Hate it or love it. Video content is here to stay. This is what I said regarding video marketing in 2021 when I wrote a blog about the importance of video content and how to rock it. Almost two years later, this still holds true. If anything, the importance of video marketing has just increased. A video marketing trend report from HubSpot¹ suggests that ‘far from reaching saturation point, video marketing is actually continuing to grow in popularity – and achieving better results for marketers than ever.’

Here are some more statistics that serve to emphasize how important video marketing is in today’s scenario.  

• 84% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video. Wyzow!
• According to Google, YouTube reaches more 18 to 49 year olds in an average week than all cable TV networks combined.
• 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool in 2023. Wyzowl

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

Keeping that in mind, we have curated a list of 15 video marketing tips from experts to help you understand:

• how to use video marketing to reach more people
• the best practices to follow when making a video
• how to prepare to make an impactful video
• self care and video marketing
• how to use videos for maximum impact
• and so much more

Ready to take notes? 

Here goes: 

Video marketing tip #1: It’s okay to be uncertain… 

The value you’re providing is so much more important, than the level of editing tricks and fancy pants graphics. It really comes down to how much you are able to help your audience. Don’t worry so much about what you look like or sound like. Instead, worry about how much you can help the people who are going to watch this video. – As said by Sunny Lenarduzzi, founder of YouTube for bosses, video branding expert and keynote speaker, on TechSmith

This is actually 3 tips all rolled in one! As Sunny says, it’s normal to feel uncertain about how you come across the first time you’re on video. It’s also normal to worry about people’s reactions to your videos. But don’t let that stop you from creating video content and being helpful to your audience! Fancy editing doesn’t matter. What matters is how useful your content is to your audience. If it provides value, people will watch it. Even if it’s a plain video selfie of you talking into your phone. 

This brings us to tip #2. Know your audience!

Hands-down, the most important thing right off the bat when it comes to creating videos for marketing purposes or for your business, in general, is to know WHO you’re talking to.- Mariah Liszewski, website strategist and consultant at mariahmagazine.com

My top tip is to do plenty of research to figure out the type of videos your audience wants to watch. Figure out if they prefer tutorials, interviews, case studies, screencasts, or another type of video.- Mitt Ray, the founder of Social Marketing Writing.

How will you know your video content is important to your audience unless you actually know WHO you are addressing? The more you know about your target audience, their likes, dislikes, pain points, problems, aspirations, etc.) the better you will be at creating video content that speaks to them. You’ll also know just the right place to publish that content (where do they hang out?)  and what kind of video content to produce (do they like short videos better over long videos?, What kinds of videos do they consume?). So get to know your audience before you plan for a video.

Tip #3: Plan your video in advance

You’re going to be able to communicate better when you plan what you’re doing, and you know what you’re talking about.- Amy Landino, co-founder of video marketing agency Aftermarq, best-selling author of Vlog Like a Boss, Keynote speaker, and creator behind YouTube channel AmyTV.

Depending on your comfort level and needs, you can script the entire video, or at least have the key points prepared so you don’t lose your audience by:

• Straying too far off-topic.
• Forgetting something important.
• Having large gaps in your video trying to recall what to say.

Tip #4: Tell a great story

Tell a great story. Stories transport viewers emotionally, prompting them to share. They are memorable, compelling, and inspirational.-  Courtney Purchon, the head of marketing for SproutVideo

What’s guaranteed to put your audience to sleep fast? A talking head or a voice-over that just shares information and reports facts. Make sure your videos tell a story and showcase personality. Think about the goal for the video and take your audience on a journey that ends with taking them there. No amount of fancy editing or pizzaz can make up for good storytelling.

Tip #5: Understand what works in video marketing 

Here’s what Alex Cattoni has to say about her video marketing strategy. Since she has explained it so well, I’m just going to let her LinkedIn post do the talking in this one. 

PS: She also talks a lot about repurposing content. Case in point…she has reshared this post as a Twitter thread, a youtube video, and a blog article. Which leads me to…

Video marketing tip #6: Repurpose your videos for different platforms. But don’t fail to optimize them.

For the sake of saving resources, I see a lot of businesses producing one video and pushing it out on absolutely every possible platform. My favorite video marketing tip is to step away from this non-strategy, and instead optimize video content for different platforms. – Tabitha Jean Naylor, owner of TabithaNaylor.com

It’ll be a waste if you don’t reuse the video you made and publish it to different platforms where your audience hangs out. But before you do that, don’t forget to tweak and optimize depending on the platform you’re publishing it to. For example, if you create a youtube video, don’t publish the full video on Instagram. Your Instagram audience is different. Instead, break it down into shorter videos with great hooks and publish those as separate Instagram reels. 

Tip #7: Add video captions to your videos 

Being able to quickly and easily add video captions to your videos is super important, from Instagram Stories to YouTube videos (and everything in between).- Donna Moritz

visual content strategist and founder of Socially Sorted, listed by Forbes as a “Top 5 Social Media Blog You Need to Know About in 2019”.

This one might sound simple, but it makes all the difference in the world! 

How many times have you watched a video with the sound off because you’re in a public place or because you don’t want to wake up your family? The rest of the world (minus the rude people who play videos out loud on public transport) is similar. Plus, we also want to make sure our videos are accessible to the hearing impaired. So the next time you publish a video–whether it’s on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, or even your website–ensure you have your captions on. 

Video Marketing Tip #8: Be consistent

“creating something consistent with a consistent cadence and a consistent type and a consistent circumstance gives your audience something to look forward to and something to know you from. It just becomes much more familiar.” – Jay Baer, founder of digital marketing consultancy Convince and Convert

This one was actually said by at least 5 other experts regarding various aspects of video. So I’m just going to dive in and give you a cliff notes version.

Consistency in any form of marketing is important. And this holds equally true for video marketing. Consistency in video marketing includes:

• Having a consistent editing style: This can mean having the same formula for scripting each video, or the same fonts, visuals etc.
• Posting consistently: This doesn’t mean you have to post each and every day. But if you’re doing a video once a week, then be consistent with that schedule. 
• Keeping the same branding and messaging: that way your videos will create brand recognition. 
• Using a consistent background. Ensure your background really represents you, your brand, and how you want people to feel about you.
• Strategically planning your content instead of doing random one-offs.

Tip #9: Audio is an experience. 

This tip comes from endlessly studying video marketing to create videos for AOBM. 

How will people hear you if the sound in your video is bad? Besides that, you also need to consider the auditory impact of your video. Here’s a simple example to clarify that:

Let’s say your intent is to create a video that soothes women in their final stage of pregnancy. Do you think they’ll respond to softly spoken inspiring words or will they prefer the same words screamed at them? 

Ensure that your audio is aligned with the experience you want people to have with your video. 

The same goes for light. People want to be able to relate to you. Natural light is the best for that.

But you don’t have to spend big $$ on expensive equipment or fancy editing. A simple ring light or making the video near a window can do wonders for the lighting in your video. Mobile phones these days have great inbuilt cameras that can help with that as well.

Tip #10: Don’t worry about making a mistake

The best marketing videos entertain in some way. When you make the video itself an experience then the video gets watched and shared. Also, don’t worry about making a mistake. The video doesn’t have to be perfect, just get it out there! – Andrea Vahl, Social Media Consultant, Speaker, co-author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One for Dummies.

I once agonized for months about creating video content for my business. And then I read this little gem. It’s important to have your video clear, concise, and targeted. But that doesn’t mean it has to be perfect. Don’t worry about making a mistake. And remember…the more you post, the better you’ll be at it. Action over perfection. 

Tip #11: Prioritize authenticity over production value

When your content looks too much like an ad, people will just scroll past it. I think that’s why TikTok has been so effective because you often don’t even know you’re being sold to. You don’t recognize an ad because it looks so organic and native to the feed. This works across all platforms. – Lauren Schwartz, CEO and Founder, The Loft 325

The goal is to establish an emotional connection using videos. To show your audience that you ‘get’ them. To tell a story that draws them in. And this means showing them your authentic self. You follies and foibles. Your personality.

Video marketing tip #12: Keep it short

Consider using links to connect your videos to more in-depth content. If you’re going to do longer pieces, don’t mix objectives. Explainer videos should be clear and bounded. Make each as narrow/limited as possible to help the user solve a very specific problem without having to search for the solution. Make it a series, if needed, in parts 1, 2 and 3. – John Steinert, TechTarget

People’s attention spans are decreasing. Especially on social media. That’s why YouTube now has YouTube shorts and reels and ticktocks are so popular. So it makes sense to convey everything important in shorter videos so you don’t lose the attention of potential customers. If needed, you can always make a video series centered around different aspects of the same topic. 

Tip #13: Consider All Of The Places You Intend To Use The Video

Before investing in any video, stop and think about all of the different places your company intends to use the video. – Merrily McGugan, WorkTango

She further advises us to consider: 

• Will the on-screen text come across clearly in an Instagram Story viewed on a smartphone? 
• Does the script still work even when cut down to 30, 15 or 8 seconds in length? 

Optimize the content of your videos prior to production to maximize your budget and viable asset output.

Tip # 14 The key is in the details!

Pay special attention to the thumbnail. If the thumb is bad, no one will press the play button. – Andy Crestodina, co-founder and CMO of Orbit Media

Keep it mobile-friendly. Over half of all video is viewed on mobile platforms.- Derek Doeing,  G2.com 

When using smartphones for creating video content, always remember to place it in airplane mode before you record. It will cut out cellular background noise interference and avoid any annoying interruptions while you are recording. – John Gregory, Opencity Inc. 

See a theme here? So before you hit that publish button, make sure all these details are covered.

Tip #15 This one is from our own AOBM Vault!

Find out how we quickly and effortlessly create video content. 

Sometimes it takes less than an hour per week!

So there you have it. 15+ tips for video marketing. Let us know which one you found the most helpful.

And if you’re looking for a team (a community) of heart-centered professionals to support you with your marketing activities, reach out to Amazing OBM.  We’d love to chat.

1. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-video-marketing-new-data