When did you last click on a static banner ad to visit a website? It’s probably been a long while. Although banner ads were once one of the most effective tools for digital marketing, they have long been outpaced by videos. Consumers have become immune to these obvious marketing strategies and are leaning towards brands that offer more engagement.

Online Video Marketing Strategy

If you want to be successful online today, there’s no better way to do it. Statistics show that video usage has increased dramatically over the past few years. In fact, digital video marketing has become a billion dollar industry as a result.

Keys to successful online video marketing

Many marketers hope that their videos go viral. The truth is that this only happens for a select few videos. However, we don’t advocate for this to be one of your online video marketing objectives. You should aim instead to create an inspiring, compelling and actionable video.

To do this, you should:

Create a story

Forget about trying to sell. Consumers are becoming immune to direct selling. They find it annoying and it is likely to repel them. You should instead center your video around a story. This will help your audience develop an emotional connection with your brand. It’s one of the best ways to not only gain leads, but also create a loyal fan base.

Keep it short

Aim to get to the point in not less than 10 seconds. Your video should be short and straight to the point. Online viewers will otherwise lose interest and move on. Use teasers and questions to capture attention and convey as much value in your video as you can from the onset.

Have a sense of humor

Pure marketing will not make your piece worth watching. Most people just want to have a good laugh. Humor is one of the best ways to get people hooked.

Educate

Consumers today are hungry for valuable information. Use your video as an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and establish yourself as an industry leader. Consumers will appreciate the value you offer and are likely to keep coming back for more.

Tips for an effective online video marketing strategy

While videos are a highly effective marketing tool, they can only do so much if the content does not offer value to the audience. This can make establishing an online video marketing strategy intimidating to many. However, the following tips ought to help.

Create for lead generation

While you may be thinking solely of sales, your audience isn’t. You should therefore create videos with their agendas and interests in mind. This will help your target audience take notice and stay long enough for you to convey your message.

People love stories. Frame your brand, products or services using a story. People will be more likely to listen to you if your story reflects a legitimate problem they can relate to, and also offers an effective solution.

Optimize your videos for YouTube

YouTube is the second most popular search engines after Google. If you want people to find and watch your video, you should ensure that it is uploaded to this platform.

However, uploading the video isn’t enough for effective video marketing. You need to ensure that the people you’re targeting can find your video. You will have to optimize the video for YouTube. You should include a short and compelling title that describes the content of the video. Ensure that you include keywords that you’re targeting in your title and description.

Encourage feedback and comments. This is a great way to engage viewers.

Use teasers to draw audiences

Teasers are a great and easy way to drive traffic. Keep these teasers short and straight to the point. They should be interesting enough to grab attention, but leave the audience guessing. Sharing teasers on social media is a great and easy way to get information about your brand out there as well as to grab your audience’s attention. You’ll drive a lot of relevant traffic to your website this way and get them to watch the more in-depth videos.

Measure the performance of the production

Online video marketing doesn’t stop with the launch of the video. You also need to keep track of its performance. This will help you determine how well the video is doing, and whether you reached your goal.

Keep track of metrics such as total plays, engagement, play rate, conversion rate and social sharing. The information you get will help you determine how effective the video was at helping you reach your goal. You can then decide to change your strategy or improve on it to get even better results.

Take the time to plan your online video marketing strategy for the best results.