Video Marketing: the Do's and Don'ts

Why video content is the hero of modern marketing

Look around you and you'll see videos everywhere. Since the founding of our company in 2009, video has become indispensable; from the small screen of your smartphone to the enormous screens in the town square. Thanks to the continuous evolution of social media and improved video editing tools, videos have taken on a central role in the marketing strategies of businesses. But what makes videos so powerful?

Staggering figures

The answer is simple: numbers don't lie. Video content is shared more than 10 times as often as text and images, and emails with 'video' in the subject line are opened 19% more frequently. The average person watches approximately 16 hours of video per week, and 90% of consumers seek out video content before making a purchase.

Video has firmly embedded itself in our information-processing habits – more than 95% of a video is retained, whereas with written text only an average of 10% of the key information is recalled.

It comes as no surprise, then, that more than 82% of all global online traffic is generated by video viewing.

Video Marketing: Not such a straightforward challenge

The growing demand and preference for video content does not, however, mean that producing good videos is simple. It requires planning, creativity, technical skills, and a thorough understanding of your target audience. So how do you go about it?

Getting started with video marketing

You begin with thorough preparation. Ask yourself: what do you want to achieve with your video? Do you want to promote your business, launch a new app, raise awareness around a theme or brand, drive revenue growth, or increase conversion on your website?

You can define your goals using the 'buyer's journey' – all the steps a potential customer goes through before making a purchase. The buyer's journey consists of three stages: the awareness stage, the consideration stage, and the decision stage. Each of these stages calls for a specific approach and type of video content.

Know your audience

A great video is nothing without an audience. Identifying your target audience and knowing which channels are best for reaching them is essential for a successful video campaign.

Choosing your message and type of video content

Determine which message best suits your goals and target audience. Once you have mapped out these elements, you can decide which type of video content best supports your objectives. There is a wide variety of video content available, such as branding videos, explanimations, educational videos, interactive school tours, employer branding videos, entertainment and inspiration, branded content, VR animatie laten maken, 360-degree videos, virtual tours, vlogs, product demos, testimonials, storytelling, and animations.

The production of video content

Creating the content can be the most enjoyable part of the process, but it can also be challenging. You can do this yourself, or outsource it to professionals.

After production

After producing your video, you're not quite finished. The video needs to be published, your target audience needs to be made aware of it, the video needs to be findable, and you'll want to know what went well or poorly. This requires a solid video publication strategy, as well as effective promotion and SEO.

Moreover, you'll want to be able to measure the success of your video. This can be done by means of KPIs, such as number of views, view rate, clicks, website visits, and CTR.