Within three years of Google acquiring YouTube, the first video sharing platform, the technology giant set up methods to monetize it through advertisements. By allowing firms to place their ads on YouTube, it became one of the first methods of video marketing on social media.
In the same time frame, Apple launched the iPhone, which was not the first smartphone on the market, but it did skyrocket their popularity. With every person walking around with pocket-sized devices that have solid internet access, they were too large of a market to miss out on.
Consequently, all social media platforms started to inculcate video marketing into their channels, and firms could not ignore the opportunity to market.
Video marketing on social media is a smart way for small businesses to better communicate their products with people across the world.
Platforms like Instagram and TikTok primarily cater to video based entertainment. But even Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media channels started putting out videos as they led to an increase in conversions, boosted sales, and showed revenue growth.
Small business do not have the resources and capital that large corporations do. So, they can follow the strategy given below to start and better convert on their video marketing strategy for social media.
Clarify Your Business Needs and Set Clear Goals
Although it has become infinitely easier to record and edit videos, one cannot immediately jump into video making. Every action in the video should coincide with and reflect your company’s culture and product.
So, every re-shoot and re-edit is a waste of the most important resource: time. Therefore, defining and understanding the firm’s business needs is a must. After this, determine what objectives will be fulfilled through video marketing.
It could be to increase brand awareness, generate traffic to the company website, or achieve some other target. Either way, the goal must be clearly established and agreed upon by all key decision-making employees.
Locate Your Target Audience
Social media can create connections with people all over the world. While a large customer base is desirable, small businesses must locate their target clientele. Not every person who watches the video will become a customer.
Firstly, creating an account on all social media platforms where you can find the target audience is a must. Secondly, customers can be targeted based on which stage they are at in the marketing funnel. Some videos can be used to generate leads, and others simply to improve brand recognition.
Production, Distribution, and Promotion
The next three steps will largely determine the success of a firm’s video marketing attempt on social media.
Production of the Video
Finally, it is time for the director to shout “action”. Now that your objectives and target customer base are clearly defined, you can start production. To create compelling content, you must develop a narrative that is authentic and relatable to your audience.
Once your skit is finalized, the next step is to record the video. Audio, lighting, video quality, and other factors must be carefully considered during the shoot.
Distribution of the Video
With the video ready, you can move on to the marketing stage. Here, platform selection plays a pivotal role. For Facebook and YouTube, longer video content is feasible. However, the former is best for targeting a senior demographic, while the latter is for the general public.
On platforms like Instagram and TikTok, short videos work better and are prioritized by the algorithm. Users generally have a shorter attention span, and thus, you can optimize the content for the same with eye-catching graphics or subtitles.
Promotion of the Video
Once distributed, you cannot let the algorithm do all the work. Supplementary support through regular sharing or increasing awareness of the video on other sites is a necessity. An easy way to promote content is by replying to the comments posted by users.
Analytics and Iteration
A business strategy is incomplete without analyzing its performance by tracking the key metrics. Measure and record the likes, comments, and shares of the post. If you have provided a link to your website, track the open rate, click rate, bounce rate, and conversion rate solely from social media.
With the data in your hand, use it to figure out which part of the funnel still needs improvement. It could be the content so you can experiment with different types. In other scenarios, the content is fine, but the website is not.
Keep track of the current trends on social media and develop videos to match them to your brand.
Wrapping Up
Social media marketing through videos seems like an easy task but is difficult to master. Developing engaging content on a regular basis and promoting it heavily is a challenge for small businesses. But incorporating these practices into the marketing strategy will enhance their social media presence while providing a new avenue to fulfill business objectives.
