What is Video Marketing?
Definition
Video marketing refers to incorporating videos into your marketing campaigns so you can promote your company, product or service.
A business using this type of internet advertisement creates short videos about specific topics they want to promote, using content from its own articles and other text sources.
Then, these videos are uploaded to various video sharing websites.
How it Works
You can’t just create a video and send it to YouTube and hope for the best. You must have an action plan, and an action plan has steps to follow, very important steps that you can’t miss.
There are 4 basics steps you should follow to make video marketing work for you: Research, Create, Publish, and Advertise.
Research
Your video must have a well-defined message. Think about the needs of your audience, things they spend time on, etc. One idea is to pick a topic that has done well in a different content format and turn it into a video.
Create
After you have chosen the appropriate content, turn its main ideas into a script, and practice reading it out loud. As you read, look for places that do not sound right coming out of your mouth and change them to sound more conversational.
Use a webcam, iPhone, or whatever tools you have at hand for recording yourself reading the script. The most important thing here is having quality content.
Publish
Upload your video to as many video sharing sites as possible, and embed it to your website or blog. You should also share the link on as many social networks as possible.
Advertise
There are different ways to advertise your video. It is strongly recommended to use Social Media to reach the target audience you want. You can make use of PPC (Pay Per Click) with YouTube and Facebook. Also, it is an excellent idea to use SEO, with Google and YouTube.
What elements do you need?
There are many tools available to you when doing your research. You can use the Google Keyword Tool. It is a great instrument when it comes to finding search words that are in use and for new keyword suggestions.
Also, there is Google Trends, which can help you learn the most popular words or expressions recently searched. It shows how often a particular expression is being searched across different parts of the world, and in various languages.
There are online tools providing video creation services, such as Flixpress, PowToon, GoAnimate, or you can use offline tools, such as Camtasia, Explaindio, and VideoMakerFX.
For publishing your video, you can make use of some important Video Sharing Sites, such as YouTube, Vimeo, Yahoo, or social sites. These currently allow Video Publishing, or use Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, etc.
For advertising your video, you can go for PPC networks, such as Facebook Video Advertising or YouTube Video Advertising. You can even learn how to place YouTube Videos in the top of Google Search, or even look for services that can do it for you
What Types of Video for Marketing Purpose are there?
There are various video styles based on your specific business objectives, choose the one you like best.
Talking Head Video
This is what most people think of when they think video. Basic “head and shoulders,” direct to the camera, standard shot. The talking head video is popular because it works.
Interview Video
Besides you talking, you can add another person to the mix and make it an interview video. Interview videos can be two or more people on camera.
Interview videos can be easily created using Skype, Google Hangouts or Oovoo.com.
Live Webcast Video
This provides the ability to interact with your viewers live. If you have a webcam and an idea, you can produce a live webcast, anytime, anywhere.
PowerPoint Video
Because of its simplicity, the narrated PowerPoint video is a very popular format. You can use PowerPoint or Keynote for Mac.
Tips Series Video
If you want to establish a presence on YouTube, a tips series is ideal for you. Also, video tips help to establish you as an expert in your niche and build your credibility.
Live Demo Video (on-camera)
On camera demonstrations are among the most effective videos you can produce. It can be as simple as teaching live to the camera. You can use resources to help you teach your point, like a whiteboard for example.
Sales Video
This kind of video consists of a PowerPoint with a voice over or simply text and narration.
Launch Series Video
These videos usually come before a sales video in a launch sequence of three or four videos. The idea is to provide value and establish credibility before releasing the final “pitch” video at the end of the series.
Customer Testimonial Video
Testimonial videos are powerful. You can promote a specific product or service by embedding these on your website or on a sales page.
Teaching/Webinar Video
You can use a recorded webinar, using Camtasia or any other software of your preference, as a video for sales or distribution. You can post the video webinar on YouTube, or on your own website.
Animated Video
Video creation sites like XtraNormal.com and GoAnimate.com have opened up new possibilities for creating your own cartoons.
Video E-mail
It is a great way to connect and engage with your customers, colleagues or prospects. It can be made by simply using your webcam. It is incredibly easy to record and send a video email. There are free websites providing this service, such as MailVu.com or Eyejot.com. Video email provides a powerful, personal touch that makes you stand out.
