With compelling audiovisual elements, video marketing has emerged as a powerful tool to attract and engage viewers effectively. It is projected that by 2028, adults in the U.S. will spend an average of three hours and 30 minutes daily watching digital videos—significantly more than traditional TV. Considering that digital video consumption has already surpassed TV viewing time for three consecutive years, it underscores the growing importance of integrating video into your social media strategy. For marketers aiming to stay relevant and maximize their brand’s reach, understanding how to craft a successful social media video marketing strategy is paramount.
Luckily, there are multiple avenues for incorporating video content into your social media marketing. You’re not restricted to just high-production, TV-style advertisements. The rise of short-form video content, increased interest in brand authenticity, and accessible editing tools provide ample opportunity for businesses of all sizes to venture into video marketing. Our comprehensive seven-step guide will help you navigate through the essential components needed to build a robust and effective social media video marketing strategy.
1. Set Goals for Video Marketing
At the inception of any marketing strategy, defining clear, measurable goals is a crucial step. Consider what you ultimately want to achieve with your video marketing. Are you looking to boost brand awareness, drive direct sales, or foster customer engagement? For beginners, it is advisable to set a few specific and achievable goals to avoid becoming overwhelmed. One common objective is generating brand awareness.
However, with a well-crafted script and creative approach, your video marketing can accomplish much more. For instance, it can guide potential customers through the decision phase of their buying journey, educate them about their new purchase, and even support your brand’s advocacy initiatives. The typical marketing funnel consists of five stages, and each stage can be effectively targeted with the right video content.
Take time to reflect on where your goals fall within each stage of the buyer’s journey. This understanding can inspire your social media video concepts and help you create compelling calls to action in your videos. Here are some example goals for each funnel stage: Awareness – reach new customers; Consideration – generate demand for your offerings; Decision – drive conversions; Adoption – educate customers; Advocacy – inspire brand evangelism. By aligning your video goals with these stages, you ensure that your content is not only engaging but also strategically designed to achieve specific marketing objectives.
2. Choose Your Video Formats
Once you have established your goals, the next step is selecting the appropriate video formats to achieve them. Different social media platforms have unique video features and dimensions, making it essential to tailor your content accordingly. For example, Facebook supports landscape and portrait feed videos, Reels, Live streaming, and Stories. Instagram offers similar formats, including Reels and Stories, but also emphasizes portrait videos more prominently. Understanding the specifications and strengths of each platform helps in deciding which formats to focus on.
If repurposing content across platforms is part of your strategy, prioritize those that complement each other in terms of video dimensions. For instance, Reels on Instagram, TikTok videos, and YouTube Shorts all use a vertical 9×16 aspect ratio, facilitating easy cross-posting. This can save significant time and resources, ensuring wider reach without the need for extensive editing.
Tasty’s social media strategy is an excellent illustration of how to leverage different formats across platforms. The brand customizes its video content for platforms like Instagram and YouTube, maintaining a consistent brand voice while adapting to each platform’s unique audience preferences. Tasty’s approach ensures a diverse range of content, from short-form clips to longer compilations, resonating with users wherever they engage with the brand. By understanding and utilizing the various video formats each platform offers, you can more effectively reach and engage your target audience.
3. Decide on Video Types
Determining the types of videos that align with your marketing goals is crucial for ensuring that your content resonates with your audience. Different video types serve different purposes, each with its unique ability to engage viewers and fulfill specific marketing objectives. Some popular video types include educational, explainer, behind-the-scenes, interviews, entertaining, testimonials, product highlights, and narrative videos.
Educational videos are highly informative and often polished to establish your brand as an authority. These can create brand awareness among new customers or provide valuable tips for current users to maximize the benefits of your product. Explainer videos, on the other hand, focus on detailing what your brand does and how it addresses consumer problems, making them ideal for driving engagement and prompting viewers to take action.
Additionally, behind-the-scenes videos give a relatable glimpse into your company’s operations, offering transparency that can humanize your brand. Interview videos can introduce your audience to new influencers or thought leaders, leveraging their credibility and expanding your reach. Entertaining videos—whether humorous, cute, or involving pranks—emphasize your brand voice and build a community around shared interests. Testimonials provide powerful social proof by showcasing satisfied customers, fostering trust and driving conversions. Lastly, narrative videos that tell an engaging story can leave a lasting impression and significantly impact brand recall.
By selecting the most appropriate types of videos that align with your marketing goals and audience preferences, you can ensure your content remains consistent, engaging, and effective.
4. Plan the Production Process
An organized production plan is the backbone of any successful video marketing strategy. Whether you opt to work with an agency or handle everything in-house, meticulous planning can save you time and resources in the long run. Start by identifying the necessary equipment, props, and locations for filming. Writing and refining the script is another essential step that sets the tone and direction for your video. A storyboard can help visualize the sequence of scenes, ensuring a cohesive flow.
Next, plan the actual shoot. Remember that filming is rarely linear; different scenes may be shot out of order based on logistics like location availability and daylight. This step also involves gathering and nurturing your on-screen talent, whether it’s employees, customers, or hired actors. Ensuring their comfort and preparation will reflect in the final product.
Moreover, determine who will be responsible for each phase of production, from script approvals to final sign-offs. Music choice is another key consideration; make sure you have the appropriate licenses for any tracks used. As you proceed, you may need to adjust your plan based on unforeseen challenges or new insights. Flexibility can make the difference between a good video and a great one.
Once your plan is executed and filming is complete, you are ready to move on to the next phase: post-production.
5. Understand Post-Production Requirements
Post-production is where your raw footage is transformed into polished, compelling video content. This phase isn’t just about cutting and editing scenes. It includes adding essential elements like closed captions, text overlays, call-to-action screens, and background music. The extent of editing depends on the video’s purpose. Formal, polished videos with high production values require more time than live streams, which are published immediately.
For example, on YouTube, you have the option to add tags, captions in multiple languages, detailed descriptions, and more to enhance your video’s discoverability and user engagement. Tools like Sprout Social offer advanced features for post-production, allowing you to schedule and manage your video content seamlessly.
Allocated sufficient time for post-production is vital to ensure your video meets the desired quality standards. Understanding these requirements beforehand helps set realistic timelines and avoid last-minute rushes, ensuring your content aligns with your initial objectives and brand voice.
6. Schedule and Promote Your Videos
Once your video is ready, the next step is scheduling and promoting it. Utilize social media management platforms like Sprout Social for these tasks. These tools allow you to plan your content calendar, ensuring a steady stream of videos across different platforms. For example, Sprout Social offers detailed options for YouTube publishing, including tags, categories, playlists, and privacy settings. It also supports scheduling for TikTok content.
Promote your videos consistently, leveraging each platform’s features to maximize reach. On X (formerly known as Twitter), you can enhance visibility through multiple promotions. For live streams, frequent promotion leading up to the event ensures higher attendance, capturing more viewers in real time.
Moreover, consider the potential for repurposing content. A single filming session can yield multiple videos, with different clips used for various promotional activities. Feature parity across major platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts means you can cross-post without extensive editing. This strategy not only maximizes the reach of your content but also reinforces your brand message across multiple touchpoints.
7. Measure and Analyze Performance
After establishing your goals, the next crucial step is choosing the appropriate video formats to achieve them. Each social media platform has distinct video features and dimensions, so customizing your content is vital. For instance, Facebook supports landscape and portrait feed videos, Reels, Live streaming, and Stories. Similarly, Instagram offers portrait videos, Reels, and Stories, but places greater emphasis on portrait orientation. Understanding each platform’s specifications and strengths is key to deciding on the focus for your formats.
If part of your strategy involves repurposing content across various platforms, prioritize those with similar video dimensions. For example, Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, and YouTube Shorts all utilize the vertical 9×16 aspect ratio, making cross-posting much easier. This strategy can save a considerable amount of time and resources, enabling a broader reach without the need for extensive editing.
An exemplary illustration of effectively using different formats across platforms is Tasty’s social media strategy. The brand tailors its video content for both Instagram and YouTube, keeping a consistent brand voice while adapting to each platform’s unique audience preferences. Tasty’s approach ensures a diverse range of content, from short clips to longer compilations, engaging users wherever they interact with the brand. By understanding and leveraging the various video formats each platform offers, you can more effectively engage and reach your target audience.