Using Video as Part of Content Strategy

Why it's important to use video as part of a content strategy 

Video is an incredibly powerful medium. It gives vibrancy to normal words, provides an exclusive look into businesses, humanizes your brand and at its core, tells a really great story. With so many unique features, including increased SEO ranking, it’s no surprise video is being incorporated into many content marketing strategies. But with all new strategies, come new responsibilities. From CTA’s to storyboards to transcripts and animation, coming up with an idea for your video is only the beginning. We’re here to talk you through the basics, from best practices for including video as part of a content strategy, from execution, distribution and more.

First, define the objectives. What are the goals of this video? Who is your target market and why will they care about what you’re sharing? If you’re having trouble narrowing down ideas, we like the strategy of creating a document with common FAQs about your business or brand. Then, aim to answer at least one of those questions in your video. By organizing your thoughts into a single video message, it will be easier to move forward with next steps of crafting the storylines. Grab a storyboard and get to work on headlines, characters, setting up problems, resolutions and of course, a solid and unique call-to-action for your audience.

When it comes to creating a video for your business, the “perfect” formula is basic, at most. Keep it high-quality, short and interactive. Follow a transcript, align the video with your brand, be human and funny, and try experimenting with audience generated content, like employee narratives or customer testimonials. Create a company channel where all past, present and future videos can be stored, making the user engagement process as smooth as possible. Ensure your video is properly optimized for SEO purposes, considering Google crawlers can’t troll your video for search. Include keywords from the video’s core messages in your title, tags and descriptions. Include links and a thoughtful thumbnail. Finally, use a video-editing program to do the final touches before tackling the wonderful world of distribution.

People can engage with videos in a variety of ways, but thanks to the magic of social media, the masses are engaging in video channels like YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram and Vine. As a marketer, it’s crucial to distribute videos across these channels and encourage your users to watch, interact and take action. With a clear CTA in your video, links to other social channels and plenty of search-friendly terms, getting your video out there is easier than it seems. Just be sure to watch the length and quality—a video can run into trouble is when it’s too long, disjointed and not social media or SEO friendly. To truly capitalize on the power of a video, consider hiring a professional videographer to tackle the job.

Videos, whether they’re fifteen seconds long on Instagram or a minute and a half on YouTube, they truly have the power to transform your brand. Along with a strong content program, careful distribution and tactful marketing techniques, videos have the unique ability to reveal things about your business that can’t be done any other way. With proper execution, they will remain a mainstay in any successful content marketing program.

About Yakkety Yak:

Yakkety Yak is a full-service content marketing company that produces custom written content for businesses, including blogs, website copy, case studies, newsletters, social media marketing, public relations and more. We want to be an extension of your marketing team to help you connect to end users and decision influencers, based on the principle of one common voice, for one target audience. Yakkety Yak helps you find the words you were looking for —so let’s YAK.