Developing an Online Video Marketing Strategy, Part 1: Creating Content

In this three-part series on developing, delivering, and leveraging online video for marketing purposes, we?ll begin in this first installment with a look at creating content for market videos. In Part 2, we'll segue into the production cycle and how you can think about your marketing strategy during the production phase so you?re producing with marketing in mind. In Part 3, we'll get into distribution channels and talk about analytics and metrics and how those can help you can continue to improve your videos down the line.

Most of us who create online video professionally are familiar with the power of online video to promote a company or brand. It's quickly becoming one of the largest forms of content marketing out there.

It Starts With Content

How do you start creating an online video marketing strategy? It begins with content. What does your audience want? How can you create something that's going to help them and impel them to engage with your videos? It starts with good content. The first thing is to figure out what you want to accomplish with your videos, and develop a single call-to-action for each video. There's not a one-size-fits-all approach with online video.

Every video you produce should be created for a specific reason, whether it?s a how-to video designed to educate or train, or an informational piece intended to raise awareness about a cause or demonstrate a new product. Regardless of the format or purpose, it starts with figuring out what your audience wants, needs, and will respond to. Sometimes that requires involving different players and departments in your organization, whether it's your public relations team, your marketing team, or your sales team. In different ways, all of these people have direct dialogue with your audience, and thus they can be instrumental in helping you figure out what your audience wants. read more...