How to Plan, Develop and Distribute Your Video Marketing Strategy

Video is the best-performing type of content. One-third of all online activity is spent watching videos, making it the best medium for marketing your brand online. Video marketing statistics from WyzOwl show that 86 percent of businesses use video as a marketing tool, up from 61 percent in 2016, and 81 percent of consumers have been convinced to buy a product after watching a brand’s video.

So how do you create a video marketing strategy that drives more engagement and improved marketing performance?

Follow these steps!

Your first step - understanding why you need game videos

All successful brand campaigns start with research – what are your goals, and who are you targeting? This type of research will help you create game video content that resonates with your target audience and publish it on the channels they are most likely to be on. There’s no point in creating videos and paying to have them hosted on platforms your target audience doesn’t visit.

To capitalize on your video content's ability to connect with your audience, you need to define the goals you’re trying to reach with your video campaign. Are you looking to create awareness, drive traffic, sales, or all the above? Ensure the goals you set are measurable to make it easy to access your campaign’s performance.

Define your target audience by creating buyer personas that capture specific features of the people you want to watch your content. Learn about their likes, interests, and pain points to help you create video content that connects.

You also need to define the message you want your video to communicate. A video mission statement highlights the type of video you will make (is it entertaining, educational, inspiring, or a mix) and the value your audience will take away from the videos.

Since you’re not the first company in your industry to use videos for marketing, it’s crucial to analyze your competitors’ content marketing strategy to see what they’re doing with video. Check the type of video content they are making, the platforms where they post their videos, the message in their videos, and so on. This information will guide you on how to make your video content unique for the best marketing performance.

Still not convinced? Learn more about video's importance in our blog on Growth Marketing Genie: Why is Video One of the Most Powerful Tools in Your Marketing Kit?

Create your video marketing plan

Here’s what you need to do to create a video marketing plan that works.

Decide on your team

With a clear definition of your goals and target audience, you’re now ready to start creating your video marketing plan. Video production and distribution exercises are very technical, and you need to have the right people on board to ensure it proceeds smoothly.

Decide who on your team will manage this process to ensure the videos you create are on brand and primed to deliver on your marketing goals. Most game marketing experts cite allocating staff time for video production as a top challenge, so you need to get someone who understands the role and is committed to making sure you have terrific videos for marketing your game online.

The manager sets the content direction and gives approvals at the different stages of the video production process. They review the videos before publication and ask the production team to make necessary changes to ensure they communicate the intended message to the public.

You also need to decide who will create the content. Content creation is challenging, and you need someone who always understands the assignment to ensure your videos connect. This could be an individual or a collaboration between several team members.

The scope of the project at hand and your company structure will determine how you approach this exercise. Large companies can afford to have an in-house video production team, but small businesses may be forced to hire external help since they may not have the necessary skills within their workforce. Some companies succeed with a combination of in-house and video marketing agencies, so take time to assess your needs to ensure you have the right arrangement for your video campaign.

Use the above information to formulate the foundation of your video marketing strategy

The internal assessment will help determine if you have the necessary skills to create your marketing videos in-house or if you need to work with a game marketing agency to guarantee your marketing success. Video production agencies have the right equipment, skills, and personnel to create videos that convert. Getting them to work on your campaigns will save you a lot of money and free you to do other important things like making your brand strategy and engaging your customers.

Create a publishing schedule or editorial calendar

You need a publishing schedule to ensure you post your brand videos at the most appropriate times. Think of your campaign as a series that leads up to a big event. Break your story into multiple parts that you will publish as video content over the course of several weeks.

Define your message

Set a clear brand message that will be consistent across all your videos. Defining your message early on gives your video creation team an easy-to-recall purpose to rally around. As a result, your videos will have a unified message across all channels, making it easy for consumers to recognize you when they come across your content.

And be sure to differentiate your message for the type of video you create. The message for a game trailer won't be the same as that of a social media marketing clip.

Get creative

After setting your content strategy and assembling the best team for the job, it’s now time to get creative and produce captivating videos. Video is a predominantly creative form of media after all, and if your videos don't have their own level of flair and structure, then they won't succeed. 

So, here's what you'll need!

Create a script

The first step of the creative process is to develop a script for your video. Identify the characters of your video and create a story around them. Outline their dialogue and other details that will help you move the story forward, such as visuals, sound cues, voice-over, and music.

But remember, you don’t have to jam-pack your video with dialogue. Sometimes, music and movements tell a story better than narration, so it’s up to you to decide what actions are ideal for getting your message across.

Develop a storyboard

Storyboards aren’t necessary, but they come in handy when you need to develop your video’s feel and look. They also guide the camera operators and other personnel to know what shots to prioritize.

You don’t need impeccable drawing skills to create an effective storyboard. Use what’s available on set to represent your characters, give everyone on the team some perspective, and get them on the same page about the feel and look of your video.

Define what assets you need

Defining the assets you will need is another vital preparation aspect you should not skip. The type of video you're making determines the assets you will require for video production. Some of the things you'll need include a video camera, lighting equipment, audio equipment, and editing software.

Some of these assets are complicated and require professional training to handle them effectively, so make sure whoever will be dealing with them knows what they are doing.

Get the right tools

Lastly, assemble all the tools you’ll need for video production. Purchase the recording equipment (or lease them for a short time) and set the props. This process is very hectic, so start early to ensure you have enough time to get everything you need.

If you need licenses to film in specific locations, get them early to ensure nothing stands in your way when you start filming your videos.

Start filming

With everything set, it's now time to start filming. Production day can be very hectic, and everyone needs to play their role diligently to ensure your video is of the best quality. Assemble everything you will need for the exercise to ensure everything flows smoothly. Your actors should have memorized their lines and be ready to give the best performances of their lives.

The audio and visual quality are the two most important aspects you must pay attention to on production day. Without proper audio and visual quality, no one will be interested in watching your videos, and all the effort will go down the drain. For this reason, you should test your equipment with an experienced producer to ensure your videos have the best sound and picture quality.

This process is quite strenuous, but you need to get everything right if you want high-quality videos to market your brand. Working with a video marketing agency simplifies this process since they have everything required to produce high-quality videos. They have the equipment, personnel, and creative ability to develop amazing videos that will make your brand the talk of the town.

Getting video marketing right

Video is a crucial component not just of your content marketing strategy, but also of the overall health of your business. However, it is not something you can just jump into without a strategy. Luckily, we’ve got all the best tips for you here: Your One Stop Video Marketing Handbook.

Video marketing is essential in this day and age. With online attention spans declining, video will help you deliver your brand messaging quickly and efficiently.

Creating impactful videos isn't easy, but the team at Game Marketing Genie can help. We are a video marketing agency that understands how to develop and distribute video content to help brands achieve their marketing goals.

Are your videos delivering the desired impact? Get in touch for help on creating professional videos of the highest standard.