Series 2: Adding Video to the Content Marketing Mix

Video content has become king. It’s visually engaging, easy to consume, entertaining, and readily available to access. That’s why most brands today are turning to video marketing to help capture the attention of their customers.

The global online video market is expected to grow by more than 18 percent between now and 2028, reaching a value of nearly $23 billion. This rapid growth signals that brands from multiple industries are increasingly using video to make announcements, share information and connect with buyers.

And it makes sense. Today, it’s easier than ever for anyone to create a high-quality video using a smartphone. Just look to TikTok and YouTube for proof. While every brand wants to produce authentic content, quality still matters. Marketers should be thoughtful and consider best practices before embarking on a video marketing strategy.

In this second installment of our three-part series on content marketing, we’ll explain how and why to add video to your marketing mix, and provide a few examples for inspiration.

Best Practices of an Effective Video Marketing Strategy

Videos needn’t be complex or flashy; rather, they must be purposeful and part of a cohesive, measurable marketing strategy. Before diving into video development, create a plan covering these areas:

1. Establish measurable goals. Some common video goals include:
   • Brand awareness—measured using brand recall and recognition, frequency/quality of mentions, or video views
   • Demand generation and conversion—measured by lead generation and conversion rates
   • Viewer engagement—measured by the average length of time people watched the video
     
2. Identify target audiences. Learn what they like, what they need, what their pain points are, and what type of content they enjoy.
   
3. Create a distribution plan. Determine when and where to post videos based on your overarching goals and understanding of audiences.
   
4. Choose a video style for each story you tell. Some stories are better suited to different video styles. Know that consumers likely will need to hear different messages at various points in their journey, so it’s wise to experiment with different formats. 
   
5. Measure performance. Just because you like your video doesn’t mean it will hit home with everyone. Continuously track metrics, such the number of views and unique viewers. These metrics will help back up the success of your distribution strategy.
   
6. Drop-off rates. Ideally, at least 60 percent of your audience should make it to the end of your videos, on average.
   
7. Click-through rates. It helps to compare results for email content with and without video content.
   
8. Demand generation. Assess the number of new leads and opportunities generated from watching the video, or how the video impacts revenue.
   
9. Content consumption. Evaluate the number of videos individual leads watch per day and month.

Why Videos Make Great Content

A well-executed video, especially when combined with more traditional marketing methods, can help reach target audiences and move the needle on your marketing campaign goals. Videos usually fall into two categories—those aiming to build awareness among target audiences, and those focused on bolstering ROI and sales leads. Let’s look at some real-world examples of both approaches.

Using Video to Build Awareness

1. Explain your Product, Service and Key Messages. Before making an investment, consumers want to understand what they’re buying or signing up for, and how it will help them.
   1. ADM Shift Video – DKY helped ADM launch a free grain marketing course for farmers, introducing it through this explanatory video.
      
2. Connect in Real Time and Extend Shelf Life. For those who were not able to attend live events and especially when everyone was staying home during the height of the pandemic in 2020, live streams and recorded videos kept people connected and engaged.
   • Winnebago Virtual Product Launch – DKY worked with Winnebago to execute a virtual product launch to increase consumer awareness and demand for new products. The launch was enormously successful, exceeding social engagement and lead generation goals.
     
3. Create Lifestyle Content as a Sales Tool. Consumers are devouring online videos at increasing rates. Social Media Week reports that 78 percent of people watch online videos every week. Perhaps most compelling, a 2021 Optinmonster survey revealed 72 percent of customers said they would rather learn about a product or service through video, and 84 percent said they’d been persuaded to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.
   
   • Winnebago Quick Tour Video– To inform consumers and inspire interest in one of Winnebago’s new models, we created a three-minute, visually-appealing video highlighting the RV’s features and benefits. The video was a huge success, garnering more than one million views in less than a month.
     
4. Build Thought Leadership and Name Recognition. Leaders of all kinds are creating videos and using digital platforms to share insights, reflect on current or industry outlooks and make announcements.
   • DKY Leadership Corner – We’ve launched a new quarterly video series that will feature Brian Dahl reflecting on our agency, the state of the marketing industry and our clients’ sectors, and some fun insights into his leadership style and our team.

Using Video to Enhance Campaign ROI and Generate Sales Leads

1. Consistently Replenish Digital Content. To keep consumers engaged, it’s important to draw them in with new content at regular intervals. Thanks to abundant and effective technology, video development doesn’t need to break the marketing budget or throw off the overall campaign timeline.
   • Winnebago Insider– In 2021, Winnebago launched an enhanced digital content hub that provides deeper insight into the latest Winnebago product innovations and brand news. The site features numerous videos from product experts that equip consumers with information to help them make purchasing decisions.
     
2. Drive Engagement. YouTube, as well as social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, are cost-effective ways to communicate directly with target audiences. Companies are also finding success with live videos and webinars to interact directly with consumers, answer questions and increase engagement.
   • Donaldson Webinars –A highly successful approach for sharing information and driving business leads for Donaldson has been through webinars – both live and recorded. For example, a gated webinar about implementing an environmental health and safety strategy has continued to gain traction and momentum for Donaldson.
     
3. Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques. Google features YouTube videos at the top of the page for many search terms, increasing the chances of consumer engagement. It’s wise to optimize video for anticipated key word searches and embed it on your owned channels to widen its reach.
   • Shop.Donaldson.com Promotional Video – This video promoting the launch of Donaldson’s ecommerce site was translated into multiple languages and shared internally with Donaldson employees, sent via email to distributors and customers, embedded in employee email signatures, and placed on the Donaldson website and the company’s YouTube page. Comprehensive distribution and SEO strategies helped build awareness of the site and contributed to its overall success.

Video is a powerful content tool in a brand marketer’s toolbelt. And its power can be amplified even more when integrated throughout your marketing strategy – in social media, blog posts, emails, e-news, events, and anywhere your target audience can see it.

For more information on how DKY can help you develop an effective video marketing campaign, please contact us.