Knowing your audience is critical to video content marketing success and audience growth.
If you provide the right video, to the right people, in the right places, you can dramatically improve your results.
All of us have had experiences where our marketing was completely off target.
My Co-Founder once gave a lecture on entrepreneurship to a university class. He told them that one tool that helped immensely in his early days of his business was a satellite pager. It allowed him to provide superior service to his clients. And it felt awesome to use a technology that was connected to space.
It reminded him of the joy and wonder he felt when he stayed up late as a child to watch the Apollo moon landing.
The students had a bewildered look on their faces. None of them had yet been born. They didn’t know anything about the moon landing.
There was a total disconnect. And we still laugh about it today.
How to Connect with your Audience
It’s easy to see how you can miss the mark in your video content marketing.
Whether you are creating your own video content or curating video content you need to know your audience.
Know your Audience – 5 Questions you need to answer
- Who? – which people are “your tribe”
- What? – type of video content they prefer
- When? – times when people will engage
- Where? – favorite online places
- Why? – purpose for engaging with content
Your video content marketing strategy needs to formulated with these answers in mind.
Below are examples of how you can appeal to a larger audience by delivering video content that engages.
The Cultural Connection of Video
A recent Facebook study found that U.S. Hispanics, Asian Americans and African Americans place a high value on cultural heritage. They believe that video helps them stay connected to their culture.
These groups are more likely to watch and engage with video multiple times a day on their phones or tablets.
Video content resonates strongly with these cultural groups. They create, engage with and consume more video content than the general population.
Video content related to family, food, language, music and sports has overall appeal because it has an element of cultural connection.
But there are differences,among and within these cultural groups, in the types of videos that appeal to them.
Based on the survey results, to engage your audience here is the content you should use:
- US Hispanic males – sports
- Asian American females – “how to” videos about cooking or beauty.
- African American males – entertainment and celebrities
- Asian males – movie trailer videos
- US Hispanic females – music videos
How and Where People Watch Video
Millennials prefer to watch video on their mobile device.
According to Animoto, 48%, of millennials only watch videos on their mobile device. They are are 3X more likely than baby boomers to do this.
A recent study of YouTube viewers revealed that viewers who watch beauty, fashion, entertainment and pop culture videos prefer to watch on their smartphones.
For example:
A viewer named Jim watched highlights from the Oscars on his way to work.
Veronica watches beauty videos by bloggers while she is putting on her makeup and getting ready in the morning.
Travel and food videos are watched on computers. While reviewing emails on her laptop, Kylie watched a travel video she found in her inbox.
The study also found that video is used to entertain social groups.
A viewer, entertaining friends at home, screencast videos to the TV for everyone to watch. Party guests took turns sharing their favorite videos with their friends.
These behaviors open up interesting opportunities. If you give your audience a steady supply of great video you become a valued source of entertainment and information.
Video represents social capital. In a previous era people were well read. But times have changed. Today’s social currency is video.
How Senior Executives Engage with Video
Senior Executives have unique video habits according to a survey by Unruly.
This is not surprising given the busy schedules of business leaders.
AOL’s global research study explored why people interact with online content. The findings apply to all types of content including video.Why People Watch and Engage with Video Content
The eight motivations for engaging with online content are:
- Inspire – Look for fresh ideas, try something new
- Be in the Know – Stay updated, find relevant ideas
- Find – Seek answers and advice
- Comfort – Seek support or insight
- Connect – Learn something new, be part of a community
- Feel Good – Improve mood, feel relaxed
- Entertain – Escape, take a break
- Update Socially – Stay updated, take time out
In the United States the top four reasons for engaging with content are:
- Inspire
- Feel Good
- Entertain
- Update Socially
Depending on the time of day, the motivations for engaging with content vary.
Late at night, (between 11 pm and 2 am) people spend an average of 17 minutes consuming content. This is nearly twice as long as they spend in the early morning (between 5 am and 9 am.)
Key Findings for Video Content Marketing
- Consider behaviour, motivation and demographics when identifying your audience
- Use different types of video content to appeal to different groups
- Pick the right kind of video content to use at different times of day and on different days
- Offer video content to your audience on a variety of platforms and in various places
The Bottom Line – Your Audience is Human
We must always remember that our audience is human. And the human audience is much larger than a small demographic slice.
This is good news because it opens up possibilities to appeal to human motivations and build a larger network of relationships.
Photo Credit: Feature Image – Zacklur ; Apollo 11 – Neil Armstrong
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