Video marketing is the promotion of a brand or product using video. It can be considered part of content marketing since they have the same goal. However, while content marketing uses different forms of content, from a blog post to an infographic, video marketing focuses on different video formats — from a reel to a live stream. Sharing relevant and consistent video content with your fans and prospects is a good strategic step.

The words “relevant and consistent” here mean that your video content has to cover your fans’ needs on an ongoing basis. It doesn’t help if all company videos focus just on what the company can offer, like product promotions, customer testimonial videos, etc. A brand should create videos that inspire sharing and engagement and encourage fans to anticipate more. That’s when they’ll see the benefits of a video marketing strategy.

The benefits of video marketing depend heavily on your goals and the target market you aim for. In general, video content increases interaction and engagement, strengthens customer loyalty, and brings other benefits. Some of them are:

Conversion rate

According to Wyzowl, 90% of businesses say video marketing has helped them generate leads, while 92% claim video gives them a good return on their investment. As with any marketing activity, performance metrics depend on content relevance and quality. However, marketers generally lean towards using video, as it tends to score well.

Wider audience

Sensing the power of video, many social media platforms rank such content higher, which helps reach a wider audience. 95% of marketers say video marketing greatly increases brand awareness. So, beyond strengthening the connection with your existing fan base, a video strategy can also reach your potential customers and educate them about your brand.

Emotional connection

Storytelling is a powerful tool for creating a connection between business and customer. Although it does not impose the use of any particular format, it mostly happens via video marketing. With video content used for storytelling, the viewer can remember a thing or two about you more easily or see the brand’s capabilities firsthand, which helps to increase brand awareness and brand loyalty.

One of the most common problems when creating a video marketing strategy is relying on corporate videos. Since corporate videos, like a product explainer video or a testimonial video, focus mostly on the company’s product or service, decision-makers often believe this is the best type of content to introduce the audience to the brand. Counterintuitively, the reach of such videos is much smaller. Even though the information these videos convey is truly valuable, it is only of interest to a fairly narrow audience. For example, customer testimonials may get through to clients who know what they need but can’t choose between your brand and another; educational videos will help an existing client who wants to learn about using product capabilities to the fullest, etc. More than these videos is needed for a full-fledged strategy that includes a fine-tuned funnel.

Here, there is room for branded content, the new word in video marketing, which changes the entire approach to creating and distributing content. You can read more about it here. Branded content touches on topics that interest the audience, not just the brand. As a result, this dramatically expands the fan base. On the other hand, branded content is a complex topic, and it’s easy to lose the brand voice and choose a popular topic that’s irrelevant for the label.

As with any marketing strategy, you must set goals for your video content and define your target audience. Moreover, you need to outline the customer persona and go into detail to understand their content expectations.

Next, you should consider the demos they like and the most suitable format. Overall, a video marketing strategy can use several types of content, such as short videos for social platforms and live streams for YouTube.

With the choice of topics, everything is more complicated. Brand specialists may unknowingly put their customers into a box, getting a tunnel vision that blocks original video content ideas. That’s why brands often turn to content production companies that can help them understand the learning curve of video creation, assess the brand’s audience, and offer an original concept.

Why not combine gaming and sports? Another great example is a mix of video games and quizzes. Content creators can encourage a brand to transcend its boundaries. Plus, they cover all company needs from the tech side, providing not only raw video footage but also editing software and expertise. However, if you need help figuring out where to start, you can draw inspiration from the following sources.

User-generated video content

UGC is a great way to discover what your customers think about your brand and what they associate with it. TikTok, Instagram, X, and other social media can help you analyze your audience. The great thing is that anyone, including small businesses, can take advantage of this.

Interview with existing customers

Compared to UGC analysis, interviews are a more focused approach. However, through direct communication, you will find inspiration rather than a ready-made answer. Your customers can say what they lack from the brand, which applies not only to engaging content but also to relevant educational materials, like explainer videos. The information obtained can help you create an overall picture of your future strategy.

Competitive analysis

That nobody likes plagiarism is an understatement, but it is important to look at your competitors’ work. Sometimes, if you don’t know where to move, the example of other market players can be indicative. We’re not just talking about advertising or videos specifically but about the overall activities of different brands. What topics do they cover, which of them resonate with the audience, etc.?

A less-than-perfect video is better than no video at all. Leave yourself room for experimentation, try different topics and presentation methods, and then the day will come when making a preliminary analysis and choosing the right approach to creating professional videos will no longer be all that daunting. It’s no secret that video production can be expensive, but investing in it will definitely pay off if used correctly.