Let’s face it — in today’s digital landscape, attention spans are shorter, audience standards are higher and the chances of your business’s online content standing out from the rest are slimmer than ever. This is where video production comes in to save the day. Marketing videos are widely known as a fail-safe way to engage audiences and increase interest in products and services. In fact, nearly 76% of marketers claim that video has helped them increase sales and traffic.
On the flip side, around 50% of consumers say that they want to see videos from brands. But, the pressure to create something engaging and informative can be too much for marketers who aren’t sure where to start.
If you resonate with this, don’t worry, we’re ready to help. We’ve put together this definitive five-step guide on how to build a video production marketing strategy that will suit your business needs.
Step 1: Getting started
So, you’ve decided to take the plunge and create a marketing video — but where do you begin? What’s the strategy? After all, you can’t just pick up a camera and start rolling. While you might have an initial concept sketched out, transforming it into a full-on corporate video is often near impossible to imagine. Our advice? Start like any other marketing endeavour: assess your business goals and audience.
What are your goals, and who is your audience?
What do you aim to achieve with your marketing video? Are you looking to increase sales or improve wider brand awareness? Perhaps you’re seeking to display your product or service in a way that sets it apart from your competition. Whatever your goal may be, you need a clear idea of what it is and why it matters before you even think about picking up a camera. Alongside this, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of your audience or who you want your audience to be.
If you’re a marketer, you’re probably aware of the marketing funnel, which serves as a valuable tool for defining your marketing strategy’s objectives.
When it comes to marketing videos, businesses’ goals can be categorised into the following aspects of the funnel:
Awareness:
Awareness is all about attracting new customers and creating greater brand awareness. This is often the primary goal businesses have when creating a video. If you’re looking to attract a whole new audience or just stretch your brand’s reach that little bit further, this is the part of the funnel that relates to your brand.
Interest:
Interest involves engaging your current audience. If your business has a growing online following but your product or service sales aren’t growing alongside it, this is where interest comes in. Marketing videos are also a great tool for reigniting your audience’s interest, as they’ll already have brand familiarity, and are far more likely to watch.
Step 2: Craft your story
Now, nobody is expecting you to be the next Martin Scorsese. However, in order for your video to achieve any of your goals, it needs to have a coherent and compelling story behind it. Develop a unique brand narrative that will resonate with your target audience — and keep it interesting! In a TikTok world, unengaging videos will get you nowhere.
There are many ways to go about this. Generally, your video will require the following aspects:
- A protagonist who your audience can relate to.
- A pain point they’re looking to overcome.
- The introduction of your product or service.
- Finally, how this introduction solves the protagonist’s problem.
It’s also worth considering the Pixar story structure. Think of The Incredibles — a timeless classic and perfect example of how this approach keeps audiences hooked with their signature story spine. If you’re at a loss, take a look at your competitors’ videos, both the ones that are smashing video marketing and the competitors whose videos are missing the mark. This can help you determine which stories work, and which ones falter.
Step 3: Planning and logistics
Creativity doesn’t always go hand in hand with budgets and timelines, but when it comes to video production strategy, it must. Determine a budget that has a little bit of wiggle room for unexpected costs and any sudden strokes of inspiration. Make sure this budget includes allocation for the video production and distribution — after all, the video can’t distribute itself.
Get creative with your internal resources; maybe there’s someone in your team that’s a dab hand with a camera, or perhaps your office fashionista has an eye for set design and costumes. Marry these internal strengths with outsourcing needs. A fintech company might need a little more external help than an interior design company — very few businesses can execute a marketing video completely independently, and there is absolutely no shame in reaching out to the experts for help.
Finally, set your timeline. Chances are you’ll want your video to drop as a promotion for another product or service. Make sure your video will be ready for distribution at the perfect time by setting a strict timeline and sticking to it. Our advice? Factor in time for unexpected delays and get going as soon as possible.
Step 4: Production and post-production execution
At this point, you’ll be ready for your initial ideas to take physical shape. Recruit a killer team of creative professionals: videographers, editors, scriptwriters — the list can go on. They’ll help facilitate the all-important production process, from the pre-production stage and talent bookings to audio and lighting.
While production takes place, keep a keen eye on how your brand is being presented. It’s easy for brand consistency to be lost if you’re creating multiple video assets, and this a fundamental error to avoid. Brand consistency will make your audience feel confident in your products or services, and when it comes to the consumer, confidence and trust is key. It’s worth implementing feedback loops (you give feedback, production responds and amends) so your production team can create the video your brand needs.
Post-production mainly revolves around video editing and graphic creation. It’s the part of the production process you’ll be least involved in — but don’t panic, if you’ve picked the right external team for the job (nudge, nudge), they’ll keep you in the loop and do a good job on your behalf.
Step 5: Distribution and promotion strategy
With the video in tip-top shape, you can focus your energy on strategising the video’s distribution and promotion.
Strategic distribution is essential for your video to be a hit. There are three main ways you can go about this, and hitting the right balance between the three is the best way to amplify your brand recognition and convert users across all stages of the marketing funnel. Let’s delve into each.
Owned media
Getting your video published across your already owned channels is the simplest way to begin distribution. Promote it on every channel your business has, from websites and digital docs to social media and apps.
Paid media
Paying for video distribution is a popular way to increase your video’s exposure to new audiences. Search ads, paid social media promotion and partnerships, and native advertising (when the advert fits seamlessly with the platform you are paying for them to be on) are all great options. Don’t panic if you don’t have a huge budget for paid media, because a little goes a long way when you combine paid media with owned and earned media.
Earned media
This is the tricky part. Earned media and video distribution is dependent on your video engaging your audience organically. Social media has made earned distribution easier, and the more your video gets people talking, the more engagement it will earn. If you’re promoting a product, it’s worth considering sending your product out to product reviewers to spark an online conversation. The same goes for influencer marketing — if your product or service aligns with popular content creators, reach out to them and send them your video. If they’re into it, they may well promote your video for free.
Partner with Pitch to elevate your video production
Building a successful and efficient video production strategy can feel like rocket science. At Pitch, we can be your rocket scientists. From production to partnerships and platforms, we specialise in making video production as smooth and effective as possible. Don’t believe us? Take a look at our previous work here, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions about our work and how we can help with your video production.
