7 Tips To Generate Great Content For Video Marketing

Videos are a powerful force on the internet. 

Cisco took notice of the video trend a few years ago and predicted that video traffic would comprise 82% of consumer internet traffic by the end of 2022.

And they were indeed onto something. Since that publication, we have seen staggering numbers when it comes to video: 

• The average person watches 19 hours of video per week (Wyzowl) 
• 98% of Americans say they use YouTube at least once per month (Statista)
• TikTok has grown to 1 billion monthly active users in less than six years (Statista)

Video is everywhere. It’s the most popular form of content online, and it’s easy to see why: 

• It is engaging and dynamic
• It allows you to tell a story in a way that text cannot
• You can share it easily on social media

But how do you take an already-popular platform like video and make it even better? In this post, we share seven tips for generating great video marketing content. 

First, let’s start with the basics. 

What is video marketing?

You can use video marketing through multiple different channels: 

• Online video platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Twitch) 
• Social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
• Business website (blog posts, landing pages) 

5 reasons why video marketing is important

The world of digital marketing is constantly evolving, and you need to be on top of your game if you want to succeed. 

Here are five reasons to start incorporating video into your marketing strategy today. 

1. Video dominates online web traffic

Think about it. Would you prefer to spend 20 minutes reading a 2,000-word article about growing tomatoes, or would you rather watch an engaging five-minute video? 

The answer will almost always be the video. After all, 65% of the population are visual learners. And for a good reason. Videos are quick, easy ways to consume information about complex topics.

Video is one of the most popular forms of content on the internet. It’s more likely to be shared than text, easier to digest and remember, and a lot more engaging. So video is a fantastic option if you’re trying to get your brand out there and make a name for yourself.

2. Video builds trust

A video is a personal form of content marketing, making it more trustworthy than text.

You don’t want to look like a robot when you’re talking to people—you want them to feel like you’re there with them, looking them in the eye and telling your story. 

The personal touch helps establish credibility and build rapport between your brand and the customer. Your customers will feel they know you better while watching a short video than reading a blog post about your business. The added human element from a video allows them to have an affinity for who you are as a person and understand what they see on screen is truthful.

3. Video helps search engine rankings

You’ve probably heard of search engine optimization (SEO), but did you know that adding video to your website could help improve your SEO efforts and drive more people to your website? 

SEO helps your rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). A higher rank on search engines means more people will see your page when they search for relevant queries, click through to your website, and establish a connection with your brand. 

When you add a video to your content, Google will likely create a thumbnail on the SERP, which turns a standard snippet into a rich one. Rich snippets have higher click-through rates than standard snippets.

So, videos influence SEO in several ways. One way is through the direct impact a video has on your ranking; another is through other factors that Google uses to determine your ranking.

4. Video drives engagement

An easy thing to say but a more challenging thing to prove. And yet, when you look at the data, it becomes clear: videos outperform other kinds of content in terms of engagement.

According to Twitter, Tweets with video see 10x more engagement than those without. 

And that is just one study. Imagine the engagement rates across all different platforms. Again, it comes down to the popularity of watching videos on the internet over reding text and seeing images.

5. Video increases sales

Video is one of the most powerful ways to increase your conversion rate. Video marketing is highly effective at helping you convert a visitor into a customer, especially when explaining complicated products or services.

According to Wyzowl, 81% of marketers have agreed that they were able to increase sales by leveraging video in 2022. 

Video can also help you boost sales by conveying trust and credibility, two critical elements in driving conversions. 

People who see others talking about your product or service are more likely to buy what you’re selling, so consider showcasing testimonials on your website to showcase social proof. 

7 tips to generate great content for video marketing

Video marketing has empowered businesses to reach their target audience with ease. 

Over the years, video marketing has evolved as one of the most effective digital marketing tactics that can help your business convert leads and increase engagement on your website. 

According to a study by Animoto, 88% of marketers who use video in their social media marketing efforts are satisfied with the return on investment they see.

However, creating a perfect video for your brand is not as easy as it sounds. You must put in the effort, focus on quality, and create something your users want to watch.

1. Keep it short, simple, and focused

The first tip is to keep it short, sweet, and to the point. 

In fact, a good rule of thumb is to keep your video under three minutes long. 

That’s the maximum amount of time an average person will watch something before tuning out or bouncing from your video entirely. A single internet video is typically viewed for 2.7 minutes, so you don’t want to lose viewers by filling up your video with fluff or too much information all at once.

Of course, this metric can vary from platform to platform. For example, the optimum video length on YouTube is around ten minutes. 

So instead of making one long video about everything you want to talk about, break down complex topics into several shorter clips so that each piece has its own merits as a stand-alone resource or educational tool for your viewers (and potential customers).

This might seem counterintuitive—after all, aren’t we supposed to make our written content longer, so people will spend more time reading? But when it comes down to video: shorter works best. 

2. Tell a story 

Stories are what people remember. 

They help you connect with your audience, engage them, and make them understand the message you’re trying to send.

You can use stories in any way that works for your business. Maybe it’s a funny anecdote about how you started the company, or perhaps it’s an inspiring story of someone who used your product and improved their lives. 

Remember Lee and Morty Kaufman from the beloved Swiffer commercial? Their story pulled at the heartstrings of America, and they even made an appearance on the Ellen Show. 

So whatever story comes naturally to you is probably the best to use in video marketing.

3. Create different types of marketing videos

Before filming your content, think about the type of video you want to create. Here are some ideas to help you decide.

Explainer videos

An explainer video is a short, to-the-point video explaining your product or service. Use it to introduce a new product or service, highlight an existing offering, or even promote an event. For example, if you want to inform people about what your company does and how it can help them in their businesses, create an explainer video for them.

Product demos

A product demo is a short clip that shows off the benefits of your products or services in action.

When creating product demos, screen-recording tools like Loom are handy for helping you showcase your product in great detail. You can also use them to make instructional videos or do a how-to series for your audience. 

Product demos are ideal for selling specific features of your product. For instance, you might create a product demo for one model at a time. That way, potential buyers know the features of each model and can make an informed decision when purchasing.

You can also create product demos to show step-by-step guides on how to use your product. This type of video format comes in handy for SaaS companies. 

Testimonials 

A testimonial video is a short video, usually less than 2 minutes, that tells the story of someone’s experience with your company. It helps you build trust and credibility for your brand by showing how real people have benefited from what you offer.

Use testimonial videos in a variety of ways:

• Include it on your website’s “About Us” page or on your homepage to help visitors get to know more about who you are and what you do
• Use it as a social media post to show how much people love working with you
• Upload it to YouTube so that people can find it easily when they search for similar content

4. Include a call-to-action  

It’s essential to include a call-to-action in your videos to help move the viewer down the sales funnel. 

A call-to-action statement encourages the viewer to take a specific action. You can encourage viewers to subscribe to your channel, buy your product, or contact you.  

You may have seen these on YouTube before. You’ll see a banner at the bottom of the screen that says something like “Click here for more” or “Subscribe now.” These prompts encourage viewers to take a specific action after watching your video.

Call-to-actions can help you grow your audience by driving them directly to your website, land page, or social media page, where they can learn more about you and your brand. 

But they won’t do any good if you don’t include them in the first place. Make sure to add them when editing your video so that people who watch can easily find out more about what you’re offering.

5. Focus on quality, not quantity

In a sea of content, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and think that you have to produce as much as possible. But that is not necessarily true.

Video quality is essential when creating great content for video marking, and it can give you an edge over the competition.

According to a survey by Databox, video quality is one of the top factors for increasing video engagement. 

Quality can take two forms: content quality (relevance to your audience) and production quality (audio and video quality). 

For content quality, ensure you actively listen to your target audience and produce content that will draw potential prospects in. For example, if you run a fitness blog and post content about the best calisthenics exercises, consider creating a video for your audience so they can be more interested in other exercises that you recommend, such as weight lifting.

Regarding production quality, leverage a video software like Wideo to help you create high-quality, professional videos for marketing, internal communications, and social media. The best part of all? No prior video editing skills are required.

Quality content builds trust between you and your audience. You want them to keep coming back for more good content from you in the future. 

6. Make a good first impression

As mentioned earlier, the average video on the internet is only watched for a mere 2.7 minutes.

Even more shocking is that the average human attention span is 8.25 seconds. That means you don’t have much time to make an impression that keeps a viewer engaged. 

There are a few ways to make a good impression right out of the gate.

YouTube shares that 90% of the best-performing videos have custom thumbnails. So start by creating an eye-catching thumbnail for your video using free vector graphics and enlarged text for emphasis. Ensure the thumbnail aligns with the content in your video. And avoid clickbait where possible.

Next, your video should be compelling. As you are editing your videos, ensure you are communicating your message in a way that resonates with your target audience and is easy to follow. This includes having a consistent message, avoiding unnecessary jump cuts, and using transitions appropriately.

Finally, make sure your video is well-lit. Natural lighting is usually best, but if you are filming indoors or at night, consider using artificial light sources such as ring lights to illuminate the frame and make it look good on camera.

7. Align your videos with the stages of the buyer’s journey

Your audience is always looking for great content to help them with their journey to purchase. 

Although we all need different types of information, buyers move through a series of stages as they move towards the decision to buy a product or service.

The buyer’s journey is a framework that describes this process. By following their journey and understanding how customers interact with your brand, you can plan tailored video marketing content. 

Here are a few examples of the types of videos you should create for each stage: 

• Attract: Explainers and how-to videos
• Convert: Product demos and case study videos
• Close: Testimonial and personalized videos
• Delight: Thank you or onboarding videos
  

Align your content with the buyer’s journey, and you’ll likely reach more prospects than if you just created the first video that comes to mind. 

Planning ahead helps keep your audience engaged throughout their buying cycle—and ultimately leads them toward becoming loyal customers (who will hopefully spend more money with you in the future). 

Wrapping up

And that’s it. If you’re just getting started with video marketing, this might seem like an overwhelming amount of information. 

But don’t worry. If you follow these seven simple tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating a great video that will help you reach your business goals. 

And if you need some inspiration, don’t forget to check out our blog for more tips and tricks about creating the best video marketing content around. 

About the Author

Kelly Moser is the co-founder and editor at Home & Jet, a digital magazine for the modern era. She’s also an expert in freelance writing and content marketing for SaaS, Fintech, and ecommerce startups.