3 Keys to Effective Multi-Channel Video Marketing Planning
If your comprehensive marketing plan includes video assets, planning for multi-channel production on the front end is key. A studio team that thinks and executes holistically creates efficiencies, supports business goals, and enhances overall success.
Multi-channel video marketing involves optimizing your message across different channels and platforms, including YouTube, emails, blog posts, social platforms, traditional TV, digital banners and more, in order to reach different audiences. But reaching them alone is not enough to drive success – it’s important to align your goals and select the right platforms to deliver your message when, where and how your audiences want to engage with them. So how do you build holistic, well-performing, multi-channel video marketing plans?
Start With Why
If you haven’t read Simon Sinek’s Start With Why, we highly recommend it. In the book Sinek analyzes how inspiration drives action and introduces the concept of three concentric “golden circles” of why, how, and what. While the book is not directed at how to build marketing campaigns, the golden circle breakdown is an excellent place to start when building multi-channel video messaging, and our studio team regularly considers projects through the lenses of Sinek’s circles. For any campaign, we focus on: why we do what we do; how we do what we do; and what it is we’re aiming to do.
In our content studio, here’s what the golden circles concept looks like in action:
Why: Define your goal
The why for your marketing needs to remain clear across channels. Your why should not only focus on the purpose of the campaign, but also on the action you want audiences to take after viewing your video content. Are we driving traffic to a landing page? Are we just focusing on inspiration and awareness? Do we want engagement? Do we want to capture first-party data? Once you know your goals, every channel you use as part of your campaign should drive action to that goal.
How: Define your paths to your goal
Once the why is clearly identified, it’s time to narrow down which platforms will help you achieve that goal. It’s important to consider which audiences are using specific channels and tailor your video content accordingly. Keep in mind video content specs and optimizations vary by platform, so it’s important to understand what type of content performs best on each platform and optimize as needed. For example, if you are using a platform optimized for short-form content (like YouTube pre-rolls), having your brand and CTA front and center is important to inspire action from your viewers. It’s also important to notice how your audience is consuming the content. For platforms that users don’t normally use with sound on (like social media feeds where users are scrolling content), consider creative tactics to make sure your messaging isn’t lost, like incorporating key graphics and closed captioning.
What: Define your steps toward your goal
When it comes to activation it’s important to carry the holistic thinking throughout the entire process of creating your video content. Once the team aligns on the why (in this case, knowing the action we want our viewers to take) and the how (which platforms are best to drive the action we need viewers to take), we move on to the specifics of what we are making. As our team jumps into pre-production, it’s important they understand all the deliverables. As we build our plans and shot lists, we will incorporate the needs of all delivery platforms. Need vertical, square, horizontal, 360, VR or AR? We will account for our identified channels as we plan production. By taking a more holistic approach, you can elevate the quality and efficiency of your projects, giving your campaigns more content to populate all the necessary channels.
Having a production partner well-versed in your brand can help you execute multiple deliverables while maintaining messaging. Your campaign’s why should remain front and center throughout the entire process from the first brief to the final files. While the nuances of your multi-channel video content may adjust from platform to platform, keep your desired outcomes at the front of the conversation throughout your entire journey producing your campaign. This holistic approach, focused on why, will help you maximize your video projects to achieve your campaign goals.
Looking for ways to optimize your multi-channel video marketing? Thinking holistically about production can help you accomplish your overall goals.
