So, you’ve finally decided to give video marketing a try. Welcome to the bandwagon! Trust me, it’s a good thing that you’re here. Video is the most wanted content by consumers--especially millennials--so it’s a great idea to incorporate it into your marketing strategy (Hubspot).

Here are 5 questions to ask yourself when planning your very first marketing video.

You’re probably raring to get started on your first marketing video, but let’s take a quick pause. Before you shoot a single second of video, you have to plan everything out. Video can be time consuming and expensive, so if you don’t carefully plan your video and corresponding marketing campaign, you won’t see the results you want.

How to Plan Your First Marketing Video: 5 Questions to Ask

1) What is your goal for the video?

So you want to shoot a marketing video. Great!

But what is the video for? What do you want the end result to be? Some common goals for video marketing are to:

• Increase brand awareness
• Boost website traffic
• Grow your social media followers
• Educate consumers
• Share a testimonial about your product or service

Regardless of your goal, you need to know what it is before you plan out the rest of the video.

You never want to make a video simply for the sake of having a video. Like I said, it can be an expensive, time-intensive process, so you want to have a clear guiding principle for the project.

And remember, the best goals are SMART goals: specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely.

2) How do you define success for the video?

Now that you have your goal, you need to translate that into KPIs so you know what success really looks like. Getting a lot of views or engagement doesn’t necessarily translate into website traffic or more sales, so keeping an eye on the right metrics will help you know if you’re really meeting your goals.

Depending on your goal, the important metrics will different. Here’s a good list of metrics to keep an eye on, depending on which part of the Buyer’s Journey you’re targeting:

3) Where are you going to publish the video?

Now that you have your goal and an idea of what your video will be, you need to figure out where you’re going to publish it. There are many different online venues for video, including

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Your Website
• Youtube
• Vimeo
• TikTok
• Email

Why is it important to know where you’re going to post? Because different platforms have different size and length requirements. And certain videos are going to do better on certain platforms, so it’s best to have a clear idea of where you want to publish before you start shooting.

Hot tip: Buffer conducted a study that found square videos get 30-35% more views than typical rectangular videos along with a whopping 80-100% more engagement (Buffer).

4) What is your timeline for the video?

As you plan your video, you’ll need to build a timeline. Do you need this video in a week? Or in 3 months? Do you need to time its release to coincide with a certain holiday or event? Knowing this info will help you plan your budget and creative scope for the entire project.

It’s also important to keep everyone informed about the project’s timeline and any delays that occur. For example, you’ll probably need to loop in the marketing team, the editing team, and the social media team.

5) What’s the budget for your video?

Video marketing can be expensive, but setting a budget can help keep costs under control, especially for your first try. When you know your budget, you can make decisions like whether to shoot and edit in-house or to bring on a video production team. A clear budget will help you know what you can splurge on and where you can skimp.

Here are some things to keep in mind when figuring out costs:

• Script writing
• Permits for shooting on location
• Shooting
• Shoot length
• Editing
• Crew rates
• Travel expenses
• Equipment

Ready to Get Started With Video Marketing?

Video marketing is only becoming more and more popular (and effective), so don’t wait another minute to dive into it. Learn more about how to plan, make, and distribute killer video content on our blog.

Need a little extra help with your marketing strategy? Let’s chat. Rizen can help you reach your marketing goals and get the most out of your video marketing project. All it takes is a free consultation to get started!