Why and How To Include Video In Your Content Strategy

75% of executives say they watch work-related videos on business-related websites at least weekly. Are you considering video as a format within your content strategy?

Why and How To Include Video In Your Content Strategy

If someone had told you ten years ago, that in 2016 you’d be able (and encouraged) to watch videos at work, would you have believed them? Video has come a long way.

Today, video content is everywhere. From TED talks to YouTube, to Snapchat and more, video content is more accessible, informative and easier to create than ever.  So it should be no surprise that considering video as part of a content strategy is increasingly important.

Why you should include video in your content strategy

According to the HubSpot State of Inbound 2016, 28% of marketers view creating product/ how-to videos as one of their company marketing priorities.

When it comes to content distribution channels, in the next 12 months, respondents to HubSpot’s 2016 State of Inbound report plan to add a wide range of video-focussed (or video containing) channels to their marketing efforts:

• 48% plan to add YouTube to their content mix
• 39% plan to include Facebook Video
• 33% plan to add Instagram
• 13% plan to use Snapchat
• 5% plan to use Vine

That’s a lot of upcoming video content.

You may notice that many of these channels are social platforms. As social channels are a key method for promoting and accessing all types of content, plus allow video advertising, that’s not too surprising. But are you aware of how quickly video has grown on social? In early 2016 for example, both Facebook and Snapchat’s daily video views reached 8 billion video views per day. LinkedIn too recently announced its move into native video.

But video is not restricted to social alone; it’s growing across all digital platforms. According to Dreamgrow:

By 2019, consumer internet video traffic will be 80% of all internet traffic across the world. Video will dominate the internet. Video will be the primary medium for how internet users will consume information.

Why? Because if it’s done well, video content:

• Is easily digestible and accessible
• Appeals to people’s visual natures
• Gives tone and personality to brands
• Builds audience trust, expertise and faith in a brand as a thought leader

Video content also maps well to each stage of the buyer’s journey; from awareness videos (such as recorded versions of blog content), to consideration material (like video case studies) to decision stage videos (like webinars, or product videos).

75% of consumers say they have been convinced to buy a product/ service after watching a video. - Dreamgrow

12 Tips For Including Video In Your Content Strategy

Clearly video presents value if used correctly. So how should you incorporate it into your content strategy? At a top level, you’ll need to:

1. Base everything around your buyer personas

In all inbound campaigns, it’s important to have a clear idea of who you’re creating content for. When considering video content, the first step is to keep your personas in mind and identify where in the buyer’s journey they need help solving their challenges. Next, think about what type of video content would be best placed to help. (Webinars, video case studies, how-to videos, video ads for nurture etc.

2. Research

How are your competitors using video? What’s already successful, and where are the gaps in the video scene? Do your research, explore what works and adapt. Just as you would with other content formats, it’s important to research your topics; consider the buyer challenges you need to address and map content themes to suit.

3. Prioritise quality

While 66% of consumers would prefer to watch a video to learn about a product/ service, another 60% of say they’ve been put off buying a product after seeing a bad explainer video (Dreamgrow) - so ensure that the quality of your video content is high.

4. Think about production

Thinking about that quality, how are you going to create consistent video content that contributes to your overall content strategy? A shaky iPhone video with muffled audio isn’t going to cut it, so where needed, invest in the skillsets and time required to produce targeted, quality content.

5. Develop your style

A strong brand video template will be instantly recognisable and build trust with your audience. Think about how you want your brand and values to be perceived in video, and be consistent.

6. Evaluate if you can repurpose/ build on current content

If you’ve already created some great content, don’t let it go to waste! You may be able to build on it or use it as a foundation for your video content. Summary videos, walkthroughs, and how-to videos are great for explaining topics to your audience and can complement successful content you already have.

7. Interview your team

Stuck for ideas? Ask your team and your salespeople; interview them on camera, or get them to walk through explanations of subjects, products or services that may be complex to deliver in an article.

8. Ask your clients for help

Case studies and testimonials are a great way to showcase how your business delivers value. So ask your clients for help; video case studies and testimonials are a great way for you to provide value and build trust with new prospects. 

9. Think outside the ‘video presenter’ box

A video doesn’t always have to include a presenter. For example if you have audio content such as a podcast, it may only need graphics or animation to bring it to life. Equally, you might create an overview video of an event you’ve held.

10. Optimise

Like any content, make sure your video content is well-optimised for search, as well as for mobile devices. As search engines struggle more to assess the nature of video and image-based content, in some instances adding transcripts to videos can offer an SEO advantage and more context into what a video is about.

11. Include a CTA

What is your video’s goal? Are you hoping it will generate more leads? Increase awareness? Help viewers make a decision? Keep that goal in mind when planning your video and where appropriate, include a CTA and social share options.

12. Monitor and review

Creating and promoting your content isn’t the only thing you need to do. It’s important to continue to track and analyse the effectiveness of your videos (views, CTA clicks etc) to determine what’s working (or not), assess the most productive video channels to use, and adjust strategy accordingly.

Done well, video content can form an integral part of content strategies. It’s wise to start considering it as a content format to build trust with your audience - and the 75% of executives who say they watch work-related videos on business-related websites at least weekly (Forbes).