Video marketing has never been more popular. Your social media strategy demands it, but I’m here to take some pressure off.
You don’t need a viral video.
As a video producer, I don’t have any control over that phenomenon. I have the power to create a good video. I have the power to tell a great story. But I do not have the power to make someone share that video.
The good news: a viral video doesn’t ensure business success. For every “Will it blend?” (the viral blender infomercial) success story there’s a “Carrie” failure. The 2013 horror film reboot promotion went viral, with more than 67 million views to-date, but the movie was a box office flop.
It’s more important to produce videos focused on the “right” audience, instead of one that reaches millions who might not be your customers.
Focus on your viewers when you produce videos. Who is our audience? What is going to appeal to them? How can we help serve them with our content? All questions you should be asking before you start shooting.
Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, one of our customers, does an awesome job with this.
Its videos are incredibly powerful and effective marketing tools. LSS officials show the videos to people who might need the services, as well as potential donors. In short, they show the videos to the people they most want to connect with.
See… you don’t need a viral video. You need a marketing video plan that focuses on your core audience. That’s a better recipe for video success.
-Tony Gnau is founder and chief storytelling officer at Milwaukee-based T60 Productions.
