Video Content Strategy for Higher Engagement? AI-driven Personalization in Email Marketing ? Google's New Email Verification Policy

Crafting a Video Content Strategy for Higher Engagement

Video content reigns supreme. Whether you're a small business or a large organization, leveraging video content effectively can skyrocket your engagement rates. Here’s a guide to crafting a video content strategy that resonates with your audience and drives higher engagement.

1. Understand Your Audience

If you haven't noticed, most of the tips shared in this newsletter start with Know Your Audience! The foundation of any successful video content strategy lies in knowing your audience. Conduct thorough research to understand their preferences, pain points, and behaviors. Utilize tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and customer feedback to gather data.

Tips:

- Create audience personas detailing demographics, interests, and viewing habits.

- Segment your audience to tailor content more precisely.

2. Set Clear Objectives

What do you want to achieve with your videos? Whether it's increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or boosting sales, setting SMART goals will guide your content creation process. As big fans of the SMART goals, let's talk through what that means.

SPECIFIC: A specific goal clearly defines what you want to accomplish. It should answer the five "W" questions:

• What: What do I want to achieve?
• Why: Why is this goal important?
• Who: Who is involved?
• Where: Where is it located?
• Which: Which resources or limits are involved?

MEASURABLE: A measurable goal includes criteria to track progress and measure the outcome. This involves using metrics to gauge your success. Ask yourself:

• How much?
• How many?
• How will I know when it is accomplished?

ACHIEVABLE: An achievable goal should be realistic and attainable within your resources and constraints. It challenges you but is also within your capability. Consider:

• How can I accomplish this goal?
• What resources are required?
• Are there constraints?

RELEVANT: A relevant goal aligns with broader business objectives and matters to you. It ensures that your goal is worthwhile and fits within your overall plans. Ask:

• Does this seem worthwhile?
• Is this the right time?
• Does this match our other efforts/needs?
• Am I the right person to reach this goal?

TIME-BOUND: A time-bound goal has a clear deadline, creating a sense of urgency and enabling better time management. Ask:

• When?
• What can I do six months from now?
• What can I do six weeks from now?
• What can I do today?

Objectives Examples:

- Increase YouTube channel subscribers by 20% in six months.

- Achieve a 10% click-through rate on video ads by the end of this campaign.

- Generate 50 leads per month through video content.

3. Choose the Right Platforms

Different platforms serve different purposes. Understanding where your audience spends their time is crucial. Here’s a quick overview:

- YouTube: Great for long-form content and building a subscriber base.

- Instagram Reels/TikTok: Ideal for short, engaging, and viral content.

- LinkedIn: Perfect for B2B content and professional networking.

- Facebook: Good for a mix of content types and engaging with a diverse audience.

4. Content Planning and Creation

Plan your content around your audience's preferences and your business objectives. Here are some content types that perform well:

- How-to Videos: Educate your audience about your products or industry-related topics.

- Behind-the-Scenes: Humanize your brand by showing the people and processes behind it.

- Customer Testimonials: Build trust through authentic customer experiences.

- Product Demos: Showcase the features and benefits of your products.

5. Optimize for SEO

SEO isn’t just for blogs. YouTube, the second largest search engine, is owned by Google and often shows video results in Google search results pages. Optimize your videos to improve their visibility:

- Use relevant keywords in titles, descriptions, and tags.

- Create engaging thumbnails to boost click-through rates.

- Add transcripts to improve accessibility and searchability.

6. Promote Your Videos

Even the best videos need promotion to reach their audience. Utilize multiple channels to share your content:

- Embed videos in blog posts and newsletters.

- Share on all your social media platforms.

- Use paid advertising to boost reach, especially for key campaigns.

- Collaborate with influencers or industry partners.

7. Engage with Your Audience

Engagement doesn’t stop at publishing. Respond to comments, ask questions, and encourage viewers to like, share, and subscribe. Building a community around your video content fosters loyalty and increases engagement.

8. Measure and Analyze Performance

Use analytics to track the performance of your videos. Key metrics to monitor include:

- View Count: Number of times your video has been watched.

- Engagement Rate: Likes, comments, shares, and overall interaction.

- Watch Time: Total minutes viewers have spent watching your videos.

- Conversion Rate: How many viewers took the desired action after watching.

Creating a video content strategy that drives high engagement is an ongoing process. Continuously learn from your audience and analytics to refine your approach. Remember, the goal is to create valuable, engaging content that resonates with your audience and meets your business objectives.

AI-driven Personalization in Email Marketing

AI-driven personalization has emerged as a game-changer, particularly in email marketing. This technology leverages artificial intelligence to tailor email content to individual preferences and behaviors, significantly enhancing customer engagement and conversion rates.

AI-driven personalization leverages advanced machine learning algorithms and data analytics to deeply understand customer behavior and preferences, enabling marketers to create highly tailored email content. By analyzing recipient interactions, AI can predict what content will resonate, dynamically altering email content in real-time based on the latest data. It optimizes send times to ensure emails are delivered when recipients are most likely to engage, and automates segmentation to create precise micro-segments. Additionally, AI scales A/B testing to continuously improve campaign performance, making every email more relevant and effective.

Benefits of AI-Driven Personalization

1. Increased Engagement: Personalized emails are more likely to be opened and clicked. By delivering content that feels tailored to each recipient, you can foster a stronger connection and encourage more interactions.

2. Higher Conversion Rates: When emails are relevant to the recipient's interests and needs, the likelihood of them making a purchase increases. AI-driven personalization can significantly boost your conversion rates and overall sales.

3. Improved Customer Retention: Personalized communication shows customers that you understand and value them. This fosters loyalty and increases the chances of repeat business.

4. Efficiency and Scalability: AI automation allows you to manage and personalize large volumes of emails efficiently. This scalability is particularly beneficial for small to medium-sized businesses looking to compete with larger enterprises.

Google’s New Email Verification Policy May Impact Your B2B Marketing Strategy

Speaking of email.... Google’s recent changes to email verification policies, specifically regarding Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC), are set to impact B2B marketing. Understanding these changes and adapting your email strategies is crucial for maintaining effective communication with your clients and prospects.

What is DMARC?

DMARC is an email validation system designed to protect domain owners from email spoofing. It ensures that legitimate emails are correctly authenticated and that fraudulent activity is minimized. The main components of DMARC are:

- Alignment: Ensures the ‘From’ domain matches the domain in the DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and SPF (Sender Policy Framework) signatures.

- Policy: Specifies what to do with emails that fail the DMARC check (quarantine or reject).

- Reporting: Provides feedback on email authentication and potential misuse of your domain.

Google’s Enhanced DMARC Enforcement

Google is tightening its DMARC enforcement, which means stricter verification of emails sent to Gmail users. For B2B marketers, this change means your emails need to be meticulously aligned with DMARC standards to avoid being marked as spam or rejected.

1. Ensure Proper Alignment:

- Check that your ‘From’ domain aligns with your DKIM and SPF settings. Misalignment can result in your emails failing DMARC checks.

2. Regularly Monitor and Update Your Policies:

- Stay updated with Google’s email sender guidelines and adapt your DMARC settings accordingly. Use DMARC reporting tools to monitor your email traffic and identify any issues.

3. Authenticate All Outgoing Emails:

- Use DKIM and SPF to authenticate your emails. Ensure all outgoing emails are signed and aligned with your domain.

4. Educate Your Team:

- Ensure your marketing and IT teams understand DMARC and its importance. Regular training can help your team stay compliant with the latest email authentication standards.

5. Use a Trusted Email Service Provider:

- Partnering with a reliable email service provider can simplify the implementation of DMARC and other authentication protocols.

Google’s enhanced DMARC enforcement is a significant development for B2B marketers. By understanding and adapting to these changes, you can improve your email deliverability, protect your domain’s reputation, and ensure your marketing messages reach their intended audience.

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Feel free to comment below for further discussion or contact us directly for more personalized advice. Let’s navigate these changes together and ensure your B2B marketing continues to thrive!---

If you need assistance with any of the topics covered:

• Video Content Strategy for Higher Engagement
• AI-driven Personalization in Email Marketing
• Google's New Email Verification Policy

Let's connect: https://keystoneclick.com/contact/

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Digital: Insights & Strategies is created by Lori J. Highby, the CEO & Founder of Keystone Click.

Keystone Click is a strategic digital marketing agency focused on helping their clients build brand awareness and generate leads online. This is done by first conducting research to help their clients better understand their customer. Once the data and insights are collected, a strategic marketing plan is created and implemented that helps their clients achieve their goals.

Learn more at keystoneclick.com