Now that you understand that video content is king, as well as how to create one to fit your brand and build an amazing video workflow, that is just one piece of the puzzle. To truly leverage the power of video, you need a well-thought-out distribution strategy to ensure your content reaches the right people, on the right platforms, at the right time.
Here is a surefire way to develop a video distribution strategy that maximizes your reach, increases engagement and boosts your return on investment (ROI).
Before you even begin thinking about where to post your videos, it’s important to set goals. What are you hoping to achieve with your video content? How will you determine what is or isn't successful? The clearer your objectives, the more effective your strategy will be. Here are some things to base your goals around:
Once you have defined your goals, the next step is to establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure success. These could be metrics like views, engagement rate, click-through rate (CTR), or the number of leads generated.
Your video distribution strategy must be tailored to your audience's preferences and behaviors. This means identifying who your target audience is and understanding where they spend their time online. You can use data analytics from platforms like Google Analytics (GA4), social media insights and customer surveys to get a clearer picture of your audience’s demographic, interests and preferred platforms.
Ask yourself:
Answering these questions will help you focus your efforts on creating a video that will resonate most with your audience.
Not all platforms are created equally when it comes to video distribution. Each platform has its unique audience, personality, format preferences and best practices. Based on your audience research, you can choose the most effective platforms to share your content.
Here’s a breakdown of the most popular video distribution platforms and their strengths:
By selecting the right mix of platforms, you’ll be able to meet your audience where they’re most likely to engage.
Now that you've selected your platform, it is time to optimize your content for each platform. Each social network and video-sharing site has different specifications, so you’ll want to format your videos accordingly:
Tailoring your video content to the specifications and best practices of each platform will make it easier for viewers to engage and share.
While organic reach is important, paid promotions can give your video content a much-needed boost, especially on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Running targeted ads allows you to reach specific demographics, interests and behaviors, ensuring your video reaches the people who are most likely to take action.
Consider the following paid strategies:
Paid promotion can amplify your reach and ensure your content is seen by a larger, targeted audience.
Once your video is live and distributed across your chosen platforms, it’s time to track its performance. Use platform analytics and third-party tools to measure how well your video is performing against your KPIs.
Look at metrics such as:
This data will help you understand what’s working and what’s not. If certain videos or platforms are underperforming, don’t be afraid to adjust your approach. You might need to experiment with different video types, adjust your copy, tweak your targeting or budgets, or even alter the video format.
One of the best ways to extend the life of your video content is by repurposing it for other formats or platforms. A longer YouTube video can be chopped into shorter clips for Instagram or TikTok. You can also use the key points from a video for blog posts or infographics, driving even more traffic and engagement.
Repurposing content is a cost-effective way to get more mileage out of the videos you’ve already created, maximizing both your ROI and their impact across multiple channels.
A solid video distribution strategy is key to unlocking the full potential of your video content. By clearly defining your goals, understanding your audience, choosing the right platforms, optimizing for each one, leveraging paid ads, and constantly monitoring performance, you’ll be well on your way to maximizing your video marketing ROI.
Remember, video distribution isn’t a one-time effort — it’s an ongoing process. Continuously test, optimize and refine your approach to keep your video marketing strategy fresh and effective.
Ready to supercharge your video distribution strategy but find yourself in need of some guidance? We're happy to help and have worked with multi-million dollar companies to produce and distribute all sorts of video content. Contact us to start the process at content@akcmarketing.com!