Creating a video marketing campaign successfully requires thinking ahead about where your videos will meet your target audience before you ever cast an actor or pick up a camera. In other words, you’ll need to choose the platforms on which you’ll share your videos at the start of your video production process. The platforms you choose will determine the finished product, including length, message, and aesthetics.
Ideally, you will have thought about how to reach your audience where they are most active even earlier, such as when creating a customer avatar of your target audience. If you haven’t, let’s go over key considerations for choosing the right platforms.
Meeting Your Target Audience Where They Are
When deciding on the right platform for sharing your videos, look at the target audience first. Your ultimate goal in producing these videos is for the right people to see them and take action, so you need to determine which platforms facilitate this engagement the best. Certain demographics statistically prefer some platforms over others, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The growth and engagement statistics for these platforms also change every year, so it’s important to research the most recent data and keep an eye on the changes as you continue your efforts.
Take a close look at your customer avatar. What is their age? Are they single or married, and do they have kids? What career are they likely to have? What kind of hobbies are they likely to enjoy, and what do they do with most of their free time? The answers to all of these questions will help lead you to the right platforms for their demographic.
Platforms to Consider
Social media has a few major players along with some lesser-known platforms. It can be tempting to only consider the big platforms – and you should try to have a presence on them – but it can also be extremely lucrative to invest time on platforms that are more niched if your target audience calls for it.
Facebook, for example, is still the most popular social media platform out there despite slowed growth. Having a business page on Facebook is a huge asset to your marketing efforts because it acts much like a search engine. If your target audience includes millennial suburban parents, for example, it might be worth your while to spend time there. In 2022, people in this demographic likely have a Facebook profile and join pages and groups related to their local area and interests.
Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are also major players in the social media space but tend to appeal to younger audiences. Trendier, visual-first shorter content often thrives there, making it a great place for microcontent targeted at Gen Z. Twitter and LinkedIn are better places for professional connections and serious conversations. The oft-forgotten Pinterest works well specifically for artists, creatives, and small businesses that sell unique products.
At Monzo Media Productions, we get great results for engagement on LinkedIn because that’s where our network lives and how we connect with our clients. We still spend some time on other platforms to keep a presence because leads can come from anywhere, but our ROI for LinkedIn remains superior.
Producing Videos With Platform In Mind
Identifying where your target audience lives is only half the battle. Now, you need to consider how your videos will work best on these platforms. Each platform has its own tools, features, and limitations for posting video content, so you’ll need to establish these in advance.
For example, you want to make sure you have great visual captions for a place like TikTok but worry less about these captions on other platforms. On LinkedIn, you can get away with posting an entire traditional marketing video, but on Instagram, you’re limited in time and format.
Each platform also has its tone and style – a humorous or disingenuous video might do well on Twitter, but LinkedIn would call for a more professional product. User behavior also makes a huge difference. Instagram Reels, for instance, will only keep promoting your video if viewers spend more than a few seconds watching and engaging with likes, comments, and shares.
If you’re inexperienced with the platforms on which you believe your target audience lives, it’s important to spend time learning about the intricacies before you produce your videos. Contact Monzo Media Productions for more guidance on choosing platforms for sharing your videos.
