It’s no surprise that video is the most popular form of online content. In fact, it’s so popular that in a few short years it will nearly take over the internet. According to Cisco, IP video traffic will make up a staggering 82% of all IP traffic, both business and consumer, by 2022 (up from 75% in 2017). Consequently all brands pivot towards video as their lead marketing tool as they are able to visualise their journeys and stories. Saying so, being such an oversaturated market comes with its disadvantages. Videography content with a lack of purpose or direction often leads to limited views and immediate disengagement. So what is the trick to creating a beneficial video for your organisation that will boost engagement, awareness, traffic, and convert views into sales?

1. Understanding the story that needs to be told

Each company or organisation has their own story, whether it's the tale of their product, their community or their message. Being able to define your story and familiarise it will be crucial, as this tale is what will need to be consistent through your entire marketing journey. Stories ‘sell’ far more effectively than any other methods, as a true investment comes from either inspiring or somehow emotionally impacting an individual, allowing them to personally invest in you and your brand.

2. Aligning video content with marketing objectives

Any content you create for your business should ultimately serve a purpose. Before you even delve into ideation, you need to establish what you want to achieve with your marketing goals. Some objectives might include driving more traffic to your website, building trust and loyalty with your brand, developing a larger engagement within your audience or boosting conversions.

3. Research, Research, Research

Research is crucial when developing your campaign and content. Always start with checking your web analytics to identify your top-performing media. You can use these topics as inspiration and build from these projects also. Keep a close eye on your competitors’ social channels and analyse top-performing content in your niche to gather ideas and keep your work unique and progressive. You can use keyword research tools to see what keywords your audience is looking up.

4. Ideate video ideas

This is the stage where you can let your thoughts and ideas run wild. Think of content that can engage your viewers within the first few moments. Studies show that the average drop of rate for all social videos sits at only 3 seconds. Every second counts. Video interviews or story-telling pieces of influencers, leaders and other experts within your work field are key for boosting brand awareness and engagement. They are a unique way to attract attention as content flows naturally and information is easy to access. Having the right name influencing your brand will build trust within the community due to association. Other video ideas can include, animations, educational how-tos, challenges, vlogs, debates, short films and live streams etc. The key thing to remember is that social platforms are used for one primary purpose - “To place the golden nugget”. Social videos need to be short and direct. If you’ve done your job right, viewers can then follow a link to a website or main hub where more informative video and text can be displayed.

5. Look towards the future

Creating great content is essential but it’s equally important to have a plan in place for when you’ll share and release content to get the maximum impact. Creating a content marketing calendar will be key to prepare for key events and dates as well as account for time you'll need to spend interacting with your community. A posting schedule will help list dates and times of types of content you will release on each channel. Make sure your calendar reflects the goals and targets you assigned to each strategy. Make sure you are tracking your results so you can re-evaluate and change your strategy. Constant testing allows you to understand what works and what doesn’t, so you can refine your strategy in real time.

In the world of social media, everything changes FAST. New networks and trends emerge while others go through significant changes. Your business will reflect this as you will need to be ready to change with it. Don’t be afraid to take risks as more often than not, those risks are either rewarding or a valuable lesson learnt.

The Firetale Team

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