If you are not using video marketing, you are not maximizing your brand marketing potential.

The good thing about this is that you can see results much faster than with SEO and other marketing channels.

So what’s stopping you from increasing your sales by leveraging video? The truth is that there is a small problem.

It’s not obvious how to best use video to market successfully. Unfortunately, it is the type of content that can go wrong more easily if you are inexperienced with it. It also tends to be more resource intensive. So if your video marketing misses the mark, it can be a costly mistake.

Foolproof steps for excellent video marketing

The most important piece of advice you can get with most marketing practices is to keep it simple. Learn and apply these methods and you will see the great impact that video marketing can have.

Map out the strategy

In other words, have a plan and stick with it.

It’s okay to improvise a bit along the way, but you should have most of your decisions made in advance.

Don’t think of videos as content marketing devices. Think of them as part of a larger marketing campaign. You need to keep track of your results if you want to see growth.

Set specific goals for each stage of your marketing campaign. Make those goals as specific as possible and target them precisely.

Just start creating

Your first videos won’t be that good.

Even if you have experienced staff and a great plan, there will be a learning curve. Don’t let that get in the way.

The only thing that matters is that you learn from every video you make. The knowledge you accumulate is more important than the immediate results.

A long-term video marketing strategy is sure to run into some drawbacks along the way.

Don’t sell, tell stories

There is a time and place for the tough sales pitch, and your video is not.

Videos create a unique emotional response. If people feel like you’re overselling, they’ll think you’re trying to hijack those emotions.

Instead, focus on telling a consistent story in your videos. Each video should convey some value and a bigger part of the story to the audience.

Know what it is about

To make good videos, you need to know what your strengths are. The type of content you need to create corresponds to the overall image of your brand.

If you’re trying to get people to switch to your solution to an everyday problem, use educational content. If your main offering is a better quality of life, maybe an inspirational video will work better.

However, don’t try to cram too much into one video. Calculate the angle of your approach and commit to it for the best results.

Humor is (almost) always a good idea

It is very difficult to find a brand that cannot benefit from a little humor in its video marketing.

However, there are situations and issues that need to be approached with care. But as a brand, you should always strive to stay cheerful and self-aware.

Nobody wants to see a solemn queue ad, it just doesn’t work. It’s harder for some brands to handle humor than others, but overall it’s a powerful tool.

Consider your basic marketing principles

Just because it’s a video doesn’t mean the ground rules don’t apply.

Each video will have its target audience. If you want to reach your entire audience on every video, you are wasting resources.

Find out which platforms work best for which videos. You will need to do some research and know your target segments for this.

For example, if your target is young adults going to college, Instagram is a great option. For the same population, you probably won’t get very far with Facebook ads.

Keep it simple and focus on your strengths

Video marketing may seem intimidating at first, but it doesn’t have to be.

Choose the right type of video to get your message across and try to be clear and concise. Those are the two secret ingredients of video marketing. Mind you, your first forays into video marketing won’t be polished. However, the experience you will gain is well worth the investment.