Where should video fit into your business plans?

We've all been TikTocked!

?YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and even LinkedIn are all focused entirely or increasingly on video content.

People are watching more and more video all the time - and while the B2C side of business has developed a mature Influencer/Creator economy based on video content - the B2B community is just starting to catch up.

?The remote video revolution, the proliferation of high quality cameras on iPhones and webcams and the rise of AI tools are all factors that mean that video content creation has gotten faster, cheaper and easier than ever before.

And while this video revolution is unfolding, some of the tactics marketers have relied on just aren’t working as well anymore. Zero click search, AI summaries and AI agents are changing how companies are attempting to rank, stay relevant and become more visible in this changing landscape.

?What all this means is that companies are increasingly having more urgent discussions about how to do more with video to take advantage of the huge opportunity and need to embrace the realities of a more video-centric marketplace.

While the desire to do more with video is there, the fundamental issue that I’m seeing is a lack of clarity.

Big questions start coming up as these conversations about using video unfold and different people use different phrasing which muddies the waters.

For example, take the phrase “we need a video strategy” . It may seem straightforward at first, but dig a little deeper and here's the kind of questions people start having:?

• How should video fit into the business plan?
• How does this video initiative fit into the other things that we're doing like websites email social media
• Is video strategy a part of marketing??
• Is it actually part of a larger “content strategy”, “social strategy” or maybe you’re thinking about it in a platform specific way like a “You Tube strategy”, “LinkedIn video strategy”, etc.?
• What about recruitment videos? Sales enablement? Are those separate “strategies” or are they all tied into one overall “video strategy”?

It’s exhausting already and you're only half way through the article! No wonder people get bogged down!

So if we’re trying to integrate video into our business plans - or our “business strategy”, our “how we do things around here”? - we probably need to look a bit deeper at how all these different ways of talking and thinking about the issue come together.

One diagram I have found very helpful came from this post I saw the other day, attributed to Karl Sakas. (source: https://sakasandcompany.com/strategy-tiers/)

I think this is a great visualization to unclutter the thinking around a “video strategy” and how it could fit into your other existing strategies…or “plans”.?

Starting with the general business plan seems like a logical place to start.?

It’s tempting and perhaps intuitive to start the conversation with video as a marketing tool, but really, it can be much more than that.?

Here’s a few examples:

• Video can be used by leaders to communicate internally with their reports.?
• Another example would be to use video as a recruiting tool for HR or onboarding.?
• Another still could be for post-sales support, product step-by-step videos or SOP training.?

I’d argue all these use cases for video should be at least considered in a well rounded “strategy”.

If you think about it, saying you need a “video strategy” is a bit like saying you need a “text strategy” or “image strategy”, I’ve never heard of a company having either of those.?

For me, the take away here is that video is both an effective and frequently preferred format for communication and should be considered expansively, outside of the traditional purvey of the marketing team.?

In fact, think we’re at the point where it should be at least considered as the primary way of communicating for any situation.?

You may choose to communicate it in a different way, that's OK, but we should be at least asking the question, much like ‘the AI consideration’ (How can I use AI to do this better?)

Part of the reason I am so bullish on video is that it can so easily be repurposed, think “record once, post everywhere”.?

By recording long form content, you have, by default, all the core ingredients for other content.

Long form videos become short form video selects. Strip out the audio for podcasts, the transcriptions are text, easily reformatted with AI into other text-based content.

No other content type presents such a fruitful repurposing potential.?

Add to that the need to stand out against AI noise and the human-based video content you create will stand out as different by default. Oh, and it’s free to post.?

So, as your company wades deeper into video territory, by thinking about the business functions that are your priority and need addressing, alluded to in the pyramid above, I think that’s a good starting place to find ways to harness video moving forward.

So no matter what you call your plans…if you do call it “a strategy”, just be prepared for some confusion, that word and how these different “strategies” all fit together really trip people up.?

Video isn't right for every situation and If you want some support figuring out if it could be, I have a free assessment where we can look at your goals, what you’re doing now and then explore some high level video content creation options that you could explore if you want or we can do that together.

Just reach out if you want to discuss.?

Stay visible, stay relevant, do more with video.