Video content is a cornerstone for any well-rounded content strategy. While the idea of creating video for marketing purposes isn’t new, many companies shy away from video because of budgetary worries or not knowing where to begin. But 72% of consumers would rather watch a video than read text, so if you are skipping out on video, you may be costing your company in the long run. Consumers are turning to video more and more, and marketers are answering their calls with–you guessed it–more video. This applies to every industry: hospitality, retail, health, tech, etc. Video is on the rise and successful companies are acting on this insight.

Here are just a few ways that you can incorporate video into your content strategy.

 

Social Media 

Social media is a great place to begin when auditing your content. The demand for video content from consumers is increasing, and it is not limited to just entertainment. There is a myriad of ways to incorporate video to enhance your social presence beyond a simple post to YouTube and enhancing your audience’s brand loyalty across all platforms. Just be sure you’re using the right content and format for the right social media platform.

Facebook

Aside from being one of the most shareable platforms for content, Facebook has great integrations for video. Upload a video as the cover for your brand’s business page that introduces who you are and what you do.  Inspire your visitors with video posts that they can share with their friends with the click of a button. 

Get creative when working with your video production team: animations, stop motion, and gifs catch the eyes of viewers and can make them pause on your page during a scroll session. Cinemagraphs are a great option to add into your page’s banner because it catches the eye and is more interesting than a stand-alone photograph. 

Los Angeles Video Production Company Social Media Video

 

Instagram

There are a few different ways to add video into your Instagram posting schedule depending on your goals and audience. An evergreen video or loop would do well in your main feed, especially if your audience does a lot of comparative shopping. Promote upcoming events or share user-created video in your Instagram story. Share tutorials, how-tos, and other longer-form trendy video content on IGTV. You can repurpose content, adapt a blog post to video format, and share content that won’t disappear from your profile like stories do. 

A great thing about social media videos is that video production companies can create cut-downs from full-length videos for double the content. Check out a 15-second Instagram video we did as part of a larger shoot for the Bon Jovi Soul Foundation:

 

Pinterest

Pinterest acts more like a search engine than a social media site, which is why it is a great resource for driving traffic to your website. You can add a video Pin directly from YouTube or upload your own video to Pinterest. 

The key to a successful video pin lies in the content: storytelling, lifestyle videos will perform better than a rigid corporate video might. Think of the audience and where they are in the sales funnel. Pinterest browsers may be looking to make a purchase, but are still in the research phase. What makes your product or service stand out?

 

Twitter

Don’t forget to post your videos to Twitter! You can share them easily right from Instagram.

 

Embed Video Into Your Blog or Website

Video and text together create a more dynamic post that engages your audience, increases time spent on your site, and promotes inbound link traffic. This is especially useful if you are looking to drive traffic between your YouTube channel and blog post. 

In addition to the extra engagement, you’ll be able to repurpose video content any time it is relevant — that’s a win/win!

 

Use Video as A Sales Tool

If your brand frequents conferences, job fairs, or expos, video can turn your booth from a “let’s skip it” to a profitable venture. 52% of customers report that watching a video has made them more confident in a purchase. Building customer trust is a great way to further them along the sales funnel.

 

Now What?

Video content has a longer shelf life than a photo, but it is important to keep your content fresh. Perform an audit of your video content quarterly to add seasonal content and remove any outdated content. Now you understand how many options you have when it comes to video marketing strategy – so how can you work it into the budget? These five stats will help you convince the higher-ups of the importance of video and secure the financing that you need.

Ezra Productions is an LA video production company that can create all this video for you and more. Contact us to discuss your video needs–we’re here to help.