Most of us realize the importance of video content as an integral part of our overall marketing plan, however, implementing a successful video strategy can be tricky. But, if done well, videos can increase brand awareness, boost your search engine optimization and contribute to your website or blog success.

So how do you create a video campaign? To start, outline specific goals you hope to accomplish. Sujan Patel, co-founder of Single Grain, an SEO Agency specializing in digital marketing strategies, lists five major benefits of video promotion campaigns:

1. Videos improve your chances of earning high-ranking video spots within Google’s blended search results.
2. Videos allow you to reach out to busy customers who prefer to consume content in film format, rather than in text-based articles.
3. Videos allow you to showcase product or service features that aren’t adequately captured in text-or image-based content.
4. A YouTube channel will attract a following and earns income through ad revenue.
5. “Viral style” videos will increase your chances of building a massive online following.

It’s important to pinpoint a specific goal for your video marketing strategy — this will inform the style of videos you produce, as well as how and where you promote your videos. Take a look at what Lowe’s is doing using Vine six-second video clips.

Once you have your goal, the next step is to identify your audience. Who are you trying to reach with this video, and what type of video content are they likely consuming already? Funny viral videos may be all the rage, but if you think your primary audience won’t appreciate or understand the joke or reference then maybe a more product focused video is a better match. You want to be sure that your video serves to attract and not alienate any current or potential customers.

Patel advises companies to create “valuable content.” He says, “…you want to produce the types of content that your target audience members naturally want to consume… take the time to identify what types of content your audience members enjoy and then deliver videos that meet their needs and expectations.”

Once you’ve created your video and you’re ready to upload it, you’ll want to create a list of any and all keywords that apply to your product, your video and your brand. This will help your search engine optimization and bring more users to your content.

Finally, and possibly the most important part of video marketing, you want to foster engagement from your audience. Patel suggests, “…including a call to action towards the end of your content that prompts viewers to take some designated action… ask viewers to share your files on their favorite social network in order to boost the reach of your videos.”

A great example of video marketing is Samsung’s YouTube HD Camera Trick Challenge. This video is an excellent way for Samsung to showcase a new product while also creating lots of engagement, comments and re-posts by curious users and various potential customers who want to venture a guess as to how Samsung created the video. Want to know how they did it? Check this video out.

So whether you’re creating a funny office video, showcasing a new product or service, a how-to,  or just introducing your company, video marketing is one of the best ways to quickly and successfully reach out to your audience.

Already done some video marketing? Share your experience and links to your video content in the comments below.

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