If You Aren’t Using Video as Part of a PR Strategy, This is Why You Should Do It Now
It’s no secret that video has become a crucial part of our lives and search. Today, you can go to YouTube or TikTok to learn how to do just about anything from cooking and painting to how to best pack a suitcase and the latest, product trends.
Why has video become such a phenomenon? Video is simply more engaging and captivating than just reading an article plus the visual instruction of watching someone do something helps us learn faster. This is a huge win for products and services that require some sort of demonstration to help customers understand why it is so unique and creates an instant “cool” vibe and desire to have. The ability to add links into videos allows people to shop from the post or video. Amazing.
Using video as part of your PR (public relations) strategy can not only be an effective way to engage your audience, but it can tell your story in a way that creates immediate understanding and emotional connection while also promoting your brand story.
For media, it can be an easy way for them to quickly understand the company story and generate interest in telling that story to a broader public. Creating a video broll package for your online newsroom can also be edited into shorts to be used on the website, social media or your favorite video channel. Yes, they are all searchable!
With this understanding it becomes very easy to understand why video should be a sure thing part of your PR and marketing strategies.
How to incorporate video into your PR strategy:
Define Your Goals: Start by identifying your PR goals and how video can help you achieve them. What is the purpose of the video? Are you looking to raise brand awareness, promote a new product or service, or educate your audience? Maybe you want to highlight the subject matter experts within the company. Clearly define your objectives so that you can tailor your video content accordingly. Moreover, a document outlining these objectives can be very helpful to your videographer as they work to build an accurate treatment for the video(s) you need.
Identify Your Target Audience: Consider who your target audience is and what type of videos would resonate with them. What do you want to communicate to the audience? How do you want to engage them with the video and what action do you want them to take after watching it? Understanding your audience’s preferences and interests will help you create video content that is relevant and engaging. Moreover, it will help you create a plan for distribution.
Choose the Right Video Format: There are various video formats to choose from, such as promotional videos, educational videos, behind-the-scenes videos, testimonials, and more. Select the format that aligns with your PR goals and resonates with your target audience. A professional videographer can also help you define the right format based on your objectives. A good partner can collaborate with you for impactful video.
Develop Compelling Video Content: Defining the company’s compelling story before you begin the video planning process is critical to your success. High-quality video content that tells a compelling story and aligns with your brand messaging can increase engagement and results. Ensure that your video is visually appealing, well-scripted, and professionally produced to make a positive impression on your audience. I can’t say it enough — Lighting matters. There are too many affordable lighting options available with overnight delivery that can make your video go from unprofessional and drab looking to professional and “wow”.
Leverage Video Distribution Channels: Decide where to distribute your video content to reach your target audience effectively. Understanding where your audience “lives” will help you determine the best channels to use for distribution as well as the type of versions you need. You can use social media platforms, your website, email newsletters, online communities, and media outlets to share your videos. All of these options have different requirements or viewer thresholds. It’s important to understand what these differences are and budget for additional versions of the video for muti-channel use.
Consider using a mix of paid and organic distribution strategies to maximize reach. Videos can easily be cut into something that can be used as a social media ad or sponsored post.
Engage with Your Audience: Now that you’ve distributed and share the video, encourage your audience to engage with your video content by inviting them to like, comment, and share. Respond promptly to comments and messages and foster a conversation around your video content. It’s a great way to start a conversation with your audience and help you build a relationship with your audience, establishing a positive brand image.
Engage Media: When pitching media, always include a link to any explainer or short demo videos that will give them an immediate idea of why your product is so unique and why people should know about your service. Journalists are busier now, than ever before. Some are doing the job of three people, so giving them a quick pitch via video can have an impact. The video can do the media pitching for you and that’s just one of the reasons it’s key for your PR campaigns.
Search and Sell: If you haven’t heard, two of the largest search engines, behind Google and Amazon, are YouTube and Tiktok. But don’t underestimate the power of Pinterest. These video-focused platforms are searchable, and you can sell directly from the platforms. Great videos on either or all of these platforms can offer powerful results when done with purpose and consistency. Videos on websites can also be made searchable using descriptions and meta tags, making Google Videos a contender for increasing search visibility.
Monitor and Measure Results: Metrics are everything to understanding how your marketing and PR campaigns are not just performing but impacting the business. Analytics tools can track the performance of your video content and monitor metrics such as views, engagement, shares, and conversions to measure the effectiveness of your PR video strategy. Use the insights gained to refine your approach and improve future video content.
By incorporating video into your PR strategy, you can create engaging content that is easy for people to engage with. People love videos so it’s time to meet the people where they are online through what interests them. Make it creative and unique enough to share and they will evangelize for you.
