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Should video be part of your marketing strategy?

Content is king, and video marketing is as important for brand awareness as the written content you create. Yes, we who create written content for clients every day just said that video is important too. 

As an agency known for our copywriting services, you might expect us to maintain a particular position on this long-standing copy vs. video debate. We don’t. Because it is not in our clients’ best interest. Both written content and video content have a time and place in small business marketing strategies and non-profit donor communications strategies. Choosing which one is right at any given time depends on two main factors — your audience and your goals for the content. 

Is your audience watching?

A recent study found that the amount of online video people watch has almost doubled since 2018. But is your audience watching video? This is an important question to answer before spending money on producing video content. As with all things, the appetite for video varies; in general Millennials and Gen Z consume far more online video content than Baby Boomers. But that fact alone is not a good enough reason to create (or not create) video. Take the time to dig deeper into your specific audience’s habits before deciding. 

What does your audience want?

When it comes to understanding your content goals, we asked our trusted digital marketing partner, Hannah Martin, owner of Sore Thumb Inc., for her insight. 

“Shooting video works really well if your business is repeatedly receiving the same questions because you can use a short video to answer those questions and help drive sales. Video is also great for explaining difficult concepts because it helps your audience better absorb the information,” explains Hannah.

“Also, if your business relies on your personality as your brand, like coaches for example, then having a video is a great way to show off your personality in a way that text can’t convey.”

Shooting a video: What you need to know

Once you have decided to shoot a video, Hannah explains that it is important to know how you intend to use it before getting started because both length and aspect ratio matter. For example, a landing page video should be 1.5 to 2 minutes long but an explanatory-type video can be longer. And, a video published on YouTube needs to be shot in 16x9 (horizontal) but an Instagram Story video must be shot in 9x16 (vertical) and on Facebook it can be square or horizontal.

“It’s also a good idea to have a clear understanding of the strategy behind your video because if you’re just going to put it on your social feed as a regular post, you’re going to spend a few thousand dollars for a professional video that lives and dies in a couple of days.”

Often, Hannah says, when her team shoots a video, they shoot more content than needed in order to do social cutdowns — a main video for the website and shorter versions in the correct aspect ratio for their client to publish on their social media platforms. This gives one video multiple lives. 

Finally, there are many types of video to choose from, such as animated, scripted, interview-style, and more.

“Essentially the world is your oyster in terms of the kind of video you want to produce, it just depends on your budget,” says Hannah.

Hannah Martin is the owner of Sore Thumb Inc., a digital marketing agency with a passion for storytelling. They are experts in video, website design, branding and social media marketing.