Developing Your Video Marketing Strategy

Video marketing has never been more important. Video marketing is known to increase revenue by 49%. Imagine if you started getting 50% more sales in your business. What would you do with that increase? Would you expand your business even more? Outsource so you could focus on the tasks you find most enjoyable? Take time off to travel?

If you think about video marketing and instantly feel overwhelmed, it’s understandable. Videos can be a more complex form of advertising. But the good news is that videos can be created quickly and easily once you know what to do.

Focusing on video marketing in your business shouldn’t be done lightly. Like all business endeavors, it helps to have a plan. When you have a solid plan in place, you’ll feel more confident and find it easier to create videos. Here are a few questions that can help you create your own strategy…

Who Is Your Audience?

If you’ve been in business for a while, then you may already know who your ideal buyer is. But if your brand is new and you’re just starting out, you may not know who your product is for just yet. You need to get clarity on your ideal customer before you start video marketing. Otherwise, you risk wasting both time and money trying to appeal to the wrong audience.

Keep in mind that it’s easy to think the user of your product is also the buyer. But this isn’t always true. If you sell baby clothes, you won’t market to infants. You’ll market to their parents instead. If you sell premium software to other businesses, you won’t market to the end user. You’ll market it to the six-figure executive who makes the final purchasing decision.

How Will You Align Your Videos with Your Brand?

When it comes to video marketing, you have to consider your brand. Your videos will represent your business to your viewers and you want to make sure the tone and style match your brand.

Funny, playful videos are appropriate if you’re selling children’s toys. It would look silly if a company like Fisher Price released serious, somber videos. They would be going against their own brand and confusing their customers.

But it’s not just your tone that matters. It’s also important that your colors, lighting, and content fit with your brand. If you sell products designed for women’s health issues, then you’d probably use pink or purple in your branding and videos. If your products are designed for men’s health, you might use blue or red. 

What Are Your Competitors Doing?

It’s easy to create in a bubble without realizing it. But studying what your competitors are doing can expose you to more ideas and give you insight into what your audience actually wants. For example, if your competitors are creating videos that are longer than five minutes, it might be a sign that consumers in your niche want in-depth content.

While looking at competitor’s videos can be a source of inspiration, don’t try to copy them. Your customers love your brand because it’s unique. You bring something valuable to the table that your competitors don’t. If anything, you should use this to your advantage and announce your unique selling point proudly.

How Does This Video Fit into Your Larger Funnel?

Before you create a video, you should always consider how it fits into your sales funnel. A video that’s targeted to convince visitors to join your sales funnel is going to be different than a video you design for your premium customers.

The first video would be focused on raising brand awareness. The second video doesn’t need to build brand awareness. These people are already customers and have different content needs.

What Is Your Goal for the Video?

This is an important question to ask when you’re creating a video. Consider what you want your visitors to do after watching your video. Do you want them to subscribe to your mailing list? Buy your brand-new info product? Hire you to design a website?

Remember that your goal needs to be clear. You don’t want to create a video with several different purposes like raising brand awareness, selling your product, and growing your social media platform. With all of those goals in the same video, you’re likely to overwhelm your viewers. Instead, pick one goal per video and focus on that.

Asking smart questions before you get started with video marketing can save you hours of time and a lot of frustration. By planning your strategy in advance, your video marketing is more likely to succeed.

Success Stories...Meet Betty Withrow!

Are you an aspiring author but are not sure how to get started? Meet Betty Withrow! Betty is all about helping authors to create and launch good writing. She offers methods to overcome procrastination, get better focus and motivation, and hone your message. She provides guidance and support through the entire process of writing, from concept to launch.

After meeting Betty, if you would like to connect with her, check out the links below:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betty.withrow.52

The Writer's Launchpad Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/The-Writers-Launchpad-699899633481817

The Writer's Launchpad: http://www.thewriterslaunchpad.com/

Email address: info@bettyofbigsur.com

How To Not Look Like Everyone Else When You Market

Can you tell what company your Facebook friend just joined by the content she's posting? Do you already know what's coming next in a messenger conversation by the opening message? Are you tired of finding multiple copies of the exact same articles posted online...all purportedly written by different people?

Me too!

Confession time...I did this myself some in the past. Buying PLR content and using it "as-is" just to get a blog post up. Copying the content of others in my companies who were doing well in an effort to be like them. Not only did that not work...it's also stealing! Posting the same social media posts as others in my industry that were receiving lots of engagement in an effort to boost my engagement. Over the course of time, I learned that was not good enough and I have since raised my standards. The results have been undeniably positive.

Today, many affiliate marketing programs and MLM companies or teams actually provide their reps with SWIPE copy...copy they've created for use by their reps to market their business or product. Yes, you absolutely should use it. No you absolutely should NOT use it 'as-is."

Here are some tips on how to make your brand shine online...even in a crowded niche.

1. Target your ideal clients: When you market to everyone, you market to no one. You already know that. But also, most of the reps in your company or players in your niche are probably marketing too broadly. If you can narrow your market and target your ideal clients, you are already one step ahead of most other marketers. For example, I am a social media marketing coach. But I target entrepreneurs in my own age bracket specifically. We did not grow up on social media and it can be a bit daunting! 

2. Emphasize your brand identity: The company I am currently part of has particular product that we all love. And so it is not unusual that we all promote it hard! To the point that now, when a new team member starts promoting, she gets encouraged to post what has become known as "the spoon post." Now there is nothing wrong with this post. It's technically a very effective post. The only problem is everyone is using the exact same post! 

If your company has images or verbiage that you like, great! Use them! But tweak them to make them your own. Showcase your brand and your voice. It's still easier than coming up with something completely original and you will stand out because you are different.

3. Repurpose content: Did someone on your team post an awesome image quote? Share the quote on a different image or just post the quote without an image. Did your company just post some amazing content on their blog? Record a video highlighting the key points of the blog post.  Or ask the author of the blog post to record an interview with you. Break the blog post up into smaller social media posts.

You can do the same with training you take or courses you purchase. Take that knowledge you have gained, put it in your own words and create a blog post. Break that blog post into social media posts. Record a video of you reviewing the highlights of what you learned. While most others in your course may not even implement what they learned, you will not only implement (because why wouldn't you!), you will use that information to create original, standout content!

4. PLR content works: If you use it correctly. Which means you have to do some revision to make it fit with your brand. Most legitimate PLR providers limit the number of copies they sell. But if even if only 500 copies of a particular article are sold, that's 500 people potentially posting the exact same content. By making some minor revisions, you can still reap the benefit of using PLR content without looking like a copycat.

Yes, you can use the replicated website and cookie-cutter posts and still make money. But if you want to really rise above all the marketing noise out there today, you have to set yourself apart. Then follow through and make those connections. Build those relationships. 

Look like the Rockstar you are!

And if I can help you at all…lets connect.

Buying Leads is a Waste of Money

There are a lot of vendors in the world trying to get people to buy their leads. Your MLM company may have a "lead co-op". This isn't a new concept. It is used a LOT...especially in the MLM/Direct Sales industry. But are these leads actually worth the money? Here's my thoughts:

Instagram Tips

   

Instagram is one of the hottest social media networks. I admit I am not as active there as on other social media platforms. Not because it isn't worthwhile. It absolutely is a good platform for people who are more visually oriented. But I do use it and have learned a few things in the process So if Instagram is your platform, show off your brand and get traction by following these simple tips…

Set up a business account. You are in business. So set up a business account. This gives you access to tools you don't get with a personal account. including insights, ads, and shopping.

Write good captions. Yes, Instagram is a mostly visual medium. But that doesn't mean you get to ignore your captions. It's all part of your brand. So don't rush this process. And don't worry about length. If you've got something to say, go ahead and say it. Just make sure it's worth it.

Use hashtags that are relevant. Hashtags are how your audience finds content on Instagram. You can use up to 30 hashtags per post. Although some Instagram "experts" recommend you use all 30, you probably don't want to do that. It can look spammy and turn off your followers. Plus, if you use irrelevant or repetitive hashtags, followers can choose not to see your content for that tag. So just use hashtags that are relevant, and specific to your niche.

Engage with your audience. Just like every other social media platform, interaction with your followers is crucial. Respond to comments on your posts. Like and comment and share others' posts.

Use Instagram Stories. Instagram Stories is the video feature on Instagram. You can use it to create short (less than 60 seconds) videos that your followers can watch.

Try the Gift Card sticker and button. You can now sell digital gift cards directly from your Instagram Story or profile.

Go Live on Instagram. Use Instagram Live to show your followers what you're doing right now. Host a Q&A. Interview an expert in your niche. Share a tutorial. 

Set up an Instagram Shop. This allows you to create your own online store within Instagram.

Give Instagram Reels a try. This is Instagram's answer to TikTok. And brands are already using it to stand out from the crowd. 

Post at the right times. This is actually a little more complicated than it seems. For information on the best...and worst...check out this article The Best Time To Post On Instagram in 2020.

Post quotes and other positive content. Most users on Instagram are looking for upbeat, inspiring images so stay positive!

Study your analytics. One of the reasons you want a business account is to get access to a host of statistical data. Use these stats to learn more about your followers and what types of content they'd like to see from you.

Best Practices for Pinterest

I love Pinterest! After Twitter, it is my biggest generator of leads and traffic.

Pinterest is a great way to drive traffic back to your website or blog. The shelf life of a pin is typically three months and one popular pin alone can continue to result in traffic for years to come…

Like everything else in 2020, the way we market on Pinterest has changed. If you follow me there, you will witness my profile undergoing an evolution to keep current with best practices. Techniques we were taught earlier are no longer valid.

So what is currently working on Pinterest? Here are my best tips:

If you haven't yet, create your business account and claim your website. This is the very first thing you should do. Having a business account allows you to use Rich Pins, run ads, and get analytics.

Use a face for your profile picture. Just like all your other social media platforms, Pinterest shows your pins to people who may not follow you or know who you are. People look at profile images as the first step to getting to know, like, and trust someone. If you put your face in your Pinterest profile image, it builds trust with your audience and is proved to increase your click-through rate.

Create the right boards. It used to be considered smart to create lots of boards covering a wide range of topics. This was supposed to help you connect with a broader range of people. The problem is that people who are interested in my "Fairy Gardens" board may be great people who share one common interest with me. But the odds are they are not interested in my business. Now, it's best to have fewer boards that focus on your BRAND and your CONTENT.


Post only to relevant boards. When you post content to boards that aren’t relevant, Pinterest considers this spam. The company may remove your post and even delete your account.

Pin to relevant group boards. Group boards are back! I know they went away for a while, but they are trendy once again, and well worth the effort to belong to them. I don't recommend you start a group board of your own unless you want to spend all your time managing it. But I do recommend you find good ones to join.

Publish pins before the holiday rush. If you post seasonal content, you’ll need to post 20-40 days before the actual event. This will give you the most traffic and the best engagement.

Add ‘Pin It’ button. Make it easy for your visitors to share your content by adding a ‘Pin It’ button to your blog or website. Be sure to publish visual content that’s already optimized for Pinterest!

Add board covers that look professional and create attractive branded images. When your Pinterest boards are unified with beautiful covers, new users are more likely to follow you. And attractive images get more favor in the Pinterest feed. Attractive pins catch the eye of pinners and slow their scroll. So keep in mind that on Pinterest, the IMAGE is more important than the pin URL.

Publish your pins in the evenings. Pinterest is a social network that users tend to get lost in and they know it. That’s why most people save their browsing until the evening after they’ve had a busy day. 

Publish 2 - 6 pins per day.  As in Facebook, too much content and you end up competing with yourself.

Use Video Pins. There aren't very many people using video on Pinterest yet. So if you really want to stand out, start creating 6 -15 second videos. In the wall of images on the Pinterest feed, videos will definitely catch the eye! These play without sound automatically, so do not rely on audio to get your point across.

You should be using Pinterest for business in 2021. It's one of the most valuable platforms for ecommerce. Think of it as a huge shopping mall with with hundreds of thousands of "window-shoppers." And each of your windows is a clickable link! It really is to your advantage to get yourself situated on it now. 

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Twitter Tips

I love Twitter. It is my social media platform of choice! Yes, you there is a character limit of 280 characters per post. You will learn to be concise! Yes, there are trolls and haters there. Just like everywhere else. But the benefits of Twitter far outweigh any negatives. 

Twitter is one of the busiest social networks but it’s also excellent for driving traffic back to your website. To get the most out of your tweets, follow these simple suggestions…

Keep your Twitter handle simple. Avoid adding numbers or supplementary characters to make it unique. 

Use longer messages. Twitter now allows users to post tweets that are up to 280 characters in length. 

Include video as part of your Twitter marketing strategy. Videos must be shorter than 2 minutes and 20 seconds. If you upload a longer video, you’ll be given the chance to edit it down to the required length. 

Make a tweetstorm. If you want to go in-depth about a topic, use a tweetstorm tool so your followers can easily follow your thread. 

Create videos that show behind-the-scenes of your business. This makes it more likely that your followers will like your brand and make a purchase. Maximum video length is 2 minutes and 20 seconds.

Avoid posting the same tweets repeatedly. Twitter now views this practice as spamming and may delete your account if you do this. 

Use a social media tool to find popular hashtags. Hashtags make it easy for users to discover your content. You can discover which ones are the most popular by using TagDef. or Hashtagify.

Pin your best tweet. Twitter allows users to ‘pin’ one tweet to the top of their profile. This is a simple way to drive more traffic to your website. 

Engage in trending topics carefully. Make sure you understand the hashtag and how it’s being used before you tweet. Otherwise you risk saying something that your followers might find offensive. 

Include more images. While text tweets can be easier to post they don’t drive as much engagement. Tweets with images are 90% more likely to get likes and replies. 

Add polls to your tweets. Polls can be a great way to gain valuable insights about the types of content that your followers prefer.

Curate content. Don’t just publish your own content. Gather content from other sources sources, and share it with your audience to diversify your Twitter posts. Retweet helpful articles, positive customer feedback, and user-generated content, among other posts, to maintain a solid Twitter presence and to better connect with your audience.

Use the right call to action (CTA). Include relevant and compelling CTAs in your tweets to generate more clicks. Go beyond asking your audience to share your content. Encourage them to visit your website, download content from your landing page, or use a discount coupon.

Schedule your posts. Schedule your tweets at the perfect time to ensure your audience sees them. Stay on top of your social media content calendar, and automate your Twitter posting schedule. There are reliable social media management tools, such as SocialJukeBox, that can help with this.