5 Ways to Use Your Video to Drive Engagement
Introduction
Think back to those classic 90s commercials that still live rent free in your brain today. Maybe you remember the Budweiser frogs, the Chia Pet jingle, clap-on lights, or the Kool-Aid Man bursting through walls. These ads prove the lasting impact video can have on a brand. They all used video to drive engagement and scaled these businesses to new heights.
Today, videos are no longer just for major companies with a ton of money to invest in big budget memorable commercials. Video is integrated in our day to day lives, making it essential for businesses of any size to utilize video in their marketing plans. Whether it’s social media posts, website content or ads, video is a must have to stand out for any business. The key isn’t just creating a video, it’s knowing how to use video for engagement across different channels.
Check out our 5 smart video marketing tips to make your content work harder for your business.
1. Start Strong with a Hook
In this era of non stop information, our attention spans have all dwindled significantly. If you don’t capture your audience’s attention within the first 3-5 seconds, they’ll keep scrolling. Find a hook that is attention grabbing, but still on brand and on topic for your video.
A strong hook could be asking a thought provoking question, making a bold statement, or teasing a reveal later in the video. Remember to tailor your hook to the platform. A branding video on your homepage may open with eye-catching visuals and a tagline, while a reel for social media might start with a captivating question or statement. If you are posting it on social media, adding captions are a great way to increase engagement also.
2. Use Video Throughout Your Website
Your website is often the first impression for potential customers. Using video throughout your website is an effective way to catch their attention, tell your brand’s story, and increase website traffic. Here are a few ways to incorporate videos across your website.
- Homepage Header Video: Creating a short, visually engaging video is the most effective way to catch attention while communicating your brand’s message within seconds.
- Brand Videos: Storytelling is an essential part of marketing, and videos are the best way to showcase what you do and why. They also help build brand awareness, trust and connection with your audience. Brand videos are great to add on your Homepage and/or your About page.
- Testimonials: Build credibility with testimonial videos on product or service pages with insight from real customers sharing their experiences.
If you’re investing in high quality video content, make the most of it by creating a variety of video content to be used throughout your site. Not only does video increase website traffic and time spent on your site, it also can improve the user’s experience, SEO performance, and increase conversion rates.
3. Repurpose Your Video Across Multiple Platforms
Creating videos, even DIY videos, can be a big investment of your time and resources. I often encourage our clients to get creative and consider other ways to utilize the content to get the most value possible.
Let’s say you’ve hired pros to create a brand video for your website. Consider using some of the b roll content for a header video or in your testimonial videos. In addition to your website, create shorter vertical versions of your brand video for socials, create a video ad with the most compelling aspect of the video or embed the video in your email marketing campaigns or blogs posts. Honestly, there are endless ways to repurpose the same content in a variety of ways across multiple platforms. We can always help brainstorm ideas to maximize your content.
4. Video Beyond Marketing
Video can be a powerful tool for your business, not only in marketing, but also in internal communications. Video is a great way to get any message across in an effective and engaging way. Here are a few ways to utilize video outside of marketing campaigns:
- Sales Pitches: Simplify the sales process by creating a captivating demo video of your service or product to share directly with new leads.
- Events: Highlight videos of events are a powerful marketing tool. For those who couldn’t attend a conference or event, sharing a full length video adds value and extends the reach of your content. You can also use video during your event to energize the crowd, build excitement, or add variety to in person presentations.
- Training: Video can save your team a lot of time compared to in person one on one or small group sessions. If you deliver the same training to new employees regularly, consider creating a video that they can watch on their own schedule. This approach is especially valuable for remote employees and ensures consistent training for everyone.
- Fundraising: If fundraising is part of your organization, video is a powerful way to connect with potential donors and show the real impact of their contributions. Storytelling allows you to engage your audience emotionally, creating a lasting impression and inspiring action.
Keep in mind there may be an opportunity to repurpose internal video content for marketing videos or vice versa. The goal is to share your message in a way that’s both engaging and memorable, and video is the perfect tool to do it.
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5. Add Clear CTAs (Calls to Action)
You’ve put in the time to create an amazing video, now what? Consider your intention in creating this video, what is the desired outcome? It’s essential to think about the purpose of your video and include a clear call to action (CTA) that aligns with your goals. No matter where your video lives, it’s important to encourage viewers to take the next step. Without a clear CTA, even your most engaging video may not have a measurable impact.
For example, if you’re creating a testimonial video with a trusted client, the goal is likely to build credibility and encourage new leads to convert to clients. In this case, your CTA could be something like, “Schedule a consultation to learn more about our services.”
CTAs can appear throughout your video, but the most practical placement is often at the end, prompting viewers to take action after watching. CTAs are a powerful tool in video marketing to drive engagement and measurable results.
Conclusion
Video has been a standard marketing tool for decades, and today it’s more relevant and essential than ever. No matter where you share your brand’s video content, authenticity is key. Make sure your videos reflect your brand identity while also exploring creative ways to repurpose them and drive engagement.
Start with a strong hook, place your videos where they’ll make the most impact, and always give viewers a clear next step. These are some of the best video marketing techniques for 2025, and they work for businesses of all sizes. Pick one of these tips to try for your next video project, and you’ll be surprised at how much more you can increase video engagement.
