live video

Give Your Marketing Strategy a Boost With Video

Photo by George Milton

Video is great for any marketing plan. It allows you to engage with your customers in a more dynamic and visually-appealing way, which can be more efficient in getting your brand’s message across. But where do you start? How do you create videos that are effective and engaging?

This guide from My Rich Brand will provide an overview of video marketing tips and tricks that your small business can employ today.

1. Make Room for Video in Your Marketing Plan

Videos can be added to your content marketing strategy to engage viewers beyond blog posts or social media campaigns. This helps keep viewers engaged with your brand even after they’ve finished watching the main video.

2. Consider Your Target Audience

When it comes to video, it’s important to tailor the content specifically for your target market. This means considering demographics—gender, location, interests, etc., and psychographics—lifestyle choices and values. By understanding who your target audience is and what they are looking for from your brand, you can craft a message that resonates with them.

3. Plan Your Video Content

It’s time to identify the type of video you want to create among many options, including explainer videos, product demos, customer testimonials, and more. Each type has its own purpose and should be tailored to meet the needs of your target audience.

4. Budget So You Don’t Overspend

Creating videos can be an expensive undertaking. When setting a budget for your video project, consider production costs (i.e., equipment rental/purchase, hiring actors), scripting costs, editing costs, and distribution costs. Knowing how much money you have will help ensure you don’t overspend on unnecessary items or services.   

5. Use Stock Footage for Cost Savings

If you’re looking for ways to save money on video production costs without sacrificing quality, finding royalty-free stock videos instead of shooting new footage yourself is the answer. Search online for large libraries of high-quality stock footage that can be used in place of filming new material. But do make sure that any stock footage used is properly licensed so you don’t face copyright issues down the line. 

6. Post Where You Can Get the Most Reach

Once your video is complete, it’s time to publish it online. But where exactly should it be posted? It depends on the type of video being created and your desired reach and engagement level. For example, a short product demo may work better on YouTube, while testimonials will do well on Instagram, so choose wisely.

7. Measure Performance

Last but not least, track the success of each video campaign. Measuring what worked well and what didn't ensures that you can improve upon future campaigns. Measurement tools such as Google Analytics or Facebook Insights can offer valuable insights into how viewers engage with each video campaign. 

In 2023, video marketing remains an essential tool for small businesses looking to increase visibility online and uniquely engage with customers. From choosing the right type of video based on the needs of your target audience to measuring campaign effectiveness post-launch, this guide has everything you need to know to create successful video campaigns that bring results.

Looking for more ways to elevate your digital marketing efforts? See how My Rich Brand can help.

An Introduction to Live Video Marketing: Part II

A few weeks ago, we published An Introduction to Live Video Marketing: Part I. Today, we’re going even more in-depth and discussing some more tips and tricks to keep in mind when entering the world of live video marketing. By the end of 2019, 80 percent of the world’s Internet traffic will be video. Furthermore, viewers spend 8x longer with live video compared to video-on-demand. So what is it that makes live video so appealing and what are people looking for when watching?

According to Dr. James McQuivey of Forrester Research, a one-minute video has the same value as 1.8 million words, a.k.a. the equivalent to 3,600 web pages. The fact is, most people prefer to watch rather than read something simply because it takes less energy. The human brain processes video and images faster than text-based content, meaning they’re able to absorb more information from a shorter video compared to a lengthy article. That said, there are many platforms from which you can choose to host your live video, and it’s important to understand on which of these your target audience spends the most time.

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Facebook Live

With Facebook being the mother of social media, it’s no surprise they were the first ones to integrate live video hosting. This, of course. makes them the leader in attracting the largest audiences, but Facebook also offers the unique option of choosing a particular audience. This allows the opportunity to create tailor-made videos for different groups; perhaps older generations will want a detailed breakdown of how to use a product, while millennials would prefer engaging in a Q&A. With FB Live, you can deliver both versions. Videos can last for up to four hours and FB gives detailed analytics reports on peak viewers, number of people reached, comments, shares, reactions, etc. FB also alerts your followers when you are going live and lets you leave the video up on your page indefinitely so it is available at any time, even after the streaming is over.


Instagram Live

Although it has only been around for about two years, Instagram Live is a major player when considering where to stream. Unlike Facebook where you use high-quality compatible cameras, IG may seem less professional because it is all done through your mobile device. And while video quality is incredibly important when streaming, the more casual feel can provide a more authentic and engaging experience for viewers. It’s ideal for impromptu Q&A’s, a quick behind-the-scenes look, or even just putting a face to your brand and humanizing yourself a bit more. Not to mention it’s more cost-effective because you’re not paying for that fancy camera equipment. The video does disappear after you conclude, but this also encourages people to be more alert as to when you’ll be going live so they don’t miss anything.

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Twitter Live

A.k.a. Periscope, a live-streaming app acquired by Twitter in 2015. Twitter is known for being the place to go when watching or attending an event so that you can live tweet or follow along with others by using a designated hashtag. When the opportunity presented itself, it only made sense that the company would implement a way to view these events in real time. The two platforms work seamlessly together, but are unique in that the video is available through two separate apps. Like Instagram, Periscope is limited to mobile only so it too is best used when talking about something spontaneous. The raw footage may seem less advantageous on paper, but it gives people the feeling of really being there as the imperfections are more relatable to real life.


Like anything else, each platform has its pros and cons; the only way to really know what’s best for you and your business is through trial-and-error. Test out your options and see how people respond. But hey, everyone usually posts to at least four different platforms a day, so why limit yourself with streaming?





An Introduction to Live Video Marketing: Part I

Last week, we briefly touched on four digital trends to look out for in 2019. But one in particular stands out, so we felt like a full blog post was needed to discuss it.  

Live video. It’s a tactic that can intimidate many people. Hearing yourself on camera, worrying about your appearance, tripping over your words… it can be scary! But, it can also be an incredibly useful tool in driving sales and generating leads if done right. 70 percent of marketers say video produces more conversions than any other content, and 73 percent of B2B organizations report a positive ROI from video marketing. It’s no secret that people love watching videos, so why not use that love to benefit your business?

Video content marketing has been a strong contender in the industry for a few years now, but thanks to new features on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, live video has now become possible for everyone to capture. People spend three times longer watching video which is live compared to pre-recorded content. That said, I think we can all agree not all videos are created equal, which is why it’s important to come up with a strategy before just jumping into the live video game head first. Length, video quality, content, time of day--these are only a few of the factors to keep in mind when prepping for your first live stream.

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Timeliness

Timeliness comes in two ways. First, you want to avoid the video being unnecessarily long. Our attention spans aren’t as long as they used to be, so people will get bored quickly if you begin to drone on. Cut the cheesiness and keep it real, don’t waste time thinking about a script or you’ll risk coming across as too rehearsed or sounding canned, thus taking away the feeling of live video. Secondly, you’ll want to be aware of your video’s timeliness in regards to your target audience. If you’re looking to reach executives, avoid live streaming during the middle of the workday as most people will be too busy to watch. If you’re trying to target parents, you want to plan around when they’ll likely be putting the kids to bed, packing lunches, checking homework, etc. Your video campaigns are meant for these people, so do your best to stream at an appropriate time for them tune in.  


Production Quality

Overwhelmingly, people’s top priority when watching videos online is quality. 67 percent say video quality is the most crucial factor when watching a live stream, and 23 percent who have been presented with a poor quality video experience would hesitate to purchase from that brand. If you don’t hold your videos to a high standard, who’s to say you don’t do the same to your products or services. Perception is everything, and with the multitude of user-friendly platforms available from which to stream, viewers’ expectations are higher than ever. Plus, no one wants to share a bad video on their feed.

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Engaging Content

It may seem like this goes without saying, but many brands struggle to come up with content that audiences actually want to view in real time. The most significant benefit of live video is that it gives followers a sense of “being there.” The various tools allow for the audience to engage via likes, comments, questions, etc., so take advantage of that. Invite them to be a part of your event, interview, behind-the-scenes look, or whatever it is you’re streaming. Although earlier we stressed the importance of not seeming overly rehearsed, it is equally important not to appear as if you are just winging it. Part of your strategy needs to be having a clear and concise purpose to your video and making sure viewers understand that purpose right out of the gate. Keep titles short but attention-grabbing, don’t leave people wondering what they’re watching or they’ll feel like you’re wasting their time.

As stated by the title, this is merely an introduction to live video marketing. We’ve barely scratched the surface, so stay tuned for another installment where we’ll broach some tips to executing your first successful live stream.