Video marketing: the Do's and Don'ts

Why video content is the hero of modern marketing

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

Enchanting numbers

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

Video has firmly established itself in our information processing habits – more than 95% of a video is remembered, while in written text only 10% of the essence is reproduced on average.

It comes as no surprise that more than 82% of all online traffic worldwide comes from watching videos.

Video marketing: A not so simple challenge

However, the increasing demand and preference for video content does not mean that producing good videos is easy. It requires planning, creativity, technical skills and a good understanding of your target group. So how do you go about it?

Getting started with video marketing

You start 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, create awareness around a theme or brand, stimulate sales growth or increase conversion on your website?

You can determine your goals based on the 'buyer journey' – all the steps a potential customer goes through before he or she makes a purchase. The buyers journey consists of three phases: the awareness phase, the consideration phase, and the decision phase. Each of these phases requires a specific approach and type of video content.

Know your audience

A good video is nothing without an audience. Identifying your target group and knowing which channels are best to reach 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 group. Once you've mapped out these elements, you can decide which type of video content best supports your goals. A wide variety of video content is available, such as branding videos , explanimations, educational videos , interactive school tours, employer branding videos, entertainment and inspiration, branded content, VR animation creation , 360-degree videos, virtual tours, vlogs, product demos, testimonials , storytelling and animations.

The production of video content

Creating the content can be the most fun 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 are not done yet. The video needs to be published, your target group needs to know about it, the video needs to be findable, and you want to know what went right or wrong. This requires a good video publishing strategy, as well as effective promotion and SEO.

Moreover, you want to be able to measure the success of your video. You can do this through KPIs, such as the number of views, the display percentage, clicks, website visits and the CTR.