Everyone says you need video but no one tells you how to make a video or one that works.
We’ve been living in the wild west of video marketing for over a decade now and while the landscape is ever-changing, we’ve learned a few things that remain constant. It’s no secret that video is here to stay.
“Over 95% of marketers say they see success from short-form video content.” 1
If you’ve been tasked with creating video content you might be asking yourself these questions or facing these problems:
- What are we trying to do?
You don’t have a clear picture of the purpose of the video other than knowing you need a video. It’s an impossible task if there’s no clear purpose. - Who is this video for?
“Everyone.” Well, that’s not helpful. - What kind of video should I make?
There are too many types of videos. Explainer, Promo, Reels, oh my! - I don’t know how to make a video.
Unless you’re a natural influencer or went to school for video; the technical side can feel overwhelming. - “We don’t have the budget to outsource.”
You might have heard video is expensive, but how expensive is it really?
Hot Tip: If you have less than $5K, we have some options to help you start your planning. - Where should I put this video?
It might seem like you should put it everywhere online, but certain platforms require certain formats – including specific messaging tailored to that platform. - How do I know if it was a success? How do I track results?
Maybe you’ve done the impossible and made a video, now what? How do you know if it was any good?
Strategy by definition is the art and science of devising a plan of action or policy designed to achieve one or more goals under conditions of uncertainty.
And if there’s one thing to be said about digital marketing, it’s that it’s very uncertain. So with a defined video strategy, it takes some of the guesswork out.
A strategic video marketing plan ensures that the video content produced is optimized per platform and ensures the content and format engages your target audience. Not to mention, there are different types of videos for each stage of the marketing and sales funnel and it clarifies which you should choose.
One of the benefits of a strategic video plan is being able to define up front what data you plan to analyze. It’s also a great time to identify what A/B tests you can run to try out various messaging, CTAs, or even video execution styles to see what resonates with your audience most.
Let’s take a look at how you might strategically approach a single video within a larger plan.
- Define the goal of the video.
Each video needs to have one specific goal. Try asking yourself, “what do I want to achieve with this specific video?” We know you may want the video to do a lot. Define its primary goal. Consider a goal like, to increase conversions by 2% or increase brand awareness. - Understand your audience and customer buyer’s journey.
Now, who are you talking to? It can’t be everyone. We want to be as specific as possible at this stage. What does your audience care about? What platforms are they using? What is their lifestyle like? What are the deeper ways this message might impact your audience? - Identify the type of video needed.
Remember those goals from before? They tell you what type of video to create. Certain videos work for certain stages of the marketing funnel. For example, to increase brand awareness, you need to make an awareness video. These are often on the shorter side and don’t go into too much detail. Their purpose is to get people interested in learning more about you and moving into that next part of the funnel. - Create the video!
Now this is the fun part! You might need to hire an external partner if there are no internal resources for creating videos, but either way, you need to have clear and defined messaging that is most effective in achieving your goal (see bullets 1 and 2.)
What message will resonate with that audience and what message is aligned with your brand’s values and mission? This is how you attract your customers, it’s the X factor. Each type of video at a different stage of the marketing and sales funnel will require different messaging as well. Is it a B2C video or B2B video? Dial in your messaging. - Budget for the future
It’s hard to budget if you don’t know how much things cost. A great strategic marketing plan can lay out your next quarter or year or more so you can see how much money and resources you have to allocate to each project. When you know how many videos you need to make and have a clear plan of what each will be, external partners can provide efficiencies so you get the most value for your money. - Select which channels will play your video.
Where is your target audience active? It’s no surprise that the digital world and social media are always evolving (and quickly!) But there are best practices for each channel or platform (like dimensions and length of video.) So make sure your video is following those best practices.
Video is a big investment so we like to create content that can be repurposed intentionally and easily. You’ll want different formats per channel and stage of the funnel so plan for cutdowns, longforms, vertical videos, etc. Assets that can be used for print or static graphics – a good video strategy works within marketing plans, not outside of them. - Measure the success of the video.
A good strategy doesn’t stop once the video is out in the world. Review and analyze the data from your video and pivot accordingly so that you can hit those goals you set. Strategy and Marketing go hand in hand – one informs the other. So as things are being A/B tested, adjust the strategy and make things more effective for your audience. We know you need to see your ROI and be able to say to stakeholders, “Check out the video that increased awareness by X%.”
It’s never a one-plan-fits-all solution – especially not with video. It’s a science and an art to perfecting your video marketing strategy. So no more shooting in the dark. Well, a little, but it’s scientific shooting in the dark.
We like to give extremely detailed action plans so that there are no questions or surprises and you can get to work meeting and exceeding your marketing goals.
And if you want help getting started, reach out to Emily at emily@thepixelpark.com to see if booking a video marketing strategy session is right for you!
Update 10/29/25: Since the writing of this blog post, we now have a dedicated strategy webpage where you can learn more about our video marketing strategy services.
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