Top 20 Video Marketing Tips for the Coming Year

Investing in a marketing video is one of the best things you can do for your business today. Whether yours is a day-old business, a fledgling startup, or a local store, video has potential unlike any other content format.

What makes videos such a hit? They stimulate multiple senses and are easier to comprehend than text. With better access to the internet available globally, there is a stunning surge in video content users. According to Statista, over 3 billion internet users live streaming videos daily.

If you are crafting your video marketing strategy for next year or planning to include video in your marketing bucket in 2023 (which you should), here are some of the best video marketing tips for small and large businesses.

1. Make your goals clear

Knowing the purpose of your video gives you a clear vision of what to do. It defines a lot of the different aspects, like who is the target audience, what you are trying to get across, and your platform. If you can understand where your video fits in the marketing funnel, it becomes easier to define your goals.

2. Know your target audience

Every marketing campaign has an ideal audience. Defining your audience, their age, gender, profession, interest etc., helps you tailor your video according to their needs. You should make sure the content you make touches their pain points. It should also answer questions like how your product or service solves their problems.

3. Choose your marketing channel

The thing about videos is that you cannot make one video and use it for all platforms like Facebook, YouTube, TikTok etc. Each platform requires customised video content, ad campaigns to target the audience, and formats. A short, catchy video is ideal for Instagram and TikTok, while longer tutorials or testimonials can be used on Facebook and YouTube. You have to consider where your target audience is and then tailor your video marketing accordingly.

4. Know what keeps your audience up at night

Part of knowing your audience is knowing the pain points. Pain points refer to the problems your audience is facing. Your video should be built around providing a solution to their problem. Once you know how your product or service does that, you can easily make your video around these ideas. Doing thorough keyword research is a great way to begin.

5. Work on a narrative

Blatant promotion of a brand, service or product is considered distasteful. Your video should have a narrative element, a story that makes your brand relatable. They can relate it to their life with a story and characters similar to your target audience. It shows how your offering fits into their daily life.

6. Fix a budget

If you know your financial constraints, you can work within them without overspending. The quality of your visuals and audio of your video largely depends on the budget you are allowed. Before deciding on a budget, you also have to determine whether it is launched as an ad, whether it is a live-action or animated video, how much you can spend on the actors and technicians, or if you need professionals to do all of this.

7. Use a tried-and-tested format

Every video has a structure. It is how the story unfolds in the video. However, you do not have to reinvent the wheel and develop an original one. There are many formats for every type of video that has been tried and tested and proven to work. The problem-teaser-solution format is one you can use.

8. Script your videos before shooting

Anyone who has made a video will tell you how important it is to have a script ready before you begin shooting. You cannot expect to make a video out of inspiration and instinct, although it sounds ideal, it can prove a terrible idea. A script outlines your video, has the different scenes in it, dialogues, overarching narrative, etc. This gives everyone involved clarity on the vision.

9. Think of ways to tickle the funny bone

Humor, when done well, cuts across every audience. If you have a funny one-liner that you can confidently pull off, use it in your marketing video. Humor is a great way to connect to your audience as well. It gives you a personality that they find likable. Pulling a joke can be risky, too, as it can fall flat and backfire on you.

10. Focus on the equipment you use

The quality of a video reflects on your company. A poorly made video cannot give you the desired results. It can even hurt your chances of making an impact. When creating videos, make sure you use the best you can get. Investing in budget-friendly but high-quality equipment like a DSLR camera, ample lights, microphone for clearer voice recording etc.

11. Music is key

When making a video, use music in the most effective way possible. Videos that touch emotions can have similar music in the background, enhancing the emotion. Upbeat music to accompany a story of struggle and achievement turns on a sense of inspiration. Such strategic use of music brings up the quality of your video.

12. Decide on a few clear calls-to-action (CTA)

The whole point of your video is that the audience is converted into paying customers. Hence, your video must have a turning factor. Without a clear call to action, your audience will be confused. But instead of having one CTA across the board, think of 2-3 different CTAs based on your goals and use them with your videos to generate the desired effect. For example, it could be leading your audience to your website, asking them to fill out a form, a direct purchase CTA, or asking them to leave a review or recommendation…the list is endless.

13. Set your branding tone

Your video should act in your favor and build brand awareness for you among your target audience. Branded videos can be made by adding consistent, recognizable touches. This can be done by adding your brand logo, consistent use of brand colors, and consistent tone and voice that reflects your brand’s ideals.

14. Incorporate customer-generated content

Don’t we all get excited when we see ourselves in a video? It is a major upgrade if your favorite brand is endorsing your views. Encourage customers to create videos of using your product and share them on social media platforms. You can incorporate these videos into your marketing videos. Customers will happily share it with family and friends, and you get the coverage you need.

15. Keep an eye on Search Engine Optimization

The point of SEO is to make sure your content shows up in the search results. Your efforts will only be worthwhile if you optimise your content for search engines. Incorporating the relevant keywords and hashtags in the video’s title, description and tags is a great way to do this.

16. The prize lies in the hook

The first few seconds of your video are crucial. It is what decides whether or not the viewer is going to scroll by. How you create the hook so that your viewer stays to watch the rest determines the success of your marketing video. Creating an interesting thumbnail and having a catchy hook is key.

17. Promote your video

Once your video is done baking, you must ensure it reaches the target audience. How do you do that? By promoting and distributing it. Simply posting it on your social media page or website is not enough. You can embed links to your blog, newsletter, landing pages, or even home pages. This is a sure-shot way to increase views.

18. Track KPIs

Now that your video is out there and gathering views, you can sit back and evaluate the success of your videos. This is not simply taking count of your views. What was your call to action? Are viewers acting on it? Or are they simply leaving after watching the video? Make sure you track all the KPIs to see how your video performs.

19. Leverage influencer power

Social media influencers are close to celebrities but more relatable to your target audience. One would rather trust an influencer review of a product than a celebrity endorsement. They hold access to the target audience in a unique way. Use this to your advantage by roping in influencers to review you.

20. Reuse and repurpose

A video can always have more than a single-time use value. If you have a video on your page, you can always use it repeatedly to promote your products, just don’t make it too repetitive. Videos can also be repurposed to become blog posts and articles. Those who prefer the written word over a video can access your content.

Summing Up

The world of video is diverse and full of opportunities. There is something new coming out every day. The competition is tough. But it is not impossible. If used diligently, the video marketing tips for 2023 that we have mentioned above can help you market a video. You can make a successful video for your business with a clear focus on your goals and outcomes.

Creating a video for your business is not a feat. It is a creative activity that can be exciting if you do it in-house. However, you may not get the professional quality you were looking for.

For professional video production services, trust Cinimage, one of the best video production teams that can weave magic for your brand. Get in touch with us to skyrocket your video production in 2023!

1. Is video marketing effective for my business?

Video marketing is one of the effective modes of marketing for businesses today. Videos are the most consumed form of content and hold a ton of potential.

2. How do I get the best video marketing results?

To get the best marketing video results, you need to have a clear goal, a clear outcome in mind, and know-how of what to do in between. You can read this article to learn how to market a video.

3. How do I start video marketing?

Video marketing involves a lot of different aspects. There is a lot to do, from creating the best quality video to uploading it to the right platform, optimising it for search engines, etc. Everything starts with a clear outline of the goals.