11 Ways to Increase Engagement Through Video Marketing

Research shows that about 91% of businesses use video marketing and 96% view it as critical to their marketing strategy. As for the marketers who are not using videos, 70% intend to start using them.

This means there’s an overwhelming number of videos from brands, all competing for consumers’ attention. Not to mention videos from influencers, entertainers, and media outlets.

To rise above the crowds and increase engagement through video marketing campaigns, you must provide a superior viewing experience.

This article will teach you how to achieve this in order to reach your marketing goals.

11 Tactics For Effectively Increase Engagement Through Video Marketing

I’ll share with you 11 video marketing tips that are easy to implement but powerful at driving engagement.

1. Optimize Your Videos for Search Engines

Video optimization gives your videos a better chance of appearing in the search results of relevant keywords.

It helps your target audience find your videos and increases the chances that they’ll click and engage with them.

If a user searches for ‘how to feed a Rottweiler puppy,’ for instance, the videos optimized for these keywords will appear on the SERP.

In this case, Rotty Ranch has two videos appearing in the search results. The likelihood that the users will click on either of the two videos is high as these are right at the top of SERP.

Image via Google

Here are some tips to make your videos more SEO-friendly and reach more people through them:

• Use the right video hosting platform: I’d recommend that you host your videos on YouTube and then embed YouTube videos on website. YouTube is one of the most popular video sharing platforms, which gives you a high potential of reaching more people.
• Add relevant keywords to your titles and descriptions: Use a keyword research tool like Semrush to find the keywords your target audience is using to find answers on search engines. Add the main keywords to your titles and descriptions.
• Embed videos above the fold: Search results rank one video per page, mostly the first video on a page. If you have multiple videos on your page, ensure the most important video appears first.
• Optimize the entire page: Ensure the rest of the page is relevant to the video and optimized using relevant keywords and high-quality content.

2. Promote Your Videos

Don’t rely solely on search engines to get your videos in front of your target audience’s eyes.

Search engine algorithms are always changing. And your competitors are bound to outrank you for some keywords.

So, combine your optimization strategies with alternative methods of promoting your video marketing content.

It’ll boost your reach and increase engagement with your videos. 

Here are a few approaches I recommend:

• Leverage social media ads. Use paid ads to promote your videos on top social media platforms with the most users, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
• Partner with relevant influencers, especially micro-influencers, as they tend to have a higher engagement and trust with their audience. Have them share your brand videos on their social media pages to increase your reach and engagement.
• Post captivating teasers of your videos on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Encourage the viewers to head to your website or YouTube channel to access the full video.
• Write guest posts for authoritative websites and add your videos within the content as references.
• Use YouTube hashtags in your titles and descriptions to make your video marketing content more discoverable.
• Ask your employees to share the videos on their social media accounts.
• Send newsletters with your marketing videos.
• Share the videos in online communities and forums relevant to your niche.

3. Share Relatable Videos That Evoke Emotions

Given that video marketing is a contactless marketing strategy, you have to go the extra mile to make your content relatable. It should connect with your audience on a personal level and elicit a strong emotional response.

It’s one of the most effective ways to increase engagement through video marketing.

Here are some strategies you can use to make your videos more relatable:

• Use authentic storytelling to share your imperfections and pain points. Make the viewers see themselves in your stories.
• Highlight your human side by involving your employees in your videos and letting their unique personalities shine.
• Avoid industry jargon and being overly formal in your video narratives. Use a language and tone that resonates with your target audience.
• Communicate your values and beliefs using actions and not words. Show clips of your organization’s community involvement, employee well-being programs, etc. Make the video accessible and inclusive by adding captions and subtitles if necessary. You can find a lot of information online on how to translate a video, and numerous tools and platforms to guide you through the process.

This video by Dove, for instance, shows their Self-Esteem Project in action. It’s in line with the brand’s values and beliefs in body positivity.

Image via Dove

Such videos are likely to increase engagement among people who have similar values and beliefs.

4. Always Start with a Hook

Regardless of the channels you use to share your video marketing content, a compelling hook can increase engagement.

A good hook piques viewers’ interest enough to stop them from scrolling down and make them look at your video. It also makes them want to stick long enough to watch the entire video.

There are several ways you can create a captivating hook for your video marketing content. Here are a few:

• Engage the viewers from the get-go by asking a thought-provoking question.
• Share a shocking statistic or fascinating fact that will get the audience thinking.
• Start with a common pain point and promise to provide a solution. You can provide a hint of the solution, but not so much that the viewers lose interest in watching the whole video.
• Hook them with a teaser. You can start a story and encourage viewers to watch it further to see how it ends.
• Open with a visually stunning shot that captures the viewers’ attention.
• Present a common belief and challenge it using a surprising contradiction. But remember to stay off sensitive topics like politics.
• Use humor. Start with a lighthearted scene that entertains and engages your audience.

Here’s an example of a captivating video with a great hook by Dollar Shave Club.

It starts with a unique shot of a man holding four razors. Six more razors surround his face. He begins by saying “shaving is intense” followed by a dramatic pause. It’s sure to make viewers curious.

Image via YouTube

5. Create a Captivating Thumbnail

Anytime you create a video, you’re competing against thousands of other videos.

You have to give your audience a reason to click on your video. And having an engaging thumbnail image is one of the ways to achieve this.

Here are some useful tips to create an engaging thumbnail:

• Have someone’s face on it, preferably the presenter or main character.
• Add a bit of text that gives a hint as to what the video is about.
• Keep the text short and simple. Avoid adding the entire title to the thumbnail.
• Avoid using a misleading or irrelevant image.

These thumbnails from Target follow these rules.    

Image via YouTube

These thumbnails are simple and effectively communicate what the viewers can expect from each video.

6. Create High-Quality Videos

If you want to increase engagement through video marketing, you cannot compromise on video quality.

At the very least, your video should have a 1080 resolution and high-quality audio to attract audience engagement.

Creating a high-quality video doesn’t have to cost much. If you use the right video software, you can get access to engaging templates that you can customize to fit your message and brand.

If you choose to create a video from scratch, ensure you have this basic equipment:

• A good camera: You can use a smartphone, digital camera, or camcorder.
• A tripod: You need it to keep the camera stable while shooting video footage.
• An external microphone: Most built-in camera microphones don’t deliver clear sound. Go for a shotgun microphone, they capture directional audio and reduce background noise.
• Lighting equipment: The best option is natural light. But you can use a reflector to bounce the light onto your subjects. Alternatively, use a 3-point lighting setup for the best illumination.

Use good video editing software to enhance the footage using these steps:

• Add titles to introduce different sections or highlight key points.
• Use creative transitions to switch between scenes and create a seamless flow of content.
• Use effects, animation, and filters to emphasize important information, create a specific mood, and highlight key messages.
• Cut and trim unnecessary pauses and delays at the start or end of the video
• Remove all noise from the audio.
• Adjust the color and tone of the video.

Some online video makers go as far as letting you change the background using a chroma key. According to the list of best online video makers by Attrock that you can use to find an advanced editing tool.

You can use an online video maker to create interesting backgrounds for your videos like Mattel has done in this video.

Image via YouTube

The video features two girls in a fantasy background that includes a cartoon character. The video’s purpose is to promote the brand’s toys and the stunning visuals definitely attract the target audience—kids.

7. Leverage Short-Form Videos

Research shows that 34% of videos made by businesses are under 1 minute long and 25% are 1 to 2 minutes long.

Image via Vidyard

This is a trend I’d advise you to follow if you want to increase engagement through video marketing.

Ideally, you should keep your videos under one minute long to engage your audience without taking too much of their time.

According to the 2023 State of Video report by Wistia, videos under one minute get an average engagement of 50%.

It also shows that the longer the video gets, the lower the engagement drops.

Video Length	Average Engagement
Less than one minute	50%
1-3 minutes	47%
3-5 minutes	46%
5-30 minutes	38%
30-60 minutes	26%
Over 60 minutes	16%

If the message you want to pass requires a long video, go ahead. But ensure your content is concise and captivating from start to finish.

8. Use A/B Testing to Learn What Works

A/B testing is crucial if you want to increase engagement through video marketing.

It involves testing two or more versions of the same video marketing campaign to find the version that generates the most engagement.

You can use A/B testing to test the performance of different elements of your marketing videos, such as:

• Titles
• Thumbnails
• Lengths
• CTAs
• Background music

Use these tips to conduct effective A/B tests:

• Define the metrics you’ll use to measure the performance of your video marketing campaigns, such as watch time or click-through rate.
• Ensure you’re targeting the right audience.
• Test one element at a time.
•  Use reliable video analytics tools to monitor engagement.
• Start by recording how the video performs without the alterations. It’ll provide baseline data you can use to paint a clearer picture of the impact of each variation on viewer engagement.

Once you have the results, use the elements that drive the best results in your video marketing campaigns.

9. Include Subtitles to Improve Comprehension

Adding subtitles to your videos is another powerful way to increase engagement.

About 58% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. This means over half of your viewers will use a smartphone. If they’re in a public space, they’re likely to watch your video with the sound off.

Without subtitles, these viewers can’t get your message. And all the effort you’ve put into making your content engaging will be wasted.

Always use subtitles. Not just in your social media videos, but in the videos on your website as well like Salesforce has done in this video.

Image via Salesforce

Besides, using subtitles in your video marketing campaigns comes with other benefits, such as:

• It makes your videos more accessible. People who have hearing disabilities can watch and engage with your videos using subtitles.
• You can reach a global audience by translating your subtitles into multiple languages.
• They improve comprehension, especially for viewers who learn better when reading.
• Subtitles help viewers follow the narrative, even in noisy or distracting environments.

The good news is that you don’t have to create subtitles manually. There are AI-powered tools like Kapwing that can generate subtitles automatically.

10. Leverage User-Generated Content

Merge brand ambassador marketing with your video marketing campaigns by featuring user-generated content in your videos. It’s one of the most effective ways to increase engagement.

This is because user-generated content takes the authenticity of your video content to the next level.

Your audience is likely to perceive the stories and experiences of actual customers as more authentic than branded content. It builds trust and makes them more likely to engage with your videos.

You can easily achieve this by sharing testimonial videos from happy customers.

Here’s an example where Hootsuite shares success stories from customers on its page.

Image via YouTube

To make this strategy work, follow these tips:

• Turn the customers’ experiences into a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience.
• Weave user-generated content into branded content, but ensure there’s a smooth transition between the two.
• Share user-generated content that aligns with your brand message and values.

How can you get user-generated content to share in your video marketing campaigns?

Use incentives to encourage more customers to share their experiences. You can also employ social listening to find mentions of your brand on social media.

However, keep in mind that not all user-generated content qualifies to be part of your video marketing campaigns. Stick to these simple rules:

• Ensure you have explicit permission from the customers to share their content with your audience.
• Avoid sharing content that could be invasive for the contributors or uncomfortable for the viewers.
• Only share user-generated content that doesn’t compromise the viewing experience.

11. Regularly Track Performance and Optimize Your Campaigns

Keeping track of your analytics can provide valuable insights into your campaign performance and what works with your audience. You can use these to improve your future video marketing campaigns using these tactics.

For instance, by analyzing the performance reports provided by video analytics tools like Vimeo, you can get insights into the type of videos that get maximum engagement.

You can also identify the major drop-off points within your videos, and this can make you aware of the ideal length to boost engagement.

If you’re working with a full-service marketing company, they can take care of tracking your video marketing analytics and provide comprehensive reports on the performance of your videos.

Some of the crucial metrics they may use to measure the performance of your video marketing campaigns include:

• View count: Number of times your videos have been viewed
• Watch time: Amount of time viewers spend watching your videos
• Click-through rate: Percentage of viewers who click on your CTAs
• Social shares: The number of times viewers share the videos on social media platforms

Ready to Use These Tactics to Boost Engagement of Your Marketing Videos?

These tips will boost the engagement rates of your video marketing campaigns.

They’re fairly easy to implement as well. Simply make captivating video marketing content and promote it aggressively. 

Try a variety of video marketing tactics. Track their performance and capitalize on the tactics and content that are bringing in the best results.

Use these expert tips to increase engagement through video marketing and take your business to new heights.