Too often, people forget that a video is a means to an end.
While a sharp, well-produced video can be a huge asset to your company for years to come, the most effective video marketing campaigns have a very specific, measurable goal in mind. Fortunately, simple digital tools have made it easier than ever to get up-to-the minute metrics on your video, from the average time spent watching to total video impressions.
But before you start making your video, there’s one simple question you have to answer: what are we trying to accomplish with this corporate video?
That might seem like the obvious thing to ask, but too many business videos are produced without a clear end goal in mind. Some businesses are looking for a simple branding video to help make a positive first impression on online visitors. Others want to make an engaging, clickable video for an online video marketing campaign. In many cases, it’s all about generating new leads, about getting customers to take your call to action seriously enough to pick up the phone.
Of course, it’s not enough to know what your goal is. You also have to have clear, well-defined metrics for measuring success. If you’re engaging in an online video marketing campaign for your business, how many impressions do you hope to generate? More importantly, how many impressions do you need to generate to get a positive return on investment? Or, how many leads, exactly, do you hope the video will generate per month?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions before you begin, then your video marketing campaign may be doomed before you even start shooting. That’s a big problem — no matter how you look at it — because digital videos are one of the most effective tools available today.
Not only do online video ads reach at least 54% of Americans every month, but those consumers will also see an average of 121 videos monthly as well. That’s why a study from BrightRoll found that among 150 advertising executives, 91% believed online video ads were more effective than display ads. In fact, according to Forrester Research’s Dr. James McQuivey, one single minute of high-quality video production is worth approximately 1.8 million words of content.
There’s no doubt that online video marketing can be highly effective at reaching consumers, but don’t forget: there’s also no doubt that there’s more competition than ever before. Our boutique media company has seen far too many small businesses spend time producing a video, only to watch it get lost in the digital shuffle.
Videos aren’t enough; you need a solid video marketing plan with clearly defined goals, as well as metrics to measure your success, to succeed.
If you or your business needs help with an upcoming video project, then consider investing in our team to help you reach your video marketing goals.