With people stuck inside, video streaming services like Netflix and YouTube are grabbing all of the attention of content-hungry viewers. As these media giants dominate the market, it might seem impossible to generate organic growth for your own video content. Traditional video production strategies are no longer possible, but consumers are still demanding content.
The rush to adapt to this new landscape of video content has led a lot of brands to push out video content on every available platform. But many marketers fail to ask themselves: who is this content for? Without a clear organic growth strategy, all you’re doing is relying on luck to make your video go viral. To make your own video content break through the noise, focus on increasing organic growth by targeting your audience’s needs and interests during this time.
One major leader that’s emerged in this space is PBS Digital Studios. With over 9.7 billion minutes watched and 84% of its audience spanning ages 18 to 49, PBS’s video content has seen enormous organic growth through digital transformation. By taking their traditional broadcast content and adapting it for YouTube audiences, PBS has been able to stay connected with its viewers during the pandemic, while also continuing to expand their reach.
Be Specific
Before you start churning out content, take a second to consider the purpose of what you’re putting out onto the internet. Are you showing support for your customers? Offering a useful service during quarantine? The internet is overwhelmed with content – focus on quality rather than quantity.
It’s great to have a video production team that can churn out content, especially during this shift to virtual work. But, in order to be successful, your content marketing strategy needs to be specific.
For consumers today, there’s no apparent lack of content. From streaming services, to your favorite beer brands, video content is being produced non-stop. Don’t try to capture the attention of every consumer that’s spending time on the internet right now. Instead, be specific and focus in on your target demographic. Once your video content team becomes specific about its target demographic, the content itself will be more pointed toward organic growth.
For example, Green Buzz has been producing weekly livestream videos for Stand Together’s new #GiveTogetherNow campaign. This new campaign was launched in the wake of the coronavirus, and its use of celebrity hosts – including former NFL player Dhani Jones and National Geographic photographer Jimmy Chin – and livestream optimization has allowed them to successfully target their audience.
Make a Dedicated Plan
After you’ve narrowed down the audience for your content, your marketing strategy can expand beyond the creative ideation of the content. Consider distribution strategy: which platforms does your target audience engage with the most? Try to get a sense of what your target audience is attracted to, while also acknowledging the volatility of consumer trends during this rapidly changing period.
According to the New York Times, the coronavirus lined up with a 15.3% increase in traffic on the YouTube webpage, and 4.5% decrease in traffic on the YouTube app. This data highlights important information about how consumer viewing trends have shifted during the pandemic. Viewers are moving away from consuming content on apps, and have taken to consuming content on desktops or larger screens.
This consumer insight suggests that your video content plan should be tailored to full-screen viewing. Consumers may have longer attention spans, or at least looking for more immersive video content.
Encourage Conversation
Your strategy is in place and your content has been optimized. Now, it’s time to put your content out there. Publish your video content on all of the relevant platforms for your audience. But, your work isn’t done yet. Well-optimized content is great, but in order to encourage consistent organic growth, you need to foster an interactive online community.
Offering a space for conversation will improve your brand awareness, while also showing a more human side to your marketing content. However, the feedback you get won’t all be congratulatory. Having a space for open conversation opens the door for negative responses – but don’t be afraid of constructive feedback or criticism. Ultimately, this type of immediate feedback is useful in guiding your content strategy and staying connected with your audience.
Additionally, the more active you are in these online communities, the more tuned in you’ll be to what its users want to see. Speculating about what content will be successful based on statistics is a great starting point, but it takes continued conversation with your audience to ensure organic growth.
Stay Tuned In
In such a rapidly changing global environment, it’s more important than ever to stay tuned into what your target audience needs most. Plus, with no clear image of what our “new normal” will look like, many brands have turned to sharing their own executive insight. For example, marketing leaders at top brands like NASCAR and Make-A-Wish have stepped up to share how they’re continuing to adapt throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Plus, Head of PBS Digital Studios Brandon Arolfo shared his company’s own insight into how strategic content creation can allow brands to accelerate growth during this time. In collaboration with Green Buzz Agency’s webinar series, Brandon discussed “Content Creation that Powers Growth and Digital Transformation During COVID-19.” Learn more and stream the full webinar below.
As the economic and social environment around us continues to change, it’s crucial to continue seeking new insight. From consumer needs, to high-level business strategy, staying connected to the ideas and minds within your industry will provide guidance in such an uncertain time. And remember – the best organic marketing strategy is born from a combination of educated insight and thoughtful innovation. Successful video production teams lead with data and creativity.
Emily Herman, Marketing and Communications.