• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, July 24, 2018

According to author Lara V., you made a video, you poured a significant amount of cash into your content, and you’re proud of the outcome. It feels good to collect praise from your colleagues on a job well done, but a completed video is just the first leg of the race.  

A successful video marketing campaign is the only way anyone is ever going to see your masterpiece, says the author. Here are some tips, says the report, for making the most of your video with a smart, targeted video marketing strategy.

• Tag Your Video for SEO Success
• Even if everyone who watches your video will be inspired and excited, Google won’t know what your footage is about unless you tell them, and Google is the entity that decides if you’ll earn organic traffic to your video. Write a compelling description of your video that includes keywords relating to its topic. You should include a transcript in the description section as well. Google’s search crawlers will scan your video description and metadata, and for keywords that tell it when to serve the video up in a search
• Host It on YouTube to Maximize Hits
• While you can host your video on your company website, the reality is it’s less likely to be seen there than it is on larger platforms like YouTube and Facebook. YouTube is a good hosting service because it’s free and performs well in Google searches. Once your video is on YouTube, you can add it to your website, a blog, or virtually any other page on the internet. 
• Share the Video on Facebook
• Don’t limit yourself to a single platform. Once your video is on YouTube, and the video description is filled out completely with good keywords and a CTA, share the link on Facebook. Facebook videos are easy for users to share and they can go viral quickly. Targeted Facebook ads can increase the likelihood that your footage reaches the right audience. Determine your target market and use the tools made available by Facebook to handpick who is served your ad. 
• Connect with a Social Media Influencer
• Social media influencers (people with a large trusted audience on social media platforms) can help you gain traction. At the highest level, macro influencers include celebrities who share products with their millions of followers. But an influencer can also serve a micro purpose, targeting a niche with important demographics for your brand.
• Data gathering
• Will track metrics and adjust as necessary, and you will know if your video campaign has been successful. Have a clear goal in mind before you send your video out into the world. Do you want to see 1,000 click-throughs, gain 100 new leads? Set up a strategy for tracking any performance indicator and adjusting your strategy as needed. After a few weeks, re-target the ad to the most interactive group. You should be checking to see exactly who is watching the Facebook ad you posted video all the way through to the end, and who is bouncing right away. 

Developing a video strategy requires planning, but more than that it requires an open mind. Your strategy may need to pivot if your intended audience doesn’t initially respond to the content or no one is sharing it. Embrace a spirit of flexibility and consider new avenues for content delivery as they become available or your target market shifts. When in doubt, ask yourself this question: Who is my audience and how am I helping them find this video?