If you’ve spent any amount of time marketing online today, then you know that video marketing has to be a part of your strategy. Whether you’ve already started creating video content or are just getting ready to jump in, your budget is going to be a major factor.
Contrary to what you might think, you don’t have to spend a lot to get great results. With these smart tips and tricks in mind, you can make the most of your video marketing budget, no matter how large or small it may be:
- Come up with a strategy first
The easiest way to blow your marketing budget is by throwing money at video production without having a plan in place. Come up with a strategy first so that you know where to put your dollars to make the most impact.
Determine the types of videos to create and how you’ll go about producing them. Will you come up with a specific campaign to push a product promotion, or will you make videos that are evergreen and can provide continuous value for your brand over the years? A mix of both is best.
Setting your strategy first gives you a guideline to follow so that you aren’t just creating videos for the sake of creating them. Know what you want to create, what you want to say, and how you’ll promote them to get them seen by your target audience.
- Find out what your audience wants
As you strategize, always think about what your audience wants to see. Do the work to find out exactly what that is if you don’t already know. How do you do that? You ask them! Engage with them on social media and ask for their thoughts. Ask them through your newsletter or email marketing.
Figure out how your videos can best serve your audience. Educate and share knowledge with them through explainers and how-tos. Wyzowl found that a whopping 91% of consumers have watched an explainer video, demonstrating their value today. Don’t just be self-promotional and create videos that only encourage buying. Build a connection with your viewers and give them a reason to want to watch and share your video content.
- Feature real people instead of hired actors
One of the best ways to create an emotional connection with your audience is by using real people in your videos, as opposed to actors. There are many different types of content that you can make using real people. Company culture and behind-the-scenes videos can feature your team members. Testimonials and case studies can feature your customers. Interviews can be done with other industry leaders, employees, etc.
Using real people helps give your business a genuine, authentic feel. While there are some video types that can be best achieved with skilled actors, there are so many budget-friendly options that are best made with relatable, everyday people.
- Don’t shy away from self-promotion
A strong promotional strategy ensures that your videos will get seen. You could spend half of your annual marketing budget on a few amazing videos, but if you don’t promote them properly, few people will even know that they exist.
As you create new videos, have a plan in place for how and when you’ll share them. Have them go out in your emails or newsletters, share them on your social media channels, and ask your team to share them, too.
Don’t shy away from self-promotion, but don’t go overboard and bombard your audience with only your content, either. It’s a delicate balance but one that you can achieve with a mix of great content.
- Refresh and repurpose content when you can
An incredibly easy way to maximize the value of your video content is by refreshing and repurposing when you can. Update older videos and re-share existing ones. As your audience grows and your customer base expands, those new people will be seeing your videos for the first time. That’s why an older video with evergreen content can still be valuable for years to come.
If your marketing budget is tight but you need to put out fresh content, take a look through what you already have. See where you can make quick updates or add some new info to make them fresh and relevant for today. Remember that “new” content doesn’t always have to be created from scratch in order to be useful.
- Engage with your audience
No one likes to feel like they’re being talked at, but customers do appreciate feeling like they’re being talked to and engaging in a conversation. DesignRush encourages you engage with them and incorporate their thoughts and ideas in your video content when appropriate.
For example, you might make a video featuring customer testimonials. You might run a series where you answer common customer questions. This lets them know that they’ve been heard and that you’re taking their thoughts, concerns, and ideas into consideration. Engaging builds a connection, and that connection helps to build customer loyalty.
- Stick to quality over quantity
One thing that you definitely do not want to do to stretch your marketing budget is to sacrifice the quality of your content. Having more videos that are low-quality just for the sake of producing and sharing frequently will actually do more harm to your brand than good. Low-quality videos can lower your conversion rate and your audience could come to associate your brand with a cheap image.
A well-made, high-quality production will produce far more value for you than a library full of poorly made, quickly produced videos. Find a video production company that fits well within your budget, shares your vision, and consistently produces high-quality results. The relationship will pay off and help you to make the most of your marketing dollars.
Check out this High-Quality Video New Evolution created for Consumer Fusion:
Takeaway
The size of your marketing budget doesn’t have to determine the quality of your content. You can turn simple video ideas into exciting, relatable content that boosts your brand’s image and builds a connection with your target market. By keeping these smart tips and tricks in mind, you can maximize your money by focusing on creating high-quality, highly valuable content that your audience will enjoy.
If you have a budget in mind for video content and marketing contact us to help you find out how we can maximize it to reach your target market across all platforms.
Schedule a free 15 minute consult today.
richard@newevolutionvideo.com
619.365.5529
