Over the past few years, video content has grown to be a primary medium of communicating and capturing customers, with almost 93% of brands claiming they gained new customers by integrating video on their social media accounts according to Hubspot (2022).
We often see companies jump up, want to create a video and then wonder, “Now what?”
While creating a video is a great start, having a plan from the beginning is key to it being a successful investment for your business or nonprofit video. Establishing measurable goals and creating video content knowing where you will place your video is the best way to reach your goals.
Not to mention, planning for a video launch before starting production saves time and investment down the road. Consider – what graphics and transitions are best for the channel you plan to use? Is horizontal or vertical best for releasing your video – or possibly both? Are Spanish video captions or voiceovers going to better reach your target audience?
So, let’s break down the best places for your video content by goals and relevant channels.
A solid foundation is building awareness of a company through an introduction video. You have likely seen a video focused on who a company is, what they do, and how this benefits their customers. We often work with clients in the creation of a “Who We Are” or “About Us” intro video that highlights their brand and values to build awareness of their products or services. Watch this branding and awareness video from Mennonite Village as an example.
A natural spot to place this video will be your website, such as on your “About Us” page. Depending on your website host, the best option may be a third party platform, like Vimeo or YouTube, where the video can live and then you link it to your site. When using these platforms, it is important to optimize it for discoverability. This can be done by using a keyword rich title (make sure your company name is included) and description, as well as the integration of tags.
Building on this foundation, the video can be featured on the company’s social media platforms. This is best when linked back to the website, adding another metric to measure traffic if a landing page is paired with the video.
If you have a product or service, video is the heavy hitter when it comes to driving sales. Elite Content Marketer points out that around 66% of people would rather watch a short video to learn about products and services, with only 18% preferring other mediums as of 2022. Additionally, video content is measured by some to be 1200% more successful than other content, and an estimated “91% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.” (per Wyzowl, 2022).
Product video content performs especially well on e-commerce sites such as Etsy and Amazon. These can be used both for running ads and organic content on social media sites. On any platform, it must be paired with a clear call to action so that the target customer is encouraged to click now, and not just think back on it later, if at all.
On a subconscious level, this kind of video communicates to the client that your focus is customer-centric because your company took the time and resources to explain how the product or service will benefit them. Meeting the customer where they’re at and making them feel that their needs are important and valued is crucial to this kind of video content being a success.
As this is a fairly broad category, this type of video can be (and should be) placed just about anywhere. Your website, social media, third party platforms. It can even be included in email promotions depending on the specific announcement.
Since 2020, and the beginning of ‘The Great Resignation’, finding ways to reach and connect with potential employees has been a major focus for companies large and small. With attrition and turnover rates continuing to rise, we have seen this challenge for clients seeking potential employees more than ever before.
An employment recruitment video often highlights your current employees, company culture, position benefits, or a position overview/walkthrough. Whichever direction you take, messaging and placement for optimal reach ultimately determines the video’s success.
The natural home for employee recruitment videos is your employment or careers page on your website. Launching it across social media while encouraging current employees to share it on their own personal networks vastly improves organic reach. It can also be linked in the job description on third party sites such as Indeed, Glassdoor, SnagaJob, and localized posting areas (such as chambers of commerce). A direct integration option is an email template that can be sent to prospective employees to give them more information and encourage them to apply or even accept the position for highly desirable applicants.
For everything in-between, here are best practices on where to place and how to optimize your video content:
The exact location a video is placed is dependent on your goals for the video, video format, budget, and desired longevity. From driving sales to new hires, or building your brand with more customers, the benefits are innumerable. The important thing is to plan, launch, then measure results.
Looking for ideas? Our team is happy to brainstorm for your video project – the first meeting is always free.
