Social media marketing is one of the best ways to increase exposure to your brand, product or site. Most platforms make it simple to share information, interact with your audience and establish relationships. However, the fast-paced nature of social media can create a user experience void of personality, connection and true meaning. One of the easiest, and often overlooked, ways of avoiding this is video marketing. With a little experimentation and some basic tools, any Internet marketer can become a social video guru. With a little time and effort, the effectiveness of video marketing is hard to beat.

Examples of Video Marketing through Social Media
To see the true power of this medium, you need only look as far as the Olympics. The recent 2012 Olympic Games were a powerhouse for social media video advertising. By harnessing the emotional power and notoriety of the event, companies generated millions of leads and pushed their brands and products to new audiences. Recent gymkhana ads for DC Shoes have generated over 140 million views. American presidential candidates are utilizing social media videos to promote their campaigns and beliefs. These are just a few of the major social media video campaigns that are currently drawing attention.

Why Video Marketing through Social Media Works
When it comes to marketing, creating a connection with the audience is key. While it is possible to do this in printed media through prolonged exposure, establishing authority and building a brand, video provides a quick and powerful way of creating that connection almost instantly. When it is not possible to physically connect with an audience, video is, in many ways, the next best option. The audience can look into your eyes, see your face, watch your expressions and build an opinion. That level of interaction is much harder to create with static content or text. Utilizing video makes it easier to connect, inspire and create response or emotions within an audience. Combine this with the viral nature of social media and you have a marketing strategy that is simple yet incredibly powerful.

Creating Effective Social Media Videos
Just as there are common practices for increasing effectiveness and conversions for other forms of copy, there are basic rules to maximize the impact of video marketing via social media. One of the cornerstones to social video marketing is engaging the audience through reciprocation. Videos created solely for the purpose of self-promotion are often not as effective as videos that offer content or entertainment as well as a branded message or endorsement. While videos do offer an opportunity for greater connection and conversions, it only takes a few seconds to detect when a video is nothing more than promotional. Treat your video marketing efforts as you would any other marketing content. Provide useful information, slip in some branding, include a call to action and then carefully edit and proof your final product.

Going Viral
Much like other forms of marketing, an essential element to leveraging the power of video marketing is knowing your audience. This makes it easy to target your product, stir emotion, create interest and drive sales. While blog posts, ad copy and infographics have the potential to go viral, video marketing is by far the best chance at achieving this elusive marketing goal. With the amount of subscribers on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media platforms, integrating social media with your video marketing campaign greatly increases the chances of success. A prime example of this is the recent advertisement released by Dollar Shave Club, by combining wit and humor with a solution for a common problem for their target audience, a short video clip is all that it took to send sales skyrocketing and cement the brand in the minds of their target audience.

Social media is a part of the lives of millions of people. With mobile broadband, smartphones and tablets, it is more accessible and portable than ever. This makes video marketing within social media a force that should not be overlooked by any business looking to increase sales, build their brand or gain exposure. With a little research, a camera, some experimentation and a quick upload, you can achieve results within this increasingly popular marketing format for nearly any niche.

About the author: Thomas has been writing for the marketing industry for over a decade. When he’s not writing, you can find him reviewing teleconference services from companies such as Intercall or practicing on his collection of vintage Gibson guitars.