How to Create a Killer Video Promotion to Increase Engagement

People love watching videos. That’s why 87% of marketers use video content to engage with their audiences on the Internet.

More than half of marketing experts across the globe say they get the highest ROI from their video promotions.

When it comes to social media, videos generate 1,200% more shares than both text and pictures combined.

Another reason why videos are great is because it’s easier for viewers to comprehend your message while watching videos. In fact, your audience will retain 95% of information they consumed through a video as opposed to just 10% of information they consumed through reading text.

It’s no secret that video content has been dominating the latest trends.

But with so many videos out there flooding the market, you need to make sure your video promotions can stand out from the crowd.

The majority of consumers prefer watching video content on YouTube and television:

These are the platforms you should prioritize when creating a new video promotion.

Don’t get me wrong, just because videos are a great way to market your brand doesn’t mean you should completely abandon your other marketing strategies.

You should still continue blogging, sending emails to your subscribers, and staying active on social media. Another reason why video promotions are so awesome is because you can incorporate them into all these other distribution channels as well.

It’s easy to add videos to your blog, embed them into your emails, and share them on social media.

Here’s something else to keep in mind. Yes, consumers love videos. But that doesn’t mean that everything you publish will automatically be a huge success.

You’ve got to learn how to engage with your audience through promotional videos, which is why I created this guide. Keep these tips in mind if you want to continue running successful video promos.

Identify your audience

Your video promotion won’t appeal to everyone.

That’s okay. You shouldn’t try to reach every person on the planet with your marketing campaigns.

The first step in creating a killer video promo is to identify your target market. For starters, I’m assuming your brand has already done this.

But not everything you offer is necessarily intended for all your customers. You may sell products for men and women of all ages. Don’t try to appeal to these different audiences with the same video.

Instead, segment your target audience based on the goal of your campaign, which we’ll discuss in greater detail shortly.

Here’s an example of how Lululemon used this strategy in this ad:

Lululemon sells yoga clothing, gear, and accessories. This brand primarily sells to women. But recently, they launched a men’s line as well.

This video promotion is aimed specifically at male audiences.

Don’t worry. By doing this, you won’t be abandoning the rest of your customers. You’ll just need to come up with additional promos to target them as well.

Next, you’ll use different distribution strategies appropriate to the market segment you’re targeting.

Stick to a reasonable budget

You don’t need to spend a ton of money on your video promotions. The cost will largely depend on what you’re trying to accomplish.

What do you need in your video?

For example, you may need to rent a facility, hire actors, or work with a celebrity, which may cost you a lot of money, but you may not need any of that.

Keep in mind, to be successful, you’ll need to make lots of promos. You don’t want to dump a ton of money into each one.

For the most part, you can make a great video without breaking the bank. Use your employees and friends as actors and look for locations that are free to shoot.

You also need to keep in mind how much it’s going to cost you to distribute your promotions. If you’re planning to just upload them to your YouTube channel and share them on your website, social media pages, and email lists, there won’t be any cost.

But if you’re filming an ad for television or paid promotions on social media, the costs will vary.

Marketing experts cited the cost and budget as the number one reason preventing them from spending more money on video advertising:

But if you can find ways to keep your costs low, this won’t be an issue for you.

That’s why it’s important to come up with a budget before you get started. Then you won’t have any surprises or money problems once you start filming.

Focus on one goal

What’s the point of your video?

Are you trying to promote an event? Advertise a sale? Build hype for a new product or service? Or maybe you’re trying to get downloads, add subscribers, or drive traffic to a landing page?

Video promotions are great for building brand awareness as well. The possibilities are endless.

Regardless of your reason, it’s important that you create one video promo for one goal. As I said earlier, this goal is also related to your target audience, which you’ve previously identified.

Do not go overboard here.

If you try to accomplish too many goals in one promotion, it’ll confuse your audience, and the engagement will suffer. Later, we’ll talk more about your ending call to action, but it should reinforce the goal of your promo.

Make sure you’ve got the right equipment

You don’t need to hire a professional director and camera person to film your video promotions. It’ll help you keep your budget within your means, as discussed above.

If you’re planning on making lots of promotional videos in the future, which you should be, it’ll be worth it for you to invest in the right equipment now.

Here are some things you’ll need to get:

• quality camera
• microphone
• lighting equipment
• editing software

These are necessary if you want to make sure your promotion looks professional.

Publishing a poor quality video can create the opposite effect of what you’re trying to accomplish:

Research shows that unprofessional videos cause consumers to have a negative association with the brand that published them.

Don’t underestimate the importance of getting the proper equipment.

Write a script

No matter how creative you are, don’t try to wing it when you’re filming a video promo.

Even if you have a general idea of the content of your promo, write out each line ahead of time. Write the lines for all the actors as well as any narration lines.

You should also consider dead air time when nobody is speaking. Include pauses and breaks in your script as well. All of this needs to be accounted for before filming starts.

Having a script will keep things organized. That way, you’ll use your time efficiently whenever you’re filming.

Trying to figure out the best way to word a scene on the filming day is an ineffective allocation of your time. Instead, your efforts should be focused on getting quality shots.

Having a script that’s ready to go will also help eliminate any friction or confrontations with your staff.

Depending on the managerial structure of your brand, there may be several people who have an input and strong opinions about your marketing campaign.

The last thing you want is for people to argue about the direction of your video while you’re trying to film it. Working out the details ahead of time will make sure everyone involved sticks to the script, pun intended.

Time is of the essence

How long is your video promotion? 10 seconds? 30 seconds? a minute?

You need to plan that before you get started. The most important part of your video promotion is capturing the viewers’ attention at the very beginning.

Research shows that as time increases, engagement decreases. Don’t ease into your videos.

Chances are your audience may not get through the entire thing. But a strong introduction in the first ten seconds can keep them hooked and engaged throughout the duration of the promo.

The length of your video will also vary depending on your distribution method.

HubSpot studied the ideal length of a promotional video based on the distribution channel. These were their findings.

Instagram promos should be 30 seconds long. That’s because the average length of videos on this platform with the most comments was 26 seconds long.

Plus, Instagram’s platform encourages users to keep scrolling. Shorter videos make the most sense here.

Twitter videos should be short as well. People are used to reading short updates on this platform since they have a 140-character text limit. Plus, the average length of Twitter’s videos of the day was 43 seconds long.

Video promotions on Facebook that were one minute long had high engagement rates.

YouTube videos can be a bit longer. The optimal length of a YouTube video is roughly two minutes because users tend to spend more time watching videos on this platform.

Make sure your timing is sorted out before you start filming. Otherwise, the promotion could feel dragged out if you don’t get right to the point.

Choose a theme

What’s the mood of your video? This may seem like a strange question, but you need to answer it.

Figure out what kind of emotions you want your audience to feel when they’re watching your promotion. These are the top positive emotions felt by viewers watching viral video content:

Having a clear theme will keep everyone working on this project on the same page.

If you don’t know where to start, here are some theme recommendations to give you some inspiration:

• humorous content
• serious and informative
• sad
• romantic
• dramatic
• inspirational
• confrontational
• corny and quirky
• music video
• entertainment
• sense of luxury

The list goes on and on, but these are reasonable places to start your brainstorming.

Here’s something else you need to consider. Music. Will there be any music playing in your promotion, or will it be only people talking?

The type of music included in your video promo will give your audience a good sense of your theme.

Make sure you stick with just one or two themes at the most. Don’t throw a joke into a promo that has a serious and informative theme because it will confuse your audience.

Pick a style

In addition to your theme, you also need to determine a style of your promo.

Are you using actors to replicate a real life scenario? Or maybe you’re using live footage.

If you’re not using actors, you may want to use an animated style or b-roll video. You could have a screencast with a narrator speaking or use a whiteboard demonstration.

Here’s a quick video promo on the Dollar Shave Club website:

It’s promoting their shave butter. This video has a lot going on, but it’s used effectively.

It uses a combination of actors and animations to create a fantasy scene that’s humorous. The actor puts on the shaving butter and then feels as if he’s swimming in it.

As you can see, you’re allowed to combine styles. You can always use a voiceover to enhance the style and prove a point.

Film multiple versions of your promo

You’ve got all your equipment set up, so you might as well take advantage of it.

If your end goal is a 30-second video promotion, don’t film just 30 seconds and call it a day. Mix things up.

Film longer versions of your promo as well. You can always edit it down later based on your distribution channel.

For example, you can create a two-minute-long video intended for YouTube and then release a 30-second clip of it on Instagram and a minute-long version on Facebook, according to the optimal length of videos for different channels I discussed earlier.

You could also consider filming a long version and release part of it at a time. Create a series out of your promotion so viewers anxiously anticipate the sequel to find out what happens next.

End with a strong call to action

Your CTA will be the extension of your goals I discussed above.

The call to action should be at the end of your video and reinforce whatever you’re trying to accomplish.

If the video is being distributed online, it could end with a website for people to visit or a download link to click on.

Include a phone number if you want your audience to make a call.

Use phrases such as buy now, save today, or sign up for free.

Again, this will all vary based on the goal of your campaign.

Here’s an example of the last clip of a Little Caesars video promotion:

The message is clear. Pay $5 for a pizza.

This entire promo talks about how you can just walk into one of their locations and leave with a hot pizza that’s ready to eat. It differs from most pizza restaurants where you’d have to order your pizza and wait for it.

The CTA at the end of the video reinforces this message.

It should be very obvious to anyone who watches your video what type of action you’re trying to get your viewers to do based on your call to action. Don’t be ambiguous. Get straight to the point.

Conclusion

Consumers love videos. Your brand needs to learn how to master video marketing campaigns.

The first thing you need to do is identify the audience your video will target.

Set a budget, and stick to one goal per promotion. Get yourself proper filming equipment, and write a script to stay organized.

Decide on the length of your promotion. This will vary based on your distribution methods.

Choose a theme and style of your promo based on what type of emotions you want the viewers to feel while they’re watching it.

Film multiple versions of the video promotion. You can always cut it to an appropriate length later.

All great video promos end with a strong call to action.

If you follow these tips, your video promotions will have high engagement rates and ultimately lead to more conversions.

How is your brand using video promotions to engage with your target audience?

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