Content marketing is essential to remain competitive in today’s online world and help you meet your business goals.

It involves the creation and distribution of valuable, relevant, and helpful information to your target audience.

Strategic marketing includes content creation in many forms such as:

• Marketing blogs
• Social media
• Infographics
• Videos
• SlideShare presentations

Delivering different forms of content as part of your brand strategy enhances your online marketing techniques to appeal to more of your target market. It can also increase consumer engagement.

Using different mediums to deliver your message as part of your content marketing strategy will help you reach a broader audience.

Content Marketing Statistics 2019

Multiple studies show that up to 82% of all Internet traffic by 2021 will be video.

Having videos created from your content is increasingly more critical to your success.

There’s an easy way to make that happen. Just send me a link to your existing content and I can create a video, SlideShare, custom image, or infographic for you.

Then, together we can optimize it. This takes very little investment of your time.

See the video below for an example.

I am a huge believer in re-purposing content. Why? Because everyone learns differently.

Some are visual learners. Others prefer to read. Many enjoy watching videos.

Because there are so many different formats you can use to deliver your content, why not use many for the same content?

Below is the same information as the video above, but in the form of an infographic.

To learn more about how to re-purpose your content as part of your marketing program, read: Turn Your Blog Post into a Video and SlideShare Presentation. 

Look at the SlideShare Presentation Below for the Same Content.

So Why Video?

Creating an effective online marketing strategy must include video digital content.

Studies and statistics show us that video marketing is on the rise. For example:

• By the end of 2019, Cisco estimates show 80% of all internet traffic worldwide will be video. (via IAB)
• Projections reveal that video is likely going to comprise 82% of internet traffic by 2021. (Cisco)
• 54% of consumers prefer video content from the brands they support. (HubSpot)
• A study by Animoto showed that 80% of those who run video ads on social media are satisfied by the ROI. (Animoto)
• The average amount of time a user spends on a site with video is 88% as opposed to those that don’t.  (Forbes)
• 72% of businesses say their conversion rates are improved by using video. (Impactbnd)

You can’t ignore the fact that YouTube is the second largest search engine, owned by the first largest, Google.

What Kinds of Videos Can You Create?

One of the perceived hurdles to video production many marketers is cost.

They assume that using video in their marketing must cost a lot of money.

The other is lack of creativity. To some, it is easier to come up with blog posts ideas than to think outside of the box and come up with ideas on how to use video as one of your digital marketing tools.

However, it doesn’t have to be that difficult. Below are a few examples of the types of videos you can use to include in your content marketing strategy.

• Culture videos: Show your brand personality with behind the scenes videos about your company, such as office birthday celebrations, holiday parties, and other events.
• Event videos: Showcase your company’s events, such as corporate events, webinars, and trade shows.
• Animated videos: There are many different types of animated videos you can create yourself, or hire someone to create them for you. You can inform and entertain your target market at the same time.
• Interviews: Video testimonials from happy customers provide a lot of value to your business. If you are at a company event with customers, this is a great place to ask them if they would mind answering a few questions about your products or services. And of course, you have to ask their permission to use the video on your website and in your marketing.
• Vlog: A vlog is essentially a video blog. They are easy to produce, don’t cost a lot of money, and add personalization to your message.
• Product marketing: Show how your product works in a video.
• Profile videos: Builds your brand awareness. Give an overall summary of what your offer to attract your target audience.
• How To or Educational Videos: Share your expertise with your target audience by teaching them something. Videos or any content marketing should not only be about making a sale. That will turn off your audience.
• Live videos: If you have a large budget, you can hire a professional or use high-end recording equipment. However, in today’s times, most mobile phones will create high-quality videos. All you have to do is click “record”.
• Take the content of a blog post and re-purpose it into a video.

Emphasis on User Experience

Videos help your site rank higher in the search engines. Google is giving more credence to the user experience when determining the value of your content.

Because videos are visual representations of your marketing message, they have become a leading form of content marketing.

If you are trying to boost your SEO, you need to include video in your content marketing strategy.

Video SEO

If you don’t upload your video to YouTube, you are missing out on a lot of potential traffic to your marketing video.

People use YouTube to look for answers to their questions, solutions to their problems, or more information about something of interest.

Below are a few tips on how to make your videos easier to find on YouTube.

• Use catchy titles that include your keyword.
• Don’t forget to include a link to your website or landing page.
• Add a summary of what your video is about in the description section.
• Make your video thumbnails attractive, engaging, and eye-catching as it is the first thing people see about your video.
• Tag your video with relevant and different variations of your keyword.
• Include a call-to-action in your videos to encourage action by the viewer.
• Be sure to tell viewers how to get in touch with you.
• Take advantage of video transcriptions to help the search engines crawl your content. Or include text in the video itself such as in the video below.

Where to Distribute Your Videos

Besides uploading your videos to YouTube, you should include also upload them to various distribution channels. The more places your videos live online, the more exposure you will get to your marketing message. Add your video to places such as:

• Your website
• Vimeo
• Social media platforms: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest allow you to upload native videos to their sites. LinkedIn and Facebook, in particular, will give more exposure to native videos than those shared from YouTube.
• Google My Business
• Landing Pages
• Emails
• Blog posts
• Instagram Stories, Instagram Live, IGTV

Share your videos in as many places online as you can for maximum effectiveness.

How to Get Started Using Video in Your Content Marketing Strategy

Before you start creating videos, you need to know and understand your target audience. You should have a goal for each video.

• Are you looking to sell a product?
• Is your purpose to increase your brand awareness?
• Are you announcing a new product or service?

What do you want your audience to do after watching your video?

• Sign up for your newsletter?
• Download an eBook?
• Attend a webinar?

What is your budget? What type of video do you want to produce? Create a script or outline of your video, so you have a roadmap to follow.

More Suggestions

Try to keep your videos as short as possible. If the subject matter requires a longer video, try using an introduction with a link to the longer video.

Make your videos entertaining, compelling, and engaging to attract viewers. I like to use humor to attract viewers. Everyone likes to laugh, and it’s a good hook.

If you are feeling a little overwhelmed, you don’t have to. Start slow and create video content gradually to build your portfolio. Don’t forget to share your videos consistently.

Look for reasons such as promotions, events, or product launches. These are perfect opportunities to create and distribute your video content.