Video is the ultimate form of effective marketing communication; that is why “Video is King”
The TV set in the living room is gone, still there, but video consumption is no longer related to a TV device, nowadays consumers are using smart TVs, OTT devices (Over the Top such as Apple TV, ROKU, etc.), their phones and tablets to access video content through a variety of streaming services.
Streaming video services have been growing exponentially. According to Statista.com in 2012, consumers in the USA spent 2.39 billion dollars (about $7 per person in the US) in streaming video services; last 2021, Americans spent 25.27 billion dollars (about $78 per person in the US) on streaming video services, this represents a growth of around 1,000%.
Some SEO experts always say, “content is king,” well, we can now say that “video is king.”
Video is the ultimate form of effective marketing communication; that is why “Video is King.” You combine audio/sounds, images, moving images, and video in an easy-to-digest format that nowadays is super easy to distribute, thanks to the high Internet connections.
A marketer who does not include video assets in their marketing campaign mix is losing an enormous potential audience and the opportunity cost of not getting their brand, brand exposure.
Per Statista.com “Ad spending in the Video Advertising segment is projected to reach US$180.40bn in 2022.”
Video editing tools and smartphone cameras are so good now that anybody with a smartphone, a tripod, and good illumination can produce a killer video and go viral and reach millions on YouTube.
Where to distribute my videos?
You have a bunch of platforms like Facebook/Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube to mention a few. Each allows you to create ad campaigns, define your audience, remarketing capabilities, pixel tracking, etc.
Today we will Talk about YouTube and why it is so important to take advantage of this platform to advertise your products or services.
Per HubSpot.com:
- Over 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. (Statista)
- Over one billion hours of videos are watched on YouTube every day.
- “Baby Shark Dance” By Pinkfong Kids’ Songs & Stories is the most watched video on YouTube, with over 11 billion views since 2016.
- YouTube has more than 2 billion users.
To promote your product or service through YouTube, you need to create a Google Ads account. But first, you need to establish a few things like a budget you will designate for the campaign, what will be your goal (generating leads or brand awareness), the audience you are planning to reach, and of course, the assets you are planning to use.
You can display Banners on YouTube, but also you can display a large variety of Video assets. Each of them will work upon depending on your goal.
These are the Video assets you can use to promote your products/services on YouTube and YouTube Partner networks:
| Type of Video Ad | Goals |
| Skippable in-stream ads | Sales Lead Website traffic Brand awareness and reach Product and brand consideration. |
| Non-skippable in-stream ads | Brand awareness and reach |
| In-feed video ads | Product and brand consideration |
| Bumper ads | Brand awareness and reach |
| Outstream ads | Brand awareness Online and instore purchases Key consumer targeting Brand appeal Reach of TV campaigns |
| Masthead | Drive awareness for a new product launch. Reach a massive audience |
How to measure a video campaign?
The KPIs or Key Performance Indicators will depend on your goal. If the goal is brand awareness, your metrics will be measured on views, watch time, view rate, subscriber gains and losses by video, video rankings, comments, likes, shares, and traffic or sessions sent to your website. But if your goal is based on lead generation, your KPIs will be based on cost per lead, cost per acquisition, and cost per sales if you sell products or cost per enrollment if you sell services or programs where people need to register or enroll to obtain the service.
Tips for creating a successful YouTube Video Campaign
- Define your goals first
- Define your budget
- Target your right audience
- Demographic groups
- Interest: Affinity. Intent, life events
- Topics
- Remarketing
- Watch your placements
- Watch your keywords
- Use the type of video ad format related to your goal
- Create unique video assets, do not copy your old TV commercial to use it on a digital platform.
- AB Test, always create different versions of your video, so you can test.
- Keep it short; 6, 15, or 30 seconds are the most successful video ads.
If you have considered having videos in your marketing mix, but you are a small business, and you think you cannot afford to produce videos because you feel you need a video producer, video writers, and actors. Let me tell you, you do not need it, at least for now. You can use tools like promo.com, animaker.com, or biteable.com. Also, I recommend the ten mobile videography tips for beginners.
