Marketing

5 Social Media Video Marketing Strategies to Help Grow Your Business

Social media video marketing strategies are gaining momentum in 2021. This is partly due to the pandemic, and partly due to the increasing demand for video content across all media platforms. Consumers prefer and expect video content from brands they support and brands that offer video content maintain larger audiences than those that don’t offer video content.

What does all of this mean for small businesses and nonprofits looking for video marketing strategies to grow business?

In this post, we are breaking down how to match social media videos with your sales funnel and explaining why this is so powerful (and important). We are also offering you a few easy ideas to help you get started, and recommendations to help you jump ahead of the competition. Ready? Let’s go!

Here We Are Now, Entertain Us

In large part, there is a significant mental shift happening in the marketplace relative to how brands make meaningful connections with their customers. From promoting user-generated content to long-form behind-the-scenes brand awareness videos, the business world is prioritizing the entertainment value of content to grow online audiences.

Why? Because people want to be entertained.

Not convinced yet? The rise and dominance of TikTok is all the proof you need. When you combine the video watch time on social media video apps like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, we are talking—literally—billions of hours of video consumption worldwide.

The bottom line here is this: your audience is likely on at least two, if not all, of these social media platforms, scrolling for entertaining video content. If you’re not intentionally investing marketing dollars in this medium, you’re missing an opportunity to reach an audience that’s ready and waiting to hear from you.

The Best Way to Find Social Media Video Content Ideas

If you’re ready to create social media videos for your business accounts that actually get traction, start with your sales funnel. The first thing you need to do is match questions your customers are asking to each stage of the buyer’s journey. Then create content that addresses those questions.

Generally speaking, questions people are asking at the top of your funnel tend to be broad and very high-level. At this stage, your video content should focus on attracting new viewers and drawing them into your brand story. This is a great time to focus on entertaining your audience with fun content that keeps them engaged.

In the middle of the funnel, customers are starting to narrow down their choices and researching options before buying. They are looking for content that compares and contrasts top-rated products or services. Video content that shows the contents of specific products and how they can be used in daily life are especially useful at this stage of the buyer’s journey.

At the bottom of the funnel, leads are about to become customers and may be searching for coupon codes or free trials before they buy. Leads at the bottom of the funnel could also be searching for reviews of your products or services. That is why it’s imperative to ensure that your digital footprint is clean, clear, and consistent and that you always respond to online reviews.

5 Types of Social Media Marketing Videos that Get Traction for Business

With these stages in mind, here are some kinds of videos you could create for social media that match up with the sales funnel:

1. Brand Videos

Make the effort to invest in high-quality videos that tell your brand story. These videos can be repurposed in a variety of ways. But when it comes to attracting leads at the top of the funnel, brand videos are a great way to make a first impression on new audiences. Professionally- produced videos with an emphasis on storytelling and compelling visuals draw people in and keep them watching longer.

Check out Liquid Art Stories from Roy Pitz Brewing or the brand story behind the Centerville, MD small business Ink or Dye for great examples of brand videos.

2. How-to Videos

Viewers largely go to social media sites like YouTube to learn something. Maybe they’re looking for a clever IKEA hack for their home office furniture, how to master a difficult guitar chord, or organic ways to keep pests out of the garden. If you sell products or services related to these topics, you can create educational, informational, or purely entertaining videos that feature your products or services.

Beyond YouTube, there are limitless opportunities to create quick how-to videos on TikTok or Instagram reels. There’s a good bit of crossover between these platforms so do your research to discover which of these platforms your target audience uses the most. And before you click publish, make sure that your video has a clear call to action that keeps leads moving to the next stage of the sales funnel.

3. Review and Comparison Videos

YouTube is also very popular for review and comparison videos. Various YouTube channels and influencers will test products and report on their experiences. If you’ve been considering influencer marketing strategies, this may be a good place to test the waters.

If you decide to create review or comparison videos, make sure to actually show the product in the video. There’s nothing more annoying than a talking head video that never shows the product they’re reviewing.

Videos like that aren’t that helpful because potential buyers want to see the product in action. So if you do venture into these waters, plan to demonstrate what you’re reviewing or comparing and avoid the talking head approach at all costs.

4. Testimonial Videos

Much like brand videos, testimonial videos present a unique opportunity to let potential customers have a look inside the inner workings of your product or service. When considering testimonials, be sure to include interviews with customers and with employees.

Sometimes hearing first-hand accounts from people who work for your company carries more weight for potential buyers than customer testimonials. This is especially true now because consumers care more about how businesses are being socially responsible.

Potential customers want to know what matters most to you as a corporation. Hearing from employees about matters like these will underscore your brand’s authenticity and build trust between you and your customer.

5. Animated Videos and Motion Graphics

Animated videos are often forgotten in the process of planning for social media video marketing, but these videos really pack a powerful punch. Especially if you don’t have much footage of a product or you’re promoting a service that can’t easily be captured on video.

Animated videos and motion graphics are great for representing stats and facts on social media. If you have complex details to convey, representing that information in visual form can make a huge difference in how people remember and engage with your content

How to Get Started With Social Media Marketing Videos

If you’re just getting started, you’ll need to invest in a few basic user-friendly tools to help you create high-quality videos for your social media posts. These days, smartphone technology makes it easy for anyone to create and post videos on social media. But it does help to use tools like a ring light and tripod to increase the quality of your videos.

Depending on the platform you use, there are several social media video maker tools online ranging from apps to web-based services. Or you can hire a professional video team to assist with your production.

If you’re looking for a social media strategist to help you navigate these details, we would love to help you out. Cross & Crown offers a variety of social media management packages as well as video production services, offering you a full-service digital marketing experience.

Schedule a call with us today and we can match you with a social media content manager to help you create videos for Instagram stories, Facebook, YouTube, or whichever social media platform you choose.