7 Questions You Should Be Asking to Develop a Kicka** Video Marketing Strategy

Video of person getting interviewed

As we now live in a very digital world, video is a powerful tool for continuing to build meaningful relationships and communicate the value of your product or services.

Also, video can have a very high return on investment.

As I learned from DC-based FYSO Accelerator Alum, Tara Garwood, the Founder of Banner Day Films, marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users.?

Here are 7 questions you should be asking to develop your organization’s video marketing strategy:

1. What video content would be most impactful for me to create for my audience?

There are many different types of video content you can create – from casual homemade videos to well-produced, professional-level videos. Also, there are different approaches to video content – you can create a brand video, a product explainer video, webinars, a video advertisement(s), a lead generating video series, social media platform-specific videos, and the list goes on.

Take the time to prioritize what video content would be the most impactful to invest in first.

Once you’ve created the foundational videos your organization needs, over time, you can begin to mix things up with your video content.

2. What type of investment do I want to make in my video content (both time & money)?

Working with a professional video production firm to develop a high-quality produced video with multiple location often starts at an investment $2k and can range up to $20k+, depending upon your goals for your project.

There are definitely times when it makes sense to make the investment in getting a professional-level video created for your organization, especially if a video is going to be the first impression many potential customers or employees will have of your organization.

At the same time, you can create really impactful content using your smart phone… there’s just a trade off. If you’re going to create your own content, recognize that it takes an investment of time to map out the content for your video, develop and incorporate intro/outro images, potentially add-in background music, and add closed captions to your videos.

Determine how much time or money you’re able and willing to invest in the creation of your video content vs. what makes sense to outsource to a video agency or freelancer.

3. What platform(s) will you share your video content to?

The answer will depend on your target audience. If you’re a B2B company, you’ll likely care most about developing videos that create clarity on what your organization does & the services it offers on your website or developing compelling video content for LinkedIn.

All social media platforms are a potential channel for your video content. It’s worth noting that YouTube is a massive channel with, according to Statista, 2 billion users from across the globe. Dataportal estimates that 79% of internet users have an individual YouTube account.

According to Omnicore, every day on Facebook over 8 billion videos or 100 million hours of videos are watched.

Start by determining what channel you want to prioritize with your content. Then, you can use different channels to reshare and further distribute the video content you create.

4. What length should my video content be?

Again, the video length you should target depends on the medium. When possible, it is recommended to keep your content less than 2 minutes in length on any media platform. Video views drop off drastically after that time.

That being said, Hubspot discovered that Instagram videos less than 30 seconds received the most comments, which means the content is seen as engaging. On Twitter, according to Sprout Social, videos between 43 and 45 seconds were most likely to be chosen as “video of the day” and receive the most engagement.

Also, it’s important to note: there are always exceptions to these rules. If your target audience is more likely to be willing to watch longer-form content, then it may be worth testing out that theory.

Do your research & keep both the medium and your target audience in mind when determining the ideal length.

5. Do I need to hire a video editor or do I plan to do my own editing?

If you’re able to invest in professional editing it will save a lot of time and having professional support in shaping your content, it can lead to highly impactful results.

However, if you need to DIY your editing, it’s certainly doable and can help your bottom line. The Noel & Co. team uses both Adobe Premiere Pro (which is a professional video editing software) as well as the user-friendly Kapwing software for editing and captioning videos.

6. Will I create captions for my videos?

The answer should be “yes” whenever possible.

First, nearly 1 in 5 people in the US have a disability. It’s important to make sure your content is accessible to all people.

Second, video captions can increase engagement. According to a study conducted by PLYMedia, videos with captions have an increase in views of 40%.

To help make video captioning easier, in addition to Kapwing, we’ve heard good things about Zubtitle as a user-friendly automatic video captioning software,

All automatic captioning software gives you a good place to start with your captioning. However, if you want to perfect the captions, you’ll need to invest time in editing the generated captions for accuracy.

7. What steps are you going to take to ensure you develop a marketing strategy to get your video(s) in front of your target audience?

You’ve created your video… now what? Videos are typically not discovered on their own.

Sadly, this isn’t the field of dreams… just because you create a great video, doesn’t mean that people will come to watch it unless you develop an intentional video content distribution strategy.

You have to build the initial buzz and develop a marketing strategy to ensure your video will get in front of your target audience. Don’t skip this step or the investment you’ve made in your video may go to waste. Your video content deserves to be seen!

With a thoughtful strategy, video marketing can make a huge difference within your business regardless of what budget you’re working with. Keep in mind that your videos do not have to be perfect.

Instead, think of video for what it is: a powerful medium for storytelling.

Use video content to help your target audience to truly see and hear the impact your organization can make. That’s how you start to build true, meaningful relationships.