How to Create a Successful Video for Marketing Purposes

By Robyn Roste

As a data destruction, ITAD, or RIM company, launching and maintaining an active TikTok channel may not be on your marketing to-do list this year (or ever), but video is only becoming more essential as a marketing tool for businesses.

During the pandemic, the buy-in for video skyrocketed. Nielsen reports a 215% increase in online media consumption, rising to 244.4 million viewers in 2020. Video is a focal point for marketers, for good reason. Aside from being widely consumed, it helps improve search-engine optimization (SEO), it is effective at building trust with an audience, it generates leads, and it’s a useful tool for education.

That said, you don’t have to drop $10,000 on a three-minute branded video to find success with your video. Hubspot reports that, “consumers and customers prefer lower quality, ‘authentic’ video over high-quality video that seems artificial and inauthentic.” As long as the video represents your company values and connects with your ideal customers, it will work for marketing.

Creating a successful video for a marketing campaign can feel overwhelming, but by breaking the project down into manageable steps, you’ll create a video that captures your audience’s attention and communicates your message effectively.

Here are six tips for creating a successful marketing video for your business

1. Identify your ideal viewer

You probably already know who your customers are. From the many different types of customers, who is your biggest fan, the person who will buy anything you offer? That’s who you want to make your videos for. Try and get a firm understanding of who this person is, and the group they represent, so you can create videos that resonate and create action.

Developing a video with your ideal viewer in mind doesn’t leave out other viewers, it simply allows you to create targeted, focused material that will connect with the type of people who are the best fit for your offer. When you create content in this way, it allows you to connect with your audience on a deeper level, which will increase the likelihood of them engaging with your brand and taking action by making a purchase.

2. Determine the goal

There should be some sort of purpose for your video. What do you want your viewer to do once they watch it? What action do you want them to take? What metrics matter for this project? Your goals should align with your larger marketing strategy and be specific, measurable, and attainable.

At this time, it’s also a good idea to determine how you’ll know when you’ve reached your goal. How will you measure impact? How long will you track your video’s performance for? What is the number you’re looking for that will deem this video successful? Your goal can be anything, but make sure you have one.

3. Decide on the type of video you’ll create

Some videos are easier to create than others. For example, if you’re filming a message from your CEO or conducting an interview, you’ll need a camera, a microphone, some basic lighting, and a set for them to sit at and record.

However, if you’re creating an animated video or some sort of augmented reality video, while you won’t need a lot of video footage, you’ll likely need audio voiceover, specialized software, and someone who knows how to use the software at an intermediate level. Think about what type of video is reasonable for your business to create, with the current equipment and talent on hand. When you’re starting out with video, you don’t need a professional setup quite yet, so begin with what you have and grow from there.

4. Make the video

Most marketing videos are made with previous planning. In fact, they generally follow this progression:

● Write a script

● Prepare the talent

● Set up and plan the shoot

● Shoot the video

● Edit the video

● Do post production (add graphics, animations, music, voice over, etc.)

● Upload the video

● Promote the video

There’s a place on the Internet for every type of video, but the ones performing best right now are short, to-the-point, and don’t take themselves too seriously. Plan a script with an attention-grabbing hook at the beginning and communicate your message clearly and quickly.

If the technical aspects of the video shoot are above your skill level, watch a few tutorials ahead of time and learn how to use the features available on your smartphone or DSLR camera so you can create a good-quality video that is wellframed and well-lit.

During the planning stage, you likely had a platform in mind that you’re creating this video for. If not, determine this while you’re shooting the video. Some platforms require horizontal videos, some want vertical videos, and every platform has unique specifications to pay attention to. Plan for every possible option so you don’t wish you had them later.

5. Upload and promote your video

Once your video is exported and ready to release, you’re nearly there! Upload your video to the platform (or platforms), add captions and subtitles, and publish!

Now that the hard work of making the video is complete, you can focus on promoting it.

Start by embedding the video on your website and featuring it somewhere prominent. If you have an email list, it’s also a good idea to send your video to your subscribers and encourage them to watch, comment, and share.

Social media is one of the most effective ways to reach the broadest group of people at the same time, but it will only really work at connecting with your ideal viewer if you’ve spent time growing your followers, posting consistently, and engaging with your community. It’s still good to post your video on social media (it’s free!), but there may be more powerful ways to promote your marketing video.

For example, if you have the budget for it, you could also run targeted paid ads on social media, to better-connect with your ideal viewer.

Depending on the type of video you created will determine how long of a lifespan it has and how much you should promote it to your audience. If it’s not time-sensitive then it can remain relevant for many months and be mentioned on a slow drip. If it’s connected to a sale or specific event, then it will have a shorter relevancy period, so it will need to be pushed harder and more frequently.

6. Track and analyze the data

At the beginning of this project you set goals, and now it’s time to see how your video is performing.

Your website may capture its own analytics, or you can use Google Analytics to track page views and video views. If you have a call-to-action in the caption, you can also measure how many people clicked on the link.

Most social media platforms come with their own analytics, so be sure to check metrics such as number of views, engagement, and conversions in every one. If your caption directs people to a specific link on your website, you can also check your website analytics to see how many people clicked through.

Another metric to pay attention to is return on investment (ROI). Look at the cost of creating and promoting the video and compare it to the revenue being generated from the campaign.

Tracking these data points and analyzing them will provide valuable insights on how well your video is performing and if your goals are on track. Metrics will also help you make data-informed adjustments to increase the success of your video and marketing strategy.

Creating a successful video for marketing purposes requires a combination of understanding your audience, having a clear goal, creating content that connects with your viewers, strategic promotion, and data analysis. And remember, this is a learning process. You can’t improve until you get started—so just get started!

About The Author

Robyn Roste is a professional writer living in Canada. Reach her at www.robynroste.com