(The following is an excerpt from MarketMatch’s upcoming Video Marketing white paper.)

Video! It killed the radio star and it is transforming marketing.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, according to a Forrester study, one minute of video is worth about 1.8 million words. It is simply a more impactful, engaging and memorable way to tell your story.

81% of American businesses use video marketing. If you’re not already engaged in video, you’re falling behind.

  • Viewers retain 95% of a message in video compared to 10% in text. (Source: Insivia)
  • Video content can increase the chances of front page Google ranking by 53 times. (Source: Cisco)
  • Social media videos generate 1,200% more shares than text and images alone. (Source: Social Media Today)

So, you know you want to do it, but how? Here are the steps to a sound plan:

  1. Set goals

How will you define success? Where does the video effort fit in the sales funnel?

  1. Define the call to action

Don’t forget, while focusing on the entertainment and production value, there is a reason for this marketing piece. Build your video around an obvious call to action and make sure that wherever the audience clicks to pays off the video that they are clicking from.

  1. Know your audience

Build a persona that fits the target audience in your market and talk to that person. Show them in the video, talk like them, speak to their deepest needs. If you can, avoid generic videos that “speak to everyone.” They may end up speaking to no one.

  1. Where will you keep the video

Will your video be pre-roll advertising, will it be embedded in your website, used in social media or emailed? Will you use a YouTube channel?

YouTube is great, but you want your content to drive traffic to your website or social media. When you embed your video content on relevant web pages, it helps search engines to find and classify the context of the entire page. Video libraries on your site are also helpful for both site visitors and search engines. Make sure your videos have clear descriptions and enticing thumbnails.

  1. Define the budget

OK, Spielberg you are likely going to have to scrap the CGI effects. In fact, you may not even be able to afford professional actors. That’s OK.

Based on what you are trying to achieve, what budget makes sense. Do you need professional editing or can you do it on your desktop? Do you need lighting or can you shoot it with your smartphone? Don’t blow your entire marketing budget on a video that you have planned for just a few hundred people. However, there is a time and place for well-polished work. That is for you to decide.

Video has become a powerful tool in every marketer’s toolbox to get noticed, go viral and tell a compelling story that engages your audience’s emotions in a way that you simply cannot do with words alone. It combines the measurability and flexibility of digital advertising with the impact of television. And, now that production costs, filming equipment and editing tool are more accessible, companies of all sizes are getting involved.

Subscribe to this blog to be notified when the entire white paper posts, including:

  • 6 leading trends
  • The 7 types of video to use
  • How to increase video’s impact
  • 8 steps to writing a story board
  • 7 steps to getting your video found
  • What to measure

See also: 4 Tips to Better Video Marketing 

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