How to grow your audience with video

Whether you are an aspiring content creator or a video communication enthusiast, a business looking to improve interactions with your customers, or a small business owner trying to share your expertise, the power of video can help you connect with your audience like no other type of content. And while new technologies make it possible for anyone to be a video maker, in order to achieve today’s communication today you still need to be able to master certain concepts and be familiar with a range of tools and operational practices.

Which video is the right one for that precise segment of the target audience? What’s the best place for it in the marketing funnel, and on which channels should you present it in order to intercept the right viewers?

In this post, we will answer these and other questions to help you understand how to grow your audience with video content.

Creating your video strategy: how to grow your audience through targeted content

Video content is an indispensable resource for effectively engaging with your audience. To succeed in a highly competitive environment, a strategic approach is crucial, and this starts with gaining a full understanding of who you want your viewers to become. Building buyer personas and identifying distinct target segments are essential steps toward creating video content that resonates, supports your touch points, and ultimately grows your audience.

1.Develop (buyer) personas that are credible and realistic  

Before you engage in video production, you must first develop (buyer) personas that are credible and realistic. Personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers, created by gathering data and insights through a variety of methods, including direct questionnaires and market research. Consider demographic data, psychographics, pain point analysis, goals, and preferences.

The idea is to match each person with a unique subset of your potential audience. Personalized videos represent the closest solution to this one-to-one communication today.

2.Segment your audience 

After you have created your buyer personas, it’s time to segment your target audience. A segmentation activity involves distributing the broader audience into distinct groups that are endowed with shared characteristics or interests. For example, a clothing brand might segment its audience into categories such as “fashion-forward millennials,” “budget-conscious shoppers,” and “athletic wear enthusiasts.” Understanding these segments allows you to create video content that is tailored to each audience group.

3.Identify critical points and desires  

To create content that truly resonates with your audience, you need to identify their weaknesses and desires. What problems are they trying to solve and what are their aspirations? Administer surveys, organize and participate in social listening activities, and analyze feedback from existing viewers to get detailed information about the concrete needs of your audience.  Your video content should address these pain points and propose solutions that are actionable.

4.Create ideas for targeted content  

Keeping in mind the audience segments that you intend to target, gather ideas for video content that specifically addresses the needs and interests of that particular group. Think carefully about the format, tone, and narrative structure that will resonate most with your message. For example, educational videos might appeal to one segment, while for another, inspirational stories might be the best approach.

5.Take advantage of personalization  

Personalization is a powerful tool for creating effective video content. Use data and insights to tailor your videos to each of your audience segments. Customize titles, thumbnails, and calls to action—all the elements that can be modified based on the information you have collected.

By personalizing your video content, you demonstrate that you are predisposed to listening and are making an effort to understand the needs of the individuals you’re targeting. Personalized videos increase your viewers’ engagement because they furnish a familiar and accessible world.

6.Be present 

A continuous and stable presence is the key to activating virtuous processes that can accelerate audience growth. Stick to a regular posting schedule and interact with your audience through comments and interactions.

Respond promptly to questions and feedback, and consider using interactive videos to respond to urgent questions or offer alternative versions of the same product or service. These are all actions that can foster a sense of community.

7.Monitor and measure

As your video strategy evolves, regularly monitor how each piece of content performs. Use data analysis tools to measure views, engagement, and conversions for each audience segment.

Identify what works and what doesn’t and be prepared to take timely action. You will need to continuously refine your strategy in order to continue sustained audience growth.

8.Choose the most appropriate publication channels

When it comes to video content, not all channels are equal. Define where your target segments are most active and tailor your video distribution accordingly. For example, Instagram and TikTok might be ideal for reaching a younger audience, while LinkedIn or YouTube might be better suited for a professional demographic group.

9.Adopt video automation platforms 

Traditionally, creating professional-quality video takes time, specific skills, and can result in a complex and frustrating process. From video production and editing to video distribution, the costs are likely to be quite high. Moreover, the video produced is usually released in a standard version, which must be adapted many times in order to engage more groups of people. Video automation platforms make it possible to automate the creation of video content with a scalable, data-driven approach. They offer a centralized hub for collaborative video production and make the creation of high-quality content easier and more efficient.

Video production platforms leverage automation to progressively improve the production, distribution, analysis, and personalization of video content. By integrating automation tools into the production process, companies can harness the full potential of video marketing, driving audience engagement and growth while simultaneously saving time and resources.

How to grow an audience? Embrace the power of automation

In the world of video marketing, automation has already changed the rules of the game. Automation of many aspects of the video production process can significantly improve efficiency and help maintain consistency in terms of the brand message system. By using automated tools to enhance and streamline editing and data analysis activities, you can save time and focus on the more creative ideation phase. By taking advantage of automation, you can streamline your production pipeline and improve your marketing activities, ultimately fostering the growth of your audience and your business.

Companies and content creators are increasingly turning to video automation not only to stay competitive, but more importantly, to grow financially. Automation can significantly cut production costs by minimizing the need for manual labor in areas such as video editing, thumbnail creation, and distribution. This cost-saving advantage allows companies both large and small to strategically allocate resources and invest their budget to improve content quality and increase audience engagement.

The point is that video automation simplifies workflows: all those routine processes that are time consuming, such as rendering and publishing videos, can be automated to run smoothly in the background. This not only saves valuable time, but also minimizes the risk of human error that could potentially damage the brand image.

In addition, automation unlocks the power of data-driven personalization. By leveraging data analytics, companies can gain detailed insights into the preferences, behavior, and engagement patterns of their audiences.

Finally, automation plays a key role in optimizing the entire marketing funnel. Not only does it simplify the generation of video content from an omnichannel perspective, it enables data-driven personalization at every stage of the funnel.

Integrating an automated video platform into a strategy that optimizes content for each stage of the marketing funnel increases the likelihood that the right video will reach the right audience at the right time, fueling a process of audience growth and conversion.

Navigating the marketing funnel with video: personalizing content to grow your audience

To understand how to grow your audience, it’s important to know how to create video content that aligns with the specific goals and needs of your ideal viewers at each stage of the marketing funnel.

1. Awareness  

• Explainer Videos: videos that introduce your brand, product, or service to a new audience. They focus on the problem you solve and the value you offer.
• Educational Contents: demonstration videos, informative tutorials, and industry insights can help viewers better understand their problems and recognize unexpressed desires.
• Brand Storytelling: use this type of video to share your story and values while creating an emotional connection with your audience.
• Behind-the-Scenes Videos: videos that give viewers a glimpse into the company culture and production process to humanize your brand.
• Entertaining Content: fun, engaging, and shareable videos that can help increase your visibility.

2. Consideration

• Product Demos and Reviews: these videos show how your product works and the benefits it offers; it can include user testimonials and reviews.
• Comparison videos: use this type of video to compare your product or service with those of your competitors,  highlighting your strengths.
• Case studies: in-depth case studies that show how your product or service has helped customers through real-world examples.
• Expert Interviews: if you want to establish yourself as a credible source of information you can invite industry experts to discuss topics that are relevant to your audience.
• Webinars and In-Depth tutorials: videos that provide more detailed content to help potential clients make informed decisions.

3. Conversion

• Testimonials and User Stories: sharing success stories and testimonials from satisfied customers is an effective way to reassure potential customers about their purchasing decisions.
• Demo Requests and Trials: video tutorials of your product or service can be especially compelling at a stage when potential customers need to dispel even the last doubts.
• Limited-Time Offers and Discounts: incentivize conversions by focusing on creating a sense of urgency.
• Interactive Product Tours: great for guiding users through the features and benefits of your product.
• Customer Support and FAQs: video resources that help customers get the most out of their purchase and answer common questions and problems.

4. Retention

• Customer Success Stories: videos showing how your product or service had a positive impact on your customers.
• Product updates and tutorials: useful for keeping your audience informed about new features, updates, and improvements, video tutorials help customers get the most out of your product or service.
• Exclusive contents: behind-the-scenes videos, early access to new products or features, or special discounts are all exclusive content that you can use to reward your most loyal customers.
• Frequent Q&A Sessions: regular question-and-answer sessions where you clarify common doubts, provide tips and tricks, and interact directly with your audience. This helps you strengthen the relationship and address popular concerns without delay or uncertainty.
• Community building: these are the videos that foreground the community around your brand (e.g., user-generated content). The goal is to reinforce a sense of belonging and encourage your customers to become your active advocates.
• Educational Webinar: If you want to continue to inform and educate your audience on relevant topics, webinars can be a great way to keep your audience engaged.
• Feedback and surveys: asking for feedback and suggestions from your audience via video shows that you value their opinions.
• Anniversary and Milestone Celebrations: share your journey and accomplishments to strengthen your brand’s reputation by telling its story.
• Recap and Highlights: summarizes important events, product launches, or achievements in a visually appealing video format.
• Interactive contents: by incorporating interactive elements such as polls, quizzes, or challenges you encourage audience participation and engagement.
• Customer Testimonials and Reviews: continue to show positive feedback and reviews from your customers to reaffirm the value and reliability of your brand.
• Retention-focused email: use video content in your email marketing campaigns to keep your audience engaged and informed about relevant updates, offers, and news.

Remember that not all audiences follow a linear path as they advance along the funnel. Some may take longer during the awareness and consideration stages to get a feel for the brand and its product, while others may be ready to convert immediately. That’s why it is essential to have a mix of video content that is immediately available to meet the different needs of your audience at each stage of the funnel. Don’t neglect analytics and monitoring: only by understanding the behavior of your viewers can you refine your video marketing strategy and maximize audience growth.

From the initial stages of defining buyer personas to creating targeted content for each stage of the marketing funnel, understanding how to grow an audience through video is a journey that touches on many issues. In any case, only by consistently providing valuable, engaging, and personalized video content can you make meaningful connections with your audience, build trust, and ultimately achieve your marketing goals. In conclusion, the success of your videos depends on a deep understanding of your audience’s needs and preferences.