9 Ways to Use Video in Your Content Marketing Strategy
We are a video-obsessed culture. The meteoric rise of TikTok alone attests to that, not to mention the continued popularity of Instagram stories, YouTube, and other video-sharing sites. If you’re not using video in your content marketing, you should be. If you are, keep reading: you may find even more ways to engage customers through the magic of “the movies.”
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1. Introduce your brand.
Tell your story: Who are you? What do you do? What makes you special?
Think of this video as a conversation on a blind date. You want to tell your date enough to get them interested in you, but don’t overshare. Save something for the second date, which might be the next video where you…
2. Showcase your product.
What will it do for me (the customer)? How does it work? Where or how is it made, and by whom? Visit your factory, talk to your workers, show where your ingredients come from…whatever that looks like for you. Everybody loves a peek behind the scenes.
3. Showcase your customers.
Can you post an unboxing video, where a customer opens a shipment from you and narrates their experience of seeing your product for the first time? Sure, you can! Add a note to your site or put out a request on social media requesting unboxing videos and video reviews from your customers, then pick your faves and make somebody a star.
4. Answer questions.
What’s better than a list of Frequently Asked Questions? An FAQ that includes links to answers on video. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video must be worth at least a million. That’s especially true if you can demonstrate the answer so people can see what you’re talking about.
5. Share about your mission + your people.
A video is much more engaging than a static list of photos and bios. Not only does a video help put a face to the name, but the style of your videos can also show off your company culture at the same time.
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6. Make video ads.
Whether it’s a sale, a special event, or an evergreen product, video ads can attract people to your site and your products. They’re easy to link to from social media platforms, emails, and even package inserts and mail pieces.
7. Jump on a social trend bandwagon.
Remember the ice bucket challenge (also planking, mannequin, Bernie’s mittens)? If something is going viral and you can get in on it while staying true to your brand, go for it. It will show your audience that you’re connected with what’s going on in their world while getting your brand out there.
8. Send a series.
Advertising a video series on your site can be a great way to capture email addresses. (Learn more about growing your contact list in Intro to Lead Magnets.) Do you do webinars? You’ve already got content: slice them into pieces and send them out in pieces. If you don’t have a webinar and don’t want to create a series right now, consider using your FAQ videos (#3 above) as a series.
9. Email…everything.
You can use a new video as an excuse to email your list (“Check out our new video!) or as a bonus feature in any email you send. How about a fun “thank you” video embedded in you “thanks for your order” email? Where else would a video add value to your message?
By now your mind is probably whirling with ideas about where and how you can use videos. Do you know how to make those videos compelling? Stay tuned: that’s the topic of our next post…
Want even more ideas for growing your brand? We’ve got a blog all about audience development right here.