type of videos you produce largely depends on your goals and the story you want to tell, along with the platforms you want to post them on.
How-to videos are hugely popular due to their keyword friendly nature. For example, the term “how to create a podcast” receives over 13,000 searches on Google every month, and is highly competitive to rank for.
Buzzsprout created a detailed guide and how-to video which got them to rank on the first page of Google.
Their video has also received over half a million views on Youtube. This is a great testament to the power of video to boost your overall website SEO.
3. Choose Platforms
Like all other forms of content marketing, the videos you post on each platform must cater to that specific platform. If you decide to embed videos in your email marketing strategy and social media marketing campaigns, read up on each channel to learn the best practices.
For example, you can’t post a 30-minute interview on Twitter, but you can post short video clips of it on the social media platform and then link to the complete video on your YouTube channel or another platform.
Since social media posts are likely already a part of your original content marketing strategy, you can use videos to complement already scheduled text posts, or you can post separate brand videos or animated videos for promotion.
YouTube is another mainstay for many content marketing campaigns since it’s a free platform for posting videos. Sharing videos is quick and convenient, and YouTube makes it easy. Moreover, most internet users have a YouTube account.
4. Start Small
In an ideal world, you’d have a video campaign for every stage of the marketing funnel. But, in the real world, you can’t go from 0 to 100 in a few days.
In the beginning, you can create videos that cater to a majority of your target audience. These will likely be explainer videos, product promotions, or testimonials.
An explainer video on your home page, for example, is likely to get noticed by a large number of visitors. Once you’ve posted this video, you can analyze performance and learn what worked and what could’ve been better.
Take a look at how Nlyte uses short videos, like this one explaining colocation data centers, in their FAQ sections.
The short 2-minute video promotes and explains their services and partnerships. This provides viewers with the surface information they need. They can then choose to dive deeper into the content if it captures their attention.
Start a smaller campaign, learn from it, and then expand.
5. Use Video Testimonials
As mentioned earlier, video testimonials are an essential aspect of video marketing.
89% of enterprise organizations see a moderate or major boost in conversion rates when testimonial videos are used in marketing campaigns, according to a 2020 survey.
The same survey states that 78% of enterprise organizations and 62% of large organizations realized an ROI of 100% or more from their investment in testimonial videos.
Moreover, 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020.
The stats don’t lie. Testimonials and reviews are crucial for inbound marketing.
Specifically, using video testimonials can be a powerful content marketing tool due to the following reasons:
- They are more credible than written testimonials. When people see and hear someone talking about their experience with your product or service, it’s more believable than reading a written testimonial. This is because video testimonials are more engaging and allow viewers to connect with the person giving the testimonial on a more personal level.
- They are versatile and shareable. Video testimonials can be used in a variety of marketing channels, including your website, social media, email marketing, and even in-store displays. They’re also easy to share on social media and other platforms. This versatility and shareability make them a valuable asset for your business that’s looking to reach a wider audience.
So, if you want to build trust, boost credibility, and increase sales, you should consider using video testimonials.
After acknowledging these benefits, it’s crucial to understand how to effectively integrate video testimonials into your website. For instance, you should know that the testimonials, videos, or text are usually placed on your website’s homepage. PandaDoc, a leading document signing software, shows a great example of this with a voice and text-based testimonial video from clients on its landing page.
While the text highlights important quotes, the voice recordings and company logo show that the reviews are authentic.
You don’t have to send a professional video production crew to your client’s location to get video testimonials. You can string together text reviews to create them, like the example above. You can also record testimonials at events, over Zoom calls, or ask clients to send a video of their testimonials.
Essentially, you can combine different elements (text, voice, animations) to create a testimonial video rather than always recording HD client videos on location.
Moreover, there are other important things to remember when incorporating this type of video into your content marketing strategy. You may check out reliable websites and other digital resources to learn more about how to make a video testimonial.
Final Thoughts
Video integration doesn’t have to be a complicated process, as long as you and your team understand the basics and create a comprehensive strategy for your brand. Hiring a professional video/content creator could be a good option to create quality content. We hope the five pointers we provided can help with your integration.
Remember that video marketers must still follow all the fundamental principles involved in successful content marketing. Factors like posting consistently, using engaging titles, making content mobile-friendly, and always being ready to tweak your campaigns apply to video as well.
