How to Build a Strong Video Marketing Strategy in 2019

As 2019 progresses, we keep gathering more evidence on the importance of video in marketing. Not only do we now know they are incredibly popular, but they also are also reliable.

With their popularity growing, it’s not surprising that an increasing number of businesses are looking into the topic of video content. Yet, video’s implementation can seem a bit daunting, especially without a previous frame of reference.

To help with that, we’ll take a look at some key video marketing statistics via a recent study from Yum Yum Videos.

The survey of more than 160 businesses from across the U.S. provides a clear picture of the video marketing landscape for the year and actionable information that your business can use to start making smart and effective choices when implementing video into your next marketing push.

5 Steps to Creating a Video Marketing Campaign

1. Embrace the age of video
2. Create a budget
3. Realize that not every video is the same
4. Make social media your go-to distribution channel
5. Pay special attention to YouTube

1. Embrace the Age of Video

About two-thirds (66%) of the survey’s respondents believe video is the type of content that will have the most impact on their audiences this year.

Why will video have more impact than e-books, infographics, blog posts, and podcasts combined? Probably because businesses already see the benefits of videos. In fact, that belief is so strong that two-thirds of the people we surveyed plan to make more than three videos this year.

Companies are eager for the advantages that only videos can provide, from improved brand awareness and more social media engagement to boosts in conversions and increased website traffic.

High-quality video content can do wonders for your company.

Your Takeaway: It is the perfect time to invest in video marketing. The technology surrounding it has reached a point where it allows flexibility in the budget department, and the possibilities are broad. From doing live video over social networks to hiring a good video production company to create a flawless piece of content, video is leading the pack, and you'd do well to jump on the bandwagon.

2. Create a Budget – It’s Never Been More Affordable

One of the biggest hang-ups most businesses face when thinking about venturing into video marketing surrounds budgets for video content creation. In reality, assuming that any type of video will be expensive is a notion of the past.

Live-action videos can be decently put together with a good smartphone and some creativity, while amazing animations can be made with reasonable budgets. Moreover, avoid making the mistake of thinking of videos as expenditures.

Like any other piece of marketing, video content is an investment with a lot of potential for returns, which is how 87% of the surveyed business owners felt about videos. And that's because businesses are highly satisfied with the ROI they've seen in the video campaigns they have run previously.

In other words, businesses don't have trouble putting money into creating videos because they know they'll get it back – and then some.

Your Takeaway: Shed away previous notions about the issue with pricing and video, and do some research. It’s not hard to find animation companies or inbound marketing strategists able to work within your budget and produce results.

3. Know That Not Every Video Is the Same

While affordable and effective, getting into video marketing in 2019 isn’t necessarily as simple as it was some years ago. With so many avenues and approaches, it can be easy to feel lost or without a place to start.

So, if in doubt, why not follow the path others have already carved? Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, it’s best to apply the knowledge others already paid to discover the videos that work best.

Where should you start? According to Yum Yum’s research, there’s one that stands out: explainer videos — 89% of surveyed business owners saw an increase in their conversions after they started using them.

Explainer videos are animated videos that let businesses explain complex ideas easily and quickly.

Businesses see an increase in conversions after using explainer videos because they help their audience understand a concept in a memorable way.

Unsurprisingly, alongside video ads and tutorials, explainers were also in the top three preferred types of video for social media, according to Yum Yum’s research.

Your Takeaway: If you are just starting video marketing (or you want to refresh your whole strategy) explainer videos provide a solid starting point. Video ads and tutorials are also a great way to expand your video presence, especially when using social media as a distribution channel.

4. Make Social Media Your Go-to Channel for Distribution

A piece of video can only be useful if people see it. Once you have that great video, you need to share it to the world! And in today's landscape, few mediums deliver better performance than social networks.

In fact, 59% of the survey’s respondents believe social media is the best way to reach your potential clients. Since most people have at least one social profile, it’s hard to argue otherwise.

Using social channels to spread your video content might seem like a no-brainer, as it allows you to deliver your message to people already listening to you. However, that’s not the only perk.

Uploading your marketing video to social networks does wonders for your engagement, too.

There's a report that says 53% of consumers engage with a brand after watching one of its videos on social media. And since you're creating a video to have people act on its message, sharing it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and others is a pretty safe bet.

Your Takeaway: Don’t sleep on social media when it comes to marketing videos! People love sharing video content in social networks, and your brand should be capitalizing on that fact. Also, do not settle for a single platform.

5. Pay Special Attention to YouTube

Talking about video marketing in 2019 without bringing up YouTube would be wrong. The Google video platform is a unique behemoth in the digital world, and overlooking it can be a costly mistake.

When asked about the most effective social media platform to distribute video, 57% of respondents chose YouTube.

YouTube is more effective for video distribution than both Facebook (26%) and Instagram (15%).

What exactly makes YouTube effective? While other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram seem better at generating interaction or providing ROI, YouTube is king for conversion rates.

Yes, getting the most out of YouTube requires a lot of work and setup, but the potential for results are more than worth it.

Your Takeaway: Take your time to learn all you can about publishing content on YouTube and managing your company’s channel. Create one, adjust all of its options, upload content frequently, organize playlists, and tweak every little detail you can find. Because YouTube gets around 400 hours’ worth of new videos each minute, you have a lot of competition, but once you get the ball rolling, the results will speak for themselves.

Create a Video Campaign That Works

Start capitalizing on the tremendous potential video marketing can provide to your company. After going through this piece, you should have a much more solid understanding of where you can start to go about it.

You can also take some time and study the full breakdown of Yum Yum’s survey and get a more in-depth look at the current state of video marketing. These insights can help inform your strategy and significantly improve your chances of success.