It is an established fact by now that video marketing is an indisputable avenue for businesses to attract customers, increase leads, and ultimately land more conversions. However, considering the prevailing overly crowded and saturated video landscape, and the changing consumption patterns of viewers, the feat is no longer as easy as it used to be. The competition is now fiercer than ever, necessitating new, advanced, and interesting ways to leverage the tool of video marketing to achieve the bottom line.
The emphasis now is on how marketers can attract customers most effectively. As opposed to following a few tried-and-tested marketing techniques with video, brands are now trying to leverage new strategies and techniques to generate leads and conversions.
This is where inbound and outbound video marketing strategies become relevant.
The two methods come with different challenges, constraints, and needless to say, different goals. As a marketer, it is important to clearly define these attributes and adopt targeted strategies in both methods to maximize the results. Only an expert Chicago video production company can give you foolproof ways to set yourself up for success.
Here is a deep dive into the core differences between inbound and outbound video marketing, and a few best practices to attain the best results in both.
Inbound Vs Outbound video marketing
Inbound video marketing is a technique where brands use video content to attract customers and “pull” them in. For the same reason, videos created for inbound strategies are often specifically targeted, address specific challenges or concerns of customers, and are better tailored to the consumption patterns of the target audience.
Outbound marketing on the other hand is where brands use more traditional forms of content to “push” or induce more customers to consider the brand. Hence, videos created for outbound address more common issues or generic challenges as they target a wider audience. The intention is to expose the brand to more people and maximize reach to increase the window of action.
Both methods are often used in conjunction to achieve the best results. While one technique works with warmer prospects, the other works effectively with cold customers. A comprehensive Chicago video production company, like K3, will offer well-rounded strategies covering both methods to help you make the most of video marketing.
Coming from our experts, here are some exclusive techniques and best practices to use in your inbound and outbound efforts.
Inbound video marketing: best practices
Inbound video marketing, as mentioned earlier, works to attract target customers, and induce an action from their end. This could be anything from engaging with the video to signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase on your website. Incorporate the following best practices to refine your approach and extract better results.
· More weightage to educational video content – One of the best ways to target a warm customer and get them to act is to give them the right information at the right time. Use specifically targeted educational videos with ample value to appeal to specific prospects facing certain challenges. Use strategized data collection points to gather useful information about your prospects for this. Position yourself as an industry expert so that your customers will turn to your brand to solve a problem they have. Utilize established platforms like YouTube to disseminate these videos, as they offer the best chances to reach your target audience.
· Focus on optimizing your videos for search engines – The impact of an inbound marketing video is realized only if and when it reaches the eyes of the target viewer. The best way to do that is to optimize your video to appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) for the right keywords. Focus on optimizing all core factors affecting SEO rankings, such as the keywords and their densities, the alt tags, the title and description, the quality, duration, thumbnails, internal links, etc. Ensure that your video shows up for a customer searching for solutions that your product can solve.
· Use organic and original content – Inbound video marketing works on several levels, one of which involves establishing a strong connection. Some customers purchase from brands they feel they know well and can trust, and most of them appreciate transparency. Hence, create quick and engaging original videos on what happens behind the scenes of your brand, a day in your office, a busy day in your business, etc. These types of videos promote a sense of connection with customers and establish your authenticity as a brand, leading to more trust, and more conversions.
· Use videos in email newsletter campaigns – Videos work powerfully in email newsletters. Emails with an embedded video have proven to get more clicks as well. Incorporate thoughtful, and specific short videos into targeted email drip campaigns to reach out to your customer when the time is accurate. The right type of video with the right call-to-action is bound to work for a customer who has expressed an intent to solve a problem they are facing.
Outbound video marketing: best practices
Outbound videos are meant to attract cold prospects who might be looking for what your brand has to offer. Hence, these videos have a wider target audience and use calls to action that encourage people to take an initial step in the buyer journey. A professional Chicago video production company will combine comprehensive outbound strategies that blend seamlessly with inbound techniques as well. Here are some best practices for outbound video marketing.
· Paid social media ads – Since today’s average customer to tied to their smartphone for extended hours in a day, it is a wise idea to leverage it for your outbound strategy. Craft compelling well-researched video ads for social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram, with the primary goal of attracting a cold customer and getting them to notice your brand.
· TV and OTT commercials – TV is not completely dead; many people still rely on conventional television for entertainment. For others, there are OTT platforms. Running commercials on these media channels is a great way to stand out and get noticed. Brainstorm creative ideas for videos that will work on an avenue where communication is one-way.
· Tie your commercials with social media – Today’s generation is greatly driven by the impact of social media. Hence, it only makes sense to leverage it for your brand. Tie your commercials in with your social media presence so that prospects who land on your commercials have the option to reach out to you or communicate with you about their needs or questions. Fuse the benefits of two-way communication channels and commercials to adopt a unified approach to gaining leads.
· Create innovative print and billboard ads – Billboard and print ads are a powerful outbound way to get people to notice your brand. As opposed to creating conventional static billboard ads, find innovative ways to incorporate video or movement into them. Add scannable or other interactive elements so that people can experience an extended more immersive version of the ad. Place the billboard strategically and once again, fuse them with your communication channels for seamless relationship building. A thoughtful Chicago video production company can help you in this regard.
Wrapping up
Inbound and outbound video marketing are like two sides of the same coin. While both techniques primarily target different groups of customers, the two overlap in many places necessitating one to support the other for maximum effectiveness. This is why it is important to craft comprehensive video marketing strategies taking into consideration the crucial attributes of both inbound and outbound. Follow the above-mentioned best practices to maximize your efforts and partner with a thoughtful holistic Chicago headshot photographer company to yield better results.
Contact K3video Production for dedicated, thoughtful, and captivating animated sales videos.
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