Video Content Marketing 101
For the past couple of years, content marketing has been the hot topic on every marketer’s mind. Originated from the idea that regular advertising is nowadays less effective and costly, content marketing has risen as a way to engage customers in a more efficient way.
“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.” (Source: SmartInsights)
Along with big data, content marketing is today the main marketing strategy brands employ, gathering a projected 20.2% of the marketing budgets in 2017.
From the get go, video has been one of the most efficient medium for content marketing. And for a reason, since it is a powerful storytelling tool that tends to grab people’s attention better than regular text or photos.
WHERE TO START?
As I mentioned, the hallmark of content marketing is creating something that is valuable for your audience. While it should be connected to the product or service you’re selling, the main goal is to make it relevant to the particular audience you’re targeting.
If you are a headphone brand, your audience is surely music inclined, and a piece of content could be a mini documentary on music creation. If you’re a surfboard company, some tips on how to ride the perfect wave. If you’re a travel agent, some insights on the best spots in the world to travel to.
Recently, we worked with HGTV and the Travel Channel to create some online video content for them. The audience they were trying to reach were respectively 1) people who likes to build stuff and 2) people who like to travel. To reach these audiences, they came up with an effective content marketing strategy. They fill their social media channels with tips and hacks that empower people like this to build cool stuff out of their home or to use ingenious hacks when they travel (see ex. below). And it works.
Because that content was relevant and valuable, people took time to watch it (the Campsite breakfast hack below has over 500K views on FB), share it, and use it, which in turns built brand awareness, reinforced viewership, or created new viewers for their TV channels.
SOME TIPS:
Here are a few tips on how to grow your brand through content marketing:
Tips #1:
Identify your ideal customer, figure out what they are interested into and create content that is relevant for them. (Tips and hacks like the example above are super effective, but other types of videos like engaging documentaries can be just as good)
Tips #2:
-Don’t advertise your product in it. Content marketing is not traditional advertising. If the video you create is too “salesy”, that will most likely be a turn off. There is a different time and place for your high-end commercial.
Tips #3:
-Know your channels and format your content accordingly. Content for Instagram, Facebook, Youtube or your blog should not necessarily be the same. It be the format, or length, each platform have different viewing habits or requirements.
Tips #4:
-Be creative when it comes to the topic, or executions of your videos. If what you come up with has been put out over and over by your competitors, chance is your target viewers have seen it already.
Tips #5:
-Use a call to action. After all, you do want people to look into what you have to offer.
Tips #6:
-Post on a regular basis and offer variety in terms of the type of content you provide. At the same time, track how each video performs and emulate your champions on future videos.
Now as you surely know if you’ve produced anything video related, production can sometimes be costly, which would make it hard to follow tips #6 to post on a regular basis. It does not have to be. While producing videos will most likely cost you some money, there is ways to limit the initial investment. Some things you can do yourself with your smartphone (through FB live or periscope for instance), some others you can create in volume to lower the cost of each individual videos.
It may take a few trial and error, but with a strong strategy, the right topics and the right platform, content marketing is set to grow your brand’s audience and engage your customers.
If you want to learn more about content marketing, check out this really in-depth article wrote by our friends at The Marketing Helpline!
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About Helium Films USA:
Helium Films USA is a San Diego Video production company. We’re a full service video production that services businesses and brands both locally and internationally.
If you need help with your video production, feel free to reach out. We’d be happy to take a look at your market and come up with cost-effective quality ideas for you!
For more information about us, visit www.heliumfilms.us
To contact us for a quote, click here.
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Check out our blog for some more information about the video production industry. Or if you’re in the market for some really high-end TV commercial and broadcast video production, check out our sister company Ockham! With over 15 years of experience in the industry, they focus on creating cutting-edge commercials for epic brands and will take your projects from simple to unforgettable!