3 Tips for Adding Video to Your Content Marketing Strategy

We’ve seen a lot of trend pieces recently heralding video as the top content marketing tactic for 2016. At Hodges, we’ve used video for both clients and ourselves with much success. (Have you seen our “mean tweets” video?)

The proliferation of video online and the ease with which people can now consume high-quality videos, whether from their desktop or smartphone, makes video a tough channel to ignore when planning your marketing strategy. Just consider that at the moment, online video accounts for more than 50 percent of all mobile traffic.

If you’re thinking about including video as part of your content marketing efforts, but aren’t sure where to start, here are some tips to help get you started.

It’s All in the Pre-Production

Planning your content beforehand is essential to saving time, money and making sure you get the end product you need. First, begin with how the video will be used. Will it be played during a presentation, posted to social media or a website? These things will inform factors like the length of the video, the approach and even the size of the text.

Then you’ll want to think about out who your audience is and map out the story you are telling as well as what message you are trying to get across. Who will be the spokesperson (or people) in your video? Perhaps you have internal subject matter experts who can speak to the topic, or maybe you’ll want to interview people who’ve had first-hand experience with your product or service to enhance credibility. Writing out a script that includes dialogue or voiceover narration can also be really helpful, but you’ll want to be careful that it doesn’t sound too staged or scripted—the dialogue should always feel natural. Try to approach the script thematically, thinking about the main point you want to get across. If it feels like you’re trying to cover too much ground in one video, you might want to consider breaking the content up into a series of shorter videos.

The Budget

While you can create a professional-looking video without a Hollywood budget, it’s still going to cost you some money. If you’re creating video in-house, at the very least, you’ll need a video camera and a mic, plus some kind of video editing software. Other items you’ll want to consider building into your budget are music, any kind of stock b-roll or talent.

If you’re working with an outside vendor, be sure to ask around and get quotes. Not every production company does everything well, so keep in mind what you’re looking for—are you looking for someone with great interviews or compelling product shots? Find a production company that caters to what you need. Ask to see examples of their work and the budgets for those projects.

In-House or Outsource?

Outsourcing your video production ensures your videos will be made using high-end equipment, thereby giving them a more professional look. You might want to consider this option especially if you don’t have anyone within your company who knows the ins and outs of video production–from operating the camera to mixing the sound to editing the video itself.

Just like all other forms of content – quality matters. And while video has proven to be a valuable tool in content marketing campaigns, we wouldn’t recommend producing video without considering the strategy, messaging and production value first.





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Paulyn Ocampo

Since joining THP in 2008, Paulyn has helped execute strategic plans for clients like AMF Bowling Centers, Allianz, Tridium, Silgan and The Peterson Companies. A Norfolk native, she earned her undergraduate degree in mass communications, with a concentration in public relations from VCU.

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