I’ll be honest – in my time running Charter & Co, I’ve spoken to a lot of business owners who have been reluctant to take the leap into video marketing.
In every single conversation, that hesitation has come down to one thing: ROI.
And I can’t say I blame them. A high quality brand video is a serious investment; so naturally, there are going to be question marks around the potential returns.
But I don’t want this to deter you – because I’ve seen time and time again how video marketing (done right) can revolutionize the way an organization shows up in the world.
Take, for example, a fundraising video we created for Wheaton Christian Grammar School (WCGS).
With that one single video at the forefront of their campaign, they were able to raise $12m of their $22m fundraising goal in just 11 months.
A feat that would typically take years of dedication and advocacy, was achieved simply by pressing play.
So, how did they do it? Well, in my experience, one’s level of success with video is influenced by two main factors:
- The inherent power of video as a medium, and
- How you use your video.
The first point is something that none of us really have any control over – video is a potent marketing tool for reasons that neither you or I can change.
But the second part of the equation, however, is almost entirely up to you; using a brand video effectively requires strategic, targeted action, and as such, it’s where companies tend to struggle the most.
To prevent you from getting caught in that struggle yourself, today I’m going to walk you through my three-step video repurposing strategy.
It’s a fool-proof way to ensure you are able to get maximum mileage out of your marketing video, and feel confident in your investment from the very beginning.
And it’s the very same planning methodology that I used to ensure WCGS got the absolute most revenue-generating potential out of their brand video.
Quick side note before we dive in: Here at Charter & Co, we keep ROI at the forefront of our minds throughout the entire video production process.So if you want a brand video that is tailor-made to your company’s unique marketing goals, you can book a call with me, and discover how you can maximize your investment.
Before we dive into the principles of video repurposing, I do want to briefly touch on that first point: the inherent power of video as a medium.
Because in terms of marketing power, video has a number of inbuilt advantages over other forms of content.
It’s important to know exactly what those advantages are – despite our inability to control or change it, understanding the power of video is what allows you to leverage it to its fullest extent.
What Makes Video An Effective Marketing Tool?
It’s hard not to notice just how widespread the use of video marketing has become, especially over the last few years:
A study done in late 2023 shows that 91% of businesses use video as part of their overall marketing strategy (source: Nogen Tech), and this number is on the rise.
Now, popularity doesn’t always equal efficacy – but in this case, I think it’s a pretty good indicator that something is working.
Because you know as well as I do that companies pump a ton of money into marketing; if video wasn’t a worthwhile investment, they would drop it like a hot potato.
I believe there are a few powerful components at work here:
1. It’s The Ultimate Medium For Sparking Connection
Video is a uniquely emotion-driven medium; the combination of audio and visual captures audiences in a way that static content simply can’t compete with.
It gives you the opportunity to humanize your brand and present your audience with authentic, compelling stories that deeply resonate with them.
Let’s go back to WCGS for a minute. Their fundraising video is a great show of this connection power.
They use their video to kick off every private meeting they have with major donors and donor families.
At the beginning, most donors don’t think anything of it; they assume that they're about to watch a pretty generic sales pitch of a video.
But by the end of the video, they’re in tears.
In just a few minutes of footage, the donor is able to see, hear, and feel the impact their donation will have on the lives of future generations of students. It’s an experience that other mediums just can’t replicate.
Whether you’re telling your brand story, showcasing a product or service, or highlighting your company culture, video allows you to foster a connection with your audience that goes beyond a transaction.
2. It’s Great For SEO
Search engines (Google in particular) love video content.
When you integrate videos into your website, you enhance its search engine ranking, and push it closer towards that coveted first page of search results.
This happens because video engages your site visitors, meaning they stay longer – for those who are unfamiliar, this is called dwell time.
An increased dwell time signals to search engines that your site is relevant, valuable, and therefore deserving of a higher rank.
3. It Boosts Conversion Rates
Studies consistently show that incorporating video onto a landing page or website can skyrocket your conversion rates.
And it all circles back to our first point – connection.
The human touch of a good brand video builds a sense of trust and confidence with your audience; two elements that majorly influence buying decisions.
Couple that with the shareability of video content, and that effect is amplified – meaning more leads, and more conversions.
With benefits like this essentially built-in to video content, it’s easy to see why so many companies have jumped onboard.
But as with any form of marketing, the driving force behind your success is strategy; this power is useless if you don’t know how to use it effectively.
Which brings us to the second part of the success equation: how you use your video.
Video Repurposing 101: What Is It And Why Does It Work?
The concept behind video repurposing is fairly straightforward – you take one brand video, and use it across multiple marketing channels and platforms.
And the more use you can get out of one single video, the higher your ROI.
The ROI maximizing effect of repurposing is two-fold:
1. It increases your reach, and decreases your costs.
Repurposing removes the need to create bespoke content for each marketing channel and platform you want to use, and as such, eliminates those associated costs.
This gives you much more room for your expanded reach to work its magic and actually bring in a profit, rather than barely breaking even.
Picture this scenario:
Say you offer a service, at $2k per client. You invest $20k in a brand video to advertise your offer. Some quick math: you need 10 new clients to cover the cost of the video.
If you put the video on your website, this means you need to get all 10 clients from that one audience pool.
But if you put it on your website, and Instagram – you’ll need 5 conversions from each of these marketing channels.
Your website, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and an email campaign = 2 conversions each…and so on, and so forth.
And that’s just to simply cover your costs – imagine if each of those 5 uses got you 4 clients each:
5 platforms x 4 clients @ $2k each = $40k - $20k video = $20k profit.
Repurposing allows you to reach a wider audience, with less upfront cost. You get more opportunities to recoup your investment – and then some.
2. It supercharges your marketing.
Repurposing done correctly forces you to consider key questions about:
- Your video: What purpose does it serve? In what situations will it work best? and
- Your audience: Who are they? Where will I find them? What will they respond to?
When you let the answers to these questions drive your strategy, your video will speak directly to those whom your brand and offer will resonate with the most.
And marketing that resonates is marketing that converts, plain and simple.
The key point here, though, is strategy and planning.
Effective repurposing is not just about slapping your video up on as many platforms as you can think of.
The only way you’ll get those conversions is by putting the right video in front of the right people. There’s a few steps you can take to ensure you do just that.
How To Strategically Repurpose A Brand Video To Maximize Your ROI
In a nutshell, effective repurposing requires you to think about:
- The purpose your video will serve,
- What marketing channels and platforms will enable your video to serve that purpose, and
- How to make your video shine on said platforms.
Each of these points can be addressed in three separate steps:
- Define Video Type And Function
- Match Video To Platforms And Channels
- Optimize Video For Each Use
Let’s go through each of those in-depth – along the way, I’ll give you some examples of how our clients have put them into action with their own brand videos.
Step One: Define Video Type And Function
To kick this process off, you need to articulate the core characteristics of your brand video; ask yourself two questions:
- What type of video are we making?
- What is its purpose and function?
This isn’t just about guiding the practical side of your video creation – these details will greatly inform the choices you make moving forward.
See, the reality is that certain video + channel/platform combinations are more effective than others (we’ll explore this deeper in Step 2).
These kinds of variables make it all the more important to nail down the key details early on, so you can make the most effective repurposing decisions at every step along the way.
I find that many companies have a pretty narrow view of what a marketing video can be and the role it can play. Don’t fall into the same trap – there are endless options out there.
A brand video can be anything from a simple product ad, to a behind-the-scenes look into your company’s processes, and beyond.
The direction you choose to go in will be heavily dependent on your company’s specific goals and needs:
For example: One of our past clients was design and printing company Truly Engaging.
They came to us wanting a video that showcased their new line of holiday cards, and highlighted some promotions they were running at the time – this was their video function.
The simple solution was to create a product video – this was their video type.
Or how about something a little different: We have also worked with financial services company PMA Financial.
Their goal was to improve their recruiting and hiring process; they wanted to shine a spotlight on their supportive and positive workplace environment. (video function)
We decided on a company culture video (video type) – we interviewed their employees to give an authentic, inside perspective on what it’s like to work at PMA.
How To Do It
You’ll typically have a good idea of the function you want your brand video to serve; you can quite easily reverse-engineer this process to discover the type that’s right for you.
Here are some examples of what video types match with different functions:
Keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list – no matter your goals, there’s a type of brand video that can help you get there. If you want to have a chat with me about your options, fill out the form to get in touch.
Step Two: Match Video To Platforms And Channels
Once your video type and function have been determined, the next step is to match these characteristics to the perfect platforms and marketing channels.
This step is about planning exactly how you’re going to get your video in front of your target audience; where are you going to post your video? How are you going to use it?
I encourage you to be picky here. Your instinct is more than likely to post your video everywhere, but this doesn’t always increase your chances of success.
See, different marketing channels and platforms have their own unique purpose; they attract their audiences for very specific reasons.
And the same can be said for video types – each serves its own unique function, and thus will resonate with a specific audience.
By nature, this means that certain video + platform/channel combinations are more effective at generating conversions than others.
For example: Our client Truly Engaging had great success with their product video on YouTube, with over 2.5 million views across two ad campaigns.
The casual environment of social platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram etc. match perfectly with low-commitment product offers like theirs.
However if they put that same video on say, LinkedIn, it may have been a completely different story.
Being a place for business networking, it’s not a platform that lends itself very well to impulse purchases. It’s much better suited to something such as a video showcasing a B2B service, or a workplace culture video.
Technically, a video can be put anywhere – but when you’re trying to maximize ROI, you need to get more out of doing less. That’s the entire point of repurposing.
The goal is to use your video in ways that are going to make the biggest impact, with minimal effort.
How To Do It
There are three main factors you need to consider in this step:
- Your audience: Who are they? What channels do they use to interact with our company?
- Your platform/channel options: What attracts users to this platform? Does it make sense for potential clients to interact with our company through this channel?
- Your video type and function: What are we trying to achieve with this video? What context will facilitate that purpose?
Finding your ideal distribution methods will take some serious brainstorming, and potentially some trial and error. I’ve got a couple of tips to get you started:
Tip #1: Leverage your existing platforms, channels, and audiences.
While methods like paid ads have worked wonders for a lot of our clients, the more free marketing you can use, the higher your ROI will be.
So it’s always in your best interests to use what you’ve already got as a starting point, and build from there.
If you’ve already got a website, embed your video to push your site up the search ranks. Got an engaged audience on Instagram? Post it there.
Tip #2: Think beyond platforms.
A trap I’ve seen many companies fall into is having a one-track mind; they grab their video, and head straight for the socials.
Social media works great for plenty of companies, and a variety of offers – but remember that there are tons of other marketing channels out there to use:
For example: Our client PMA Financial had a solid email list under their belt. With this in mind, they opted to use their company culture video in multiple email campaigns.
They also have it embedded in their staff email signatures, allowing their video to keep working its magic beyond the lifespan of one single campaign.
From a landing page to in-person events, a brand video has the potential to be so much more than just a social media ad.
So don’t box yourself in. Think creatively, and give yourself the chance to seriously consider all of your options.
Step 3: Optimize Video For Each Use
The final step is to put your repurposing plans into action, by ensuring your video is optimized for each of your chosen uses.
Optimization of a brand video is an often overlooked detail – for maximum impact, your video should feel tailor-made for whatever situation you put it in.
This can be as simple as reformatting your video for both horizontal and vertical viewing, or as complex as using alternative footage to make multiple versions for your different audiences:
For example: For Truly Engaging, we turned one video into six with some simple reformatting.
We cut their video down into three different lengths, in both horizontal and vertical orientations – it was a simple task that opened up a world of options to them.
The variety of lengths meant they were able to run multiple types of YouTube ads, and having both orientations made sure they looked perfect on both mobile and desktop.
On the more intricate end of the spectrum, we’ve also done work for bacon producer Fryingpan Bacon.
They sell their bacon in two ways – direct-to-consumer, and as a supplier to hotels and restaurants. We needed to create a video that communicated their brand story to both of these markets.
Our approach to this was to take different pieces of footage from our two-and-a-half-day shoot, and create three audience-specific videos:
One version included footage of a chef using their product in a professional setting – they used this cut for in-person pitches and hospitality events.
The other two cuts focused on the home cook – these were used in all of the places they connect with their individual customers.
No matter the situation, they were able to present a version of their brand video that felt custom-made for that context, and spoke directly to the relevant audience.
Ensuring your video is fit-for-purpose plays an essential role in video repurposing; It allows you to connect clearly with your audience in a variety of marketing contexts, and as such, directly influences your capacity to maximize your ROI.
So whether you optimize your video to be viewed on different devices, or put together bespoke versions for your different markets, it’s worth going the extra mile to give your audience the best possible viewing experience.
How To Do It
Two main factors will influence your choice of optimization techniques:
- Your chosen platforms and channels, and
- Your video itself
If you have multiple target markets, such as in our Fryingpan Bacon example, then keep in mind that this will also come into play for you.
The sheer volume of possible optimization and reformatting options out there can be a bit overwhelming – so here’s a few tips to get you started:
- Orientation: Ensure that you have both a horizontal and vertical version of your video. Different channels and platforms will call for a different orientation.
For instance, social media platforms are more widely used on mobile, and most people use their phones vertically. Whereas if you want to show your video at an in-person presentation, horizontal would be much more suitable.
This also offers more flexibility if you go for paid ads – run both orientations and see which gets more engagement. - Trim The Fat: Make shorter cuts of your video that only include the most pertinent information; what your offer is, who you are, and a call to action.
For example: with Truly Engaging, we made three cuts of their video, all of different lengths: 30 seconds, 15 seconds, and 6 seconds.
We made each version more and more to-the-point, until the shortest clip essentially said, “this is our product, here are our promotions, go to our website” - Power Quotes: If your video includes any kind of speaking, keep an ear out for noteworthy quotes. These can make for very powerful focal points for shorter video cuts.
They can oftentimes pack more punch than a longer video – especially if the quote comes directly from someone who has been positively impacted by your company.
- Highlight Individuals: If your video involves interviews, make a cut for each individual person.
Let’s say you interview three of your employees for a company culture video. The final version of your video is an amalgamation of all three interviews.
But if you also make a cut for each employee, you get 4 videos out of one shoot.
The Foundation Of Repurposing Is To Get The Video Right From The Start
The three steps we’ve gone over today are absolutely crucial to getting the most mileage out of a brand video – by putting them into action, you’ll give yourself the best possible chance of maximizing your ROI.
But there is one more piece of the puzzle that has the power to make or break your video marketing success: the video.
See, as we’ve touched on today, a great brand video won’t get you very far without an equally great marketing strategy – but the reverse is just as true.
You can pair your video to its perfect-match marketing channels, flawlessly adapt it for each use, and monitor your metrics like a hawk.
But if your video is lacking, it’s simply not going to land; it won’t reflect your brand accurately, it won’t resonate with your audience, and it won’t entice them to work with you.
A strategically planned, high-quality brand video is the driving force behind an effective repurposing strategy, and in turn, the foundation of maximizing your ROI.
The key to being able to squeeze the most juice out of one video is to have a professionally crafted, tactically designed, high-quality video from the get-go:
- Efficient and creative planning keeps your message at maximum strength. What video features would make sense in the context of your company and your offer? What elements would resonate strongly with your target audience?
- Focused and thorough pre-production means you get more usable footage out of one shoot. This means any and every repurposing technique you can imagine is on the table.
- High quality video and audio paired with expert editing will boost your company’s image. You run a professional, first-rate company – your brand video should reflect that.
But hitting all of those points and making a brand video that is endlessly repurposable is not an easy feat.
This is why my company, Charter & Co, offers our done-for-you video production and marketing service, Brand Anthem.
We don’t simply make videos – we make marketing assets. Our aim is to create a brand video that facilitates the goals and needs of your company.
We discover what your company brings to the table, gain a deep understanding of your audience, and create a video that bridges the gap in between.
Here’s how we do it:
Brand Anthem: A Concept-To-Completion Production And Marketing Service From Charter & Co
Pre-Production – Strategy And Planning
First, we’ll meet with you to explore your goals and current marketing channels. We’ll devise a bespoke plan to integrate video into your company’s strategy, and connect it to revenue-generating KPI’s.
From there, we’ll translate these key details into a plan for the creation of your video – we’ll write scripts, create storyboards, and lay out a detailed plan for shoot day.
Our overarching aim is to create a video that fits seamlessly into your company’s marketing strategy, and has maximum repurposing potential.
Production - Video Creation
The next step is to put our plan into action, and create your video.
Whether we’re shooting a video on-location or creating an animation, we tap into our network of top industry talent and get only the best of the best working on your video.
If we’re doing an in-person video shoot, we will have a producer stick by your side throughout. They’ll answer your questions and keep you up to speed – think of them as a production translator.
Video production should be professional, easy to understand and a whole lot of fun - and that’s exactly how we do it.
Post-Production - The Finishing Touches
Finally, we will take that footage, work our creative magic, and make your brand video come to life.
The post-production process is one we do not take lightly. We often work late into the night assembling footage, refining colors, designing motion graphics, and adding music and voice overs.
We will fire on all cylinders to ensure your video is fit-for-purpose, polished and professional, and able to make your company’s marketing goals become a reality.
As part of the Brand Anthem service, we also offer consulting on video distribution and marketing technology.
We don’t just produce video – we set up our clients for success, and ensure that their video can generate a tangible return.
And we can do this for you, too – fill out the form to book a call.
Final Thoughts
The fear of investing in video marketing is a story I’ve heard from my clients time and time again – and I doubt that’s going to change any time soon.
But despite the fact that I empathize with their hesitation wholeheartedly, I also think it’s a downright shame.
Because I’ve also witnessed these very same organizations have their marketing approach completely revolutionized by video.
Over the years, I’ve realized that the biggest barrier for people isn’t actually the risk of not seeing a financial return – it’s a lack of confidence. Because when you know what you’re doing, making your investment worthwhile is a cinch.
But contrary to what you might think, that confidence doesn’t come from experience, it comes from a shift in mindset; a reframing of the way you view a brand video.
See, where most people fail with video is that they see it as a single-use marketing tool. They broadcast it to one specific audience, on one platform, and…that’s it.
Recouping their investment hinges entirely on that one use. That approach takes putting all of your eggs into one basket to a whole new (and very expensive) level.
But when you view a brand video as an evergreen, reusable asset, the world opens up. When you remove any limits on how you use your video, you also remove the limits on your potential returns.
So if you take anything away from reading this today, let it be this:
One video is not just one video. It can become two, three, or even 5+ videos. It’s a flexible, malleable asset with infinite marketing potential.
With the right planning and strategy, that one single investment can become the backbone of your company’s marketing for years to come.
Remember, it all starts with the right video. How you will repurpose your video needs to be considered long before you hit record. If you want to talk to me and discuss exactly how Charter & Co can help you do that, you can fill out the form to book a call.