Keys to Building a Successful Online Video Strategy
Before creating an online video campaign, spend a little time strategizing -- deciding who the target audience is and how they can best be reached.
Building a successful online video strategy was the topic of a late morning session at the recent Online Video Strategies conference in London. Simon Crofts, creative director for viral agency ST16, began the session. Crofts started by showing this video -- Crashproof Motorbike -- a viral that his team created, and then offered tips on how ST16 made the campaign successful.
Strategy Starts at the Creative Stage
In the case of Crashproof Motorbike, ST16 was trying to push training classes to motorcyclists, a group that's especially resistant to sermonizing messages. The agency started by running focus groups to weigh the effectiveness of different approaches. It decided on a viral that takes the look of a foreign news report. Before starting a video or a series of videos, decide what approach will best get your target audience's attention.
Use Broad Viewership to Reach a Specific Audience
The client behind the Crashproof video wanted to reach a specific audience in a particular part of England. While there's no way to drive online views in only one part of the word with a viral video, ST16 was able to use the global attention the video received to get press in the targeted region. While many local motorcyclists had already seen the video, the resulting press drew even more to view it. Having a public relations effort tied to a viral video helps it gain exposure, Crofts noted.
Don't Skimp on the Budget
While many viral videos look like they were created with a basic webcam, they weren't. It takes a lot of money to get the strategy and production details exactly right. Companies that want to trick their audience with a viral video need to make sure all the specifics are correct. To view more tips on creating a successful online video strategy, view the full session below.
Building a Successful Online Video Strategy
Simon Crofts, Creative Director, ST16
Sarah Platt, Co-founder / Sales & Marketing Director (UK), Kinura Web Video
Steffan Aquarone, Independent Web Video Strategist
Thomas Owadenko, CEO, Videoagency
From audience research and setting key performance indicators to distributing your content and evaluating its success, there’s more to a winning video strategy than simply posting some clips online and hoping people find them. Via case studies and research, this session looks at the big online video picture before later sessions dig into the details.