A decade and a half ago, creating marketing videos demanded considerable effort. However, two major developments subsequently revolutionized the process. Initially, YouTube revolutionized video sharing by offering a simple platform to reach out to the world. Later, the invention of smartphones enhanced this experience further by giving people an easier way to access, create and share videos. In a relatively short amount of time, carrying around a good quality camera in your pocket has become more common. This has allowed people to easily create and share videos quickly and with ease.

More than ever, people are consuming huge amounts of video. Video is a powerful tool that can be used effectively by business owners to reach out to potential customers and expand their brand. It's an invaluable asset when it comes to increasing revenue. But for many people, the thought of doing video marketing is intimidating. They don’t know where to start and what best practices to follow. And so, they never get started with video marketing.

Creating engaging videos for marketing doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. You can easily use your smartphone for this. All that you really need to succeed with video marketing is creativity and determination. Here are 10 easy-to-follow video marketing tips to get you started so you can take advantage of the enormous opportunity video presents:

Tip #1: Pick Your Primary Platform

Which platform will you focus on? YouTube? LinkedIn? Instagram? Facebook? Keep in mind it’s beneficial to share videos across multiple platforms for greater visibility. Video marketing is an effective tool to reach your audience, but it's important to remember that engaging with viewers is just as crucial. If you want to make the most out of this tactic, then interact with those who watch your videos. Crafting an attention-grabbing video will draw people's comments, and it is important for you to be responsive and initiate conversations with your audience. If you spread yourself too thin across multiple platforms, it might be difficult for you to engage with everyone. Concentrating solely on one platform could help you maintain a more meaningful connection with your viewers.

When it comes to choosing the best platform for your content, it's important to consider where your target audience spends most of their time. That way you can make sure you're reaching out to them effectively. If you're a business-to-business (B2B) company and would like to engage with other professionals, LinkedIn is the ideal platform. However, for targeting Millennial customers, Instagram and YouTube are more beneficial. When in doubt, choose Facebook - the largest social media platform globally. You can rest assured that your customers are most likely using it as well.

Tip #2: Start Simple

One of the biggest reasons people don’t get started with video marketing is that they make it way too complicated. They think they need to have a fancy script, professional lighting, and an ultra-high-quality camera. Nothing could be further from the truth. People nowadays don't expect videos to be perfectly polished and professionally produced. Rather, they are more interested in content that is engaging and meaningful.

To get started in video marketing, start really simple. Just use your smartphone or computer. The key is to just start sharing video. Video marketing should be viewed more as a dialogue between you and your customers than a traditional presentation. Just speak naturally and converse with the camera as if it were another person.

Those wanting to create a video editing environment can do so at an affordable cost. Lights and other essential items can be bought on Amazon or other online stores for as little as $20 and there are also various straightforward software tools available that make it easy to piece together videos.

How long your video should be really depends on what you're trying to achieve and how much content you need to cover. If all your key points can be portrayed in a few minutes, then there's no point making the video long.

Tip #3: Deliver Authentic Value

To be successful with video marketing, you must be authentic and provide genuine value to your viewers. Being authentic in your videos is crucial - do not try to present yourself as something that you are not. This will help you distinguish yourself from others and will also let you showcase your uniqueness. It's important to always stay true to who you are when recording videos. Express your emotions, whether it be laughing, excitement or frustration. A great way of connecting with viewers is to show them your real self and not just an act.

To make sure that your videos are valuable to the audience, you have to ensure that they offer something in terms of knowledge, entertainment or guidance. For example:

  • Answer commonly asked questions.

  • Address audience pain points.

  • Teach your audience how to do something.

  • Give expert advice or insight.

  • Provide “aha” moments

The main objective of the videos should not be strictly to increase sales, but more importantly it to provide your viewers with something valuable and impactful. Focus on helping them reach their goals while also giving an authentic experience. Your videos topics need to be aligned with this goal in order to achieve success. Ask yourself these questions:

  • What is my audience struggling with?

  • What do they need to know?

  • What important questions are they asking?

  • What problems are they trying to solve?

  • What one thing would make a difference in their lives

If you're unsure of what topics to include, look at the past content that has been well received by your audience. Did any of your blog posts gain a lot of traction? Did a certain post on social media get plenty of comments? By analyzing this data, you can decide on new topic ideas.

Tip #4: Create A Simple Script

When planning to shoot a video, it can be vastly helpful to draft a script of the key points that you wish to cover. This does not necessarily have to be an exact transcript but can simply be bullet-pointed notes as reminders for yourself. Writing a script is essential when creating a video because it keeps the content organized, relevant and concise. It helps to keep the message of your video on track so that you don't end up with a long, incoherent piece. Additionally, it ensures that your points are stated clearly and the order of the topics is logical. When writing for a video, it is important to use conversational language that resonates with the audience. Consider what types of topics they would find enjoyable and engaging, humorous or educational. This allows you to create a more dynamic and interesting script.

It's totally understandable if the idea of creating a script seems tedious and time-consuming. However, it's an essential step that should not be overlooked since it is key to producing an organized and effective video. Skipping this step will likely lead to disorganized and unfocused footage in the end.

Tip #5: Draw the Viewer In

When crafting your videos, it is essential to capture the viewer's attention from the get-go. Try to get to the point straight away so the audience knows what they will be learning from your video. Giving a clear and concise reason for why they should continue watching can help increase engagement. The key is to create an engaging first impression in your video. You want to draw viewers in right away, so they continue watching. If the introduction is too long or lackluster, chances are viewers will switch off and won't watch the rest.

Tip #6: Experiment with Different Types of Video

One of the great things about video marketing is that there are so many different formats:

  • How-To Videos: How-to videos provide step-by-step instructions to viewers on how to complete a task or solve a problem. They are very useful tools as they not only demonstrate your knowledge but also help people with commonly encountered issues.

  • Expert Interviews: Expert interviews are great for engaging your audience and building trust. You invite a knowledgeable individual to have a discussion with you, giving your viewers access to valuable information from an authority figure in the industry.

  • Demo Videos: Demonstration videos are an effective way to inform buyers about the features and capabilities of your product. This can help them make an informed decision, and remove any reservations they may have against buying from you. Additionally, they provide a great opportunity to showcase all that your product can do.

  • Event Videos: Videos can be an effective tool to promote any event your business is hosting. By creating promotional videos, you can get potential customers excited about attending and further build brand recognition.

  • Explainer Videos: Explainer videos are an effective way to help customers understand their own difficulties and how you can offer a suitable solution. Through these explainer videos, you demonstrate your expertise and skillset which enables them to trust in your abilities.

  • Testimonial / Case Study Videos: Interviewing your satisfied customers via Skype or Zoom is an effective way to acquire testimonials and case studies that demonstrate the results you are delivering to your target audience. Testimonials and case studies can be highly persuasive and give potential customers assurance that they will benefit from working with you.

  • Live Videos:  With these video calls, you get the chance to interact with your viewers in real time and respond to their questions. You can also give them a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what a typical day at work looks like for you.

  • Personalized Videos: One unique way to do video marketing is to make personalized videos. This approach helps to deliver a more personalized message with greater detail than an email can provide.

To keep your audience engaged with your video marketing strategy, try utilizing a variety of video types. Mixing things up will help to gain more attention for your videos and maximize viewership.

Tip #7: Repurpose Your Content

If you’re struggling to come up with topics, consider repurposing other content you’ve created. If you previously wrote a blog post that got a good response from the readers, you can use its content to create talking points for a video. Alternately, you can make individual videos based on each point in the article.

Tip #8: Use Attractive Video Thumbnails, Titles, and Captions

Thumbnails are a critical part of your video's success as they are what initially captures the attention of viewers. If you use engaging, attractive thumbnails, there's a higher chance that people will click on your video and watch it. An effective thumbnail should be an eye-catching image, and adding text to it can make it more appealing. Making thumbnails with a smartphone is simple and easy. Canva provides an easy platform to find an great photo and add attractive text to it.

A catchy title can be a great way to draw in viewers, so make sure that your video has a great one. This title should appear at the bottom of the video when people see it in their newsfeeds - it should stand out and make people pay attention!

It is highly recommended that captions be included in videos as they are beneficial to viewers who prefer to watch with the sound turned off. Furthermore, captions allow for a more accessible and enjoyable viewing experience. YouTube and certain other platforms have been embracing AI technology to generate captions for a video. But, the transcripts produced are not completely accurate, so you’ll need to make corrections manually. Another option is to use a transcription service, such as Rev or Otter.ai, to create transcriptions of your videos and then upload them to the platform. The cost of using these services depends on the length of your video.

Tip #9: Use Calls-To-Action in Your Videos

To maximize the impact of your videos, it is essential to include a call-to-action. This encourages viewers to take some kind of action after watching your video, instead of just passively consuming it. To get your audience to take action (i.e. like, comment, subscribe, follow a link, etc.), simply ask them to do it.

The best placement for your call-to-action is at the middle or the end of the video. This way, people have a chance to see how valuable your videos are and are more likely to want to engage with them.

Tip #10: Collaborate with Others

One of the best ways to grow your audience is to collaborate with others. You can do a joint webinar, or review each other’s products, for example. Collaboration allows you to reach a new audience. By joining forces with other professionals, you can both benefit from each other's audience and increased visibility. Collaboration is a great way to showcase your leadership in your industry. People who see the collaboration will recognize you’re connected with influential people. Furthermore, it also provides access to the other person's contacts enabling you to find more individuals with whom you can collaborate.