Essential Considerations for Your 2022 Video Marketing Plan

Congratulations! The boss says you’ve got the green light to begin producing video as part of your marketing plan and the leadership team supports you 100%. All you have to do is put together a video marketing strategy that they will sign off on!

It sounds simple enough, and yet, there are a number of decisions that can make this simple exercise not so simple. From the cost of video production to the process of creating a video to making sure your video gets the results you need, there's a lot of work that goes into getting a high-quality final product.

So, what to do, what to do? Before you get too far down the road, here are some essential considerations when developing a 2022 video marketing plan.

1. Start by Asking Why

First, start by asking yourself or your team, “why video”? Are you feeling like you need to produce video content because you read somewhere that it’s a powerful marketing tool and every business should make videos?

Maybe you have a product or service that will come to life through video in ways that words and pictures fall short? Remember, video is a visual medium. Of course, you can produce video of talking heads, but to fully leverage the power of video, use this medium to take the viewer somewhere, show them something, or teach them something they didn’t know. If you’re going to use a talking head, an effective application is to introduce yourself to someone. Too often people use video in situations when words and pictures will do just fine.

Video is a highly-effective tool that can transform business results, but it's important to understand the "why" behind your business. Make sure you understand your current challenges and the problems you are trying to solve with video.

2. Who are you trying to reach?

Who will see the video? What do they expect to see when they click? Why should they care?

So often, marketers get tangled up in producing video content that is based on what they want to share, rather than what the viewer wants to watch. This is an old mindset that came from the days of television advertising. The world has changed, help your viewer by providing an experience that is worthwhile for them. And the only way you can do this is if you know who you’re trying to reach.

"...figure out what singular point you're trying to make in each video, then break down each video into a single message."

3. What's your end goal?

It's important to start with the end in mind. Do you want people to book a meeting with your sales team or buy your product directly from your website? Each of these outcomes will need very different videos.

When considering your video marketing strategy, figure out what singular point you’re trying to make in each video, then break down each video into a single message.

Too often, people try to fit all the important information for their entire company into one video, and while that was common practice in 2005, it’s no longer effective.

Remember, you can always create more videos with different goals, but one video is not going to accomplish every goal your company has for this year.

4. Understand the Video Timeline

Let’s agree on something here — a video marketing strategy is more than producing one video that will go on the homepage of your website. In most cases, organizations do not have the time, resources, and, frankly, vision, to wage a long-term battle in video marketing.

However, the truth is, the best video marketing strategies begin with a long-term vision in mind. Try thinking of your video strategy in the same way you think of your buyer journey; you’re leading the customer with an assortment of videos.

For example, in the attraction phase, you may produce 5-10 videos all with the goal of driving organic search. There may be another 3-5 videos that can be used in various channels for buyers in the consideration phase. And lastly, there may be another batch of videos aimed at conversion.

Producing all this video takes time. It could be over a year before you have the key elements in place. Take time to consider and plan your video production timeline with your team or your video partner.

5. How will the video be used?

The go-to answer for 95% of the organizations we work with is, “the website.” Yes, of course! That’s exactly where it should go. And still, I like to ask this question — what page of the website? The homepage? About Us? Our Customers?

Specific content should have a specific home. Of course, if it’s an overview video (no more than 2-minutes) then the home page is probably just fine. Beyond that, where else will it be used? Landing pages? Email campaigns? Will you use the video in social media or as part of a Facebook Ad campaign?

You’ll also want to create a free and premium channel for your video so you can drive organic search while also drive conversion. I’m obviously throwing a lot of options out to illustrate a point. There are many ways to use video today and when you know how you’ll use the video, you’ll have a crucial first step in developing the foundation for a video marketing strategy.

If this is all new to you, don’t fret. A generation of people are growing up on YouTube, which has made producing video look fast and simple. No question, some video is fast and simple but that usually involves babies and cats. Unless you’re in the business of trying to strike it rich with viral videos, I suggest you take some time to consider some of these questions when planning your video strategy. 

Conclusion

Video is just like any other form of content, it takes a well-organized plan to be successful. If you are not sure how to create a plan for your company, partner with a video production company who can help you look at your business needs and creating a video plan that will help you meet your business goals this year.

Editor's Note: This article originally published in 2017 and was updated in 2021.