The Role of Video Marketing in a Digital Marketing Strategy

Another great article from Mary Aspen Richardson

Video marketing is one of the most powerful tools at a marketer’s disposal. It is versatile and applicable in many ways. Today we want to talk about the role of video marketing in a digital marketing strategy and why it is such a crucial type of content. Learn how to benefit from including videos in your marketing campaigns and completely change your advertising approach.

Video marketing is highly engaging

What would you choose if you had to choose between watching a video or reading a text describing that same video? We all know a saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. If that is true, then a video is worth a thousand pictures.

Videos are incredibly engaging, and they will dominate 2023 for multiple reasons:

  • They create a perfect synergy of image and sound
  • The music adds to the emotional aspect
  • People can listen to videos while working on other stuff
  • They are very entertaining
  • Videos can also be very descriptive and educational

With all of that in mind, it is much better to advertise products and services through videos. Customers can connect better with the product and see it before the purchase. That is crucial for digital marketing, especially when people buy products online without seeing them in person.

Video marketing builds trust

From where we left off, customers will have more confidence in their decisions once they see products or services in a video ad. That builds trust in the company and the product.

As a business, if you can provide relevant information about the product and also demonstrate how it works, you save your clients a lot of time. They don’t have to do further research or determine how the product works.

Furthermore, using videos to create product reviews or customer testimonials adds a whole new level of trust to your company. Future customers can now not only see how the product works but also get to see how other people use it and what they think of it. That is an excellent strategy that helps you to advertise through word-of-mouth advertising.

It is easier to tell your brand’s story with a video

Because of their storytelling narrative, videos are perfect for presenting your brand’s mission, values, and culture. Whether we talk about promotional content for customers, or internal materials for employee use and education, videos will deliver 100% of the time.

As a marketer, engaging with the audience and ensuring your content keeps them interested is your job. When it comes to videos, half of your job is already done.

You can implement videos in any type of marketing

Whether you want to advertise through emails, social media, PR, or any other type of digital marketing, you can use videos as your main content. The role of video marketing revolves around its flexibility. Videos are easy to work with and will substantially improve any marketing strategy you can think of.

People are more likely to share videos

You will benefit from videos if you create a winning social media marketing strategy and rely on your followers to share relevant content. People are likelier to share them with friends because they are entertaining, educative, and engaging.

Furthermore, if done correctly, videos can go viral and increase traffic. Viral marketing is a monster to tackle, and if you plan to use this strategy, there is no better content type than videos.

If we look at how videos developed over the years and how popular they are today, it is clear why people love them. No other type of content can generate millions of views that quickly.

Videos improve SEO

Besides attracting customers’ attention, videos will also benefit your search engine optimization strategy. Google loves videos because they require a lot of effort and energy. Also, they drive more traffic through views, which will indirectly rank your business website higher. Furthermore, if you plan on generating leads with video marketing, that is the best way to get more potential clients as well.

Also, videos are very convenient for mobile devices. People use mobile phones all day, and once you optimize your website for mobile, you will create an efficient synergy that will bring you a lot of SEO juice.

Differentiate yourself from the competition by using video marketing

It is a fact that many businesses today use video marketing. If you miss this opportunity, you will fail behind. However, you engage with your audience through the power of videos. In that case, you can differentiate your business from the rest of the market and stand out among the competitor companies while maintaining a positive digital marketing ROI.

All you need to do is to figure out a unique way to record your videos. It is all about the presentation and the message you want to send. You have to think from a couple of different angles. Some of the most useful types of videos to utilize are:

  • Explainer videos
  • Product demos
  • Customer testimonials
  • Brand videos
  • How-to videos
  • Behind-the-scenes videos
  • Live videos
  • Animated videos
  • Webinars
  • Personalized videos

Each type requires a different filming technique and speaks to a different audience. That is also a crucial detail. No matter what your product is, people might want different things out of it.

For example, if you are selling subscription-based software, one customer would like to learn more about the software. Another person could want to learn how to troubleshoot a specific issue or use a feature. Or, they could also want to learn how this software will improve their business.

That is why it is crucial to have a variety of videos. That way, you can talk to different groups of customers.

That is the role of video marketing

We hope you now have a better understanding of the role of video marketing. There are many different digital marketing strategies, but as long as you understand how to use videos, you can implement them in any approach.

META DESCRIPTION: Understand the role of video marketing and improve your digital marketing strategy. Here is how to boost your business with videos!

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10 Social Media Myths That Are Hurting Your Business

With social media playing a significant role in our interactive process for well over a decade now, many things have changed, many trends have come and gone, and best practices are constantly evolving.

WHAT IS GENERATIVE AI?

Generative AI is the latest big tech trend, with the latest variations of text and image generators now able to create original content that’s comparable to human outputs, opening up a range of new possibilities.

12 Steps to Master Social Media

Are you about to embark on a social media campaign for your business? Want to learn the basics of a successful social media marketing strategy?

The team from 10 Digital shared their social media tips in this infographic.

Here are a few things on their list:

  • Research and know your audience
  • Pick your social platforms
  • Pick your KPIs
  • Write your social media playbook

Check out the infographic for more detail.

Turn your social media marketing into a profit center

Why is it so hard to link social media marketing to revenue?

It’s challenging in part because many firms don’t have a unified social strategy focused on results.

An infographic (below) from MDG looks at the core disciplines that must be considered when developing a comprehensive, revenue-focused social media plan.

It provides an eight-point checklist that can help you shift your social marketing from a cost center to a profit center.

Check out the infographic:

19 Lead Generation Tactics for Marketing Agencies

Looking for new lead gen tactics to add to your digital marketing strategy?

This will help – the team from SEMRush has put together a listing of 19 lead generation tactics to get you thinking about how you can broaden your outreach horizons, and boost brand awareness and response.

Definitely worth considering, check out the full listing below.

7 Visual Trends Set to Dominate in 2023

Looking to update your visual content approach in 2023?

This might help – the team from Depositphotos have put together a new overview of the key visual trends that they think will gain big traction throughout the year, which could give you some guidance on where you should be looking, in order to being a fresh perspective to your images.

There are some good tips here, which align with broader industry trends, based on Depositphotos usage and expert insight.

Design Trends for 2023

Looking for ways to make your visuals stand out in 2023?

This could help – the team from Venngage have put together a new overview of key visual trends in infographics, and how you could look to present your data in the new year.

The trend notes incorporate several key design updates that you’ve likely noticed of late, including Spotify’s festival flyer format for its year-in-review listings.

There could be some valuable notes for your brand – check out Venngage’s full overview below.

How to Boost Your Digital Marketing ROI

tacks of coins sprouting leaves at their tops.

Another brilliant post from contributor Mary Aspen Richardson

A good Return On Investment (ROI) is what we all hope for, in marketing or otherwise, but it doesn’t come easy. Whether you’re a new or seasoned marketer, challenges abound. As digital marketing becomes more competitive, expansive, and experimental, there are no entirely safe investments with guaranteed positive outcomes. Still, there are many ways to boost your digital marketing ROI – as we’ll see today.

What’s an excellent digital marketing ROI?

First, if you’re looking to boost your ROI, you likely already know the basics. The term refers to your final returns and is more easily calculated by dividing returns by the investment cost. You can use this number as-is, multiply it by 100 to get a percentage value, or divide returns by costs to obtain an x:y ratio. So, for example, a return of 100 on a cost of 25 would be a 4:1 ratio.

What you may not know is what constitutes a good ROI, however. Marketing ROI statistics find that a 5:1 ratio is decent, and anything beyond that is good. That also refers to total ROI, the sum of all your channels’ ROI values.

Indeed, different channels have notably different typical ROIs. For some examples:

  • Email marketing boasts a staggering ROI of 36:1
  • Pay Per Click (PPC) has a modest ROI of 2:1
  • Paid social media have a riskier ROI of 19:20

That does not mean some channels are best ignored, however. Where a standalone channel’s ROI may be unimpressive, omnichannel marketing requires that you combine channels. In doing so, one can enhance the other and produce a much more effective customer journey.

A black calculator next to a sheet on investment costs and returns.

How to Boost Your Digital Marketing ROI

If this sounds complex, it doesn’t need to be. In some order, consider the following steps to consolidate your channels, optimize your campaigns, and ultimately see better ROI across the board.

#1 Leverage marketing automation

First, omnichannel marketing can indeed be quite hectic. To keep your efforts seamless, you can begin by employing marketing automation. Whether your size or market position, satisfying your current customers and growing your customer base with marketing automation are feasible goals.

For one, marketing automation is a great way to secure clients; such tools as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions can allow you to drill down into customer analytics. In contrast, marketing automation solutions can free up your time for more creatively demanding tasks. Depending on your automation solutions, you may also be able to collect customer feedback more consistently, automate outreach, and more. Finally, if applicable to your business, automation can expand your operations beyond working hours, increasing your final revenue.

#2 Hybridize and expand your channels

As you do, remember not to fall into the reverse trap of avoiding new channels because expanding sounds daunting. While your business may benefit more from focusing on just a few channels that best resonate with your audiences, diversification is generally an asset worth the effort.

Toward this end, you may dig into historical data, audience and customer insights, and other relevant data points to create a hybrid strategy. For such strategies, you may combine the following:

  • Organic and paid channels
  • Digital and physical channels
  • Inbound and outbound marketing tactics

Depending on your analytics and audiences, this may be just what you need to boost your digital marketing ROI by offering a holistic, satisfying customer journey. Consider what channels may best augment the journey and proceed accordingly.

A visualization of a customer journey on a sheet of paper on a table.

#3 Keep your metrics in mind

As you do, however, you must keep an eye on relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). That is a highly subjective matter that strongly depends on your business needs and goals. Pinpointing valuable KPIs and avoiding vanity ones is an excellent starting point.

Covering the basics, KPI.org defines good KPIs as ones that:

  • Provide objective evidence of progress toward achieving the desired result
  • Measure what is intended to be measured to help inform better decision making
  • Offer a comparison that gauges the degree of performance change over time
  • Can track efficiency, effectiveness, quality, timeliness, governance, compliance, behaviors, economics, project performance, personnel performance, or resource utilization
  • Are balanced between leading and lagging indicators

Marketing-wise, this would mean pinpointing campaign-relevant and goal-relevant KPIs. Total impressions only say so much about a conversion-minded campaign, for instance, while they’d be a key KPI for brand awareness campaigns.

#4 Identify areas for improvement

As you dig into your analytics and re-align your campaigns with your goals, you will soon have the opportunity to examine your overall marketing strategies. With a customer journey map, you may explore different touchpoints and strategies to identify shortcomings.

Granted, doing so may take effort and requires you to correctly decipher your KPIs. Still, it’s one of the best ways to boost your digital marketing ROI as you optimize the entirety of the journey.

A pen on a notebook next to a white tablet on a table.

Potential areas for improvement depend on your existing strategies but may include:

  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies; on-page, off-page, and technical optimizations
  • PPC campaigns; copy, Calls to Action (CTAs), targeting, duration, and more
  • Email marketing; audience segmentation and targeting, behavioral email triggers, outreach timing, and so on

While exact optimization routes are highly subjective, the previous steps should help approach this one strategically. Go beyond how an individual channel or strategy looks or performs and focus more on how it improves or inhibits the overall customer journey.

#5 A/B test diligently and keep monitoring your efforts

Finally, as outlined manifold, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to marketing. What works for one business or one customer segment may not work for the next, and what works today may not work tomorrow. As such, you A/B must test your optimizations and keep a consistent close eye on your campaigns.

The need for the latter should be self-evident; not monitoring your campaigns to address sudden performance changes can spell disaster. The former may not need much elaboration, as A/B testing is the safer route. Indeed, statistics find that A/B testing is relatively prominent and embraced:

  • Some 77% of companies are running A/B testing on their website. About 60% of companies perform A/B tests on their landing pages, and approximately 59% perform email A/B tests.
  • Only 7% of companies believe it’s challenging to perform A/B tests.
  • One out of eight A/B tests drives significant change.

Therefore, following these established practices should offer an excellent safeguard against performance fluctuations and commitment to hasty, ineffective changes.

A focus photograph of a graph on a laptop screen.

Work smarter, not harder, to boost your digital marketing ROI

In summary, to boost your digital marketing ROI, you require a strategic approach. They must begin with a firm grasp of your historical performance data and audience insights to best inform change. They require careful consideration of existing channels and strategies, embracing diversification and expansions with some relevant marketing automation. Finally, they need an attentive eye on relevant KPIs and the performance of ongoing campaigns while ideally having thorough A/B testing to inform data-driven decisions.

While brief, we hope this article helped you get started. ROI improvements are not easy and come with no guarantees, but they’re very much worth the effort.

Meta: If you’re looking for ways to boost your digital marketing ROI but don’t know where to get started, we’re here to help.

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