As a person living in 2022, you know that videos have taken the world by storm. 

At this point, it’s inescapable. Whether you’re on trendier sites like TikTok, Instagram, Youtube, or haven’t moved off Facebook, you’ve certainly come across video content from influencers and brands alike. 

The world was already moving towards video content, but the global pandemic dramatically sped up the acceptance and demand for video in place of still images or text. According to HubSpot, the amount of video content that people watch has doubled since 2018.

Here at Bauerhaus Design, we’ve helped Wine and Food businesses build long-lasting and authentic relationships with their customers for years. Through effective design, thoughtful branding, and multi-channel marketing strategies, our clients are able to find loyal customers in such a competitive industry. 

Now, we have to recommend adding one more thing to your marketing strategy: short-form video. Luckily, it’s not as scary as you think. We’ve put together 4 easy tips to get started on your video marketing strategy this year (even if you have no idea what that means). 

1.  Jump On The Bandwagon

A whopping 86% of businesses reported using video as a marketing tool in 2021– of which, 92% said it’s important to their marketing strategy. 

87% reported a positive ROI from their video content. 

If you haven’t started creating video content for your wine brand yet, I’m sure we can agree it’s time to hop on this bandwagon!

If you’ve been holding off, hoping the wave would pass – and you’d never have to step foot in front of a camera – I have some disappointing news for you…

Marketing industry experts agree video isn’t going anywhere. 

Video has become the content marketing of choice for both marketers and consumers. The medium is easy and engaging. It’s entertaining to watch and requires lower effort than reading – especially on a mobile device (which most people are accessing the internet with now). 

According to Wyzowl, people share videos 2x more often than other forms of content, like blogs or pictures. 

84% of people admitted they bought a product or tried a service based on a video. 

Still not convinced it’s worth your time to create video content? 

Think it’s just going to get skipped over and fall into the pit of the internet?

While this honestly may happen without a good strategy (or until you build up an engaged audience), your customers actually do watch and want this type of content. 

In 2021, 55% of people watched videos under 1 minute to the end. That’s incredible when you think about it. Imagine 55% of everyone that views your blog reading the entire thing start to finish — unheard of!

This brings up a great point, what exactly is a “short-form video”? Hubspot says videos up to 2 minutes and 30 seconds are considered short-form, but notes this varies based on platform and user expectations. For example, Tik Tok videos are 30 seconds at most, but a 10-minute video on Youtube could be considered short. 

2.  Give Your Audience What They Want

Speaking of user expectations…

You have to keep your customers front and center when creating video content. 

Think about your goals, your current customers base, and brand recognition. 

Do you already have a large following of loyal, engaged followers? Have you never been on social media? Do you want a higher number of views or a higher conversion rate?

These details matter to the types of content you create and where you upload it. 

Here are some popular video ideas to get you started:

• Put a video on your website’s About page. Tell your business story, your process, funny anecdotes that help your customers connect with you on a human level
• Create short “how-to” videos to post on Tik Tok or Instagram. Think of common questions or concerns your target audience may have, like how to pair a wine with your meal
• Similar to above, answer FAQs, like, what does “dry” even mean?
• Show behind the scenes: How do you bottle your wine? Harvest your grapes? Design a logo for a new bottle?
• Build connections by showing the humans behind the brand. Introduce an employee of the month or have regular customers tell their personal story how they found you and why they love your wine

Not sure where to start? Bauerhaus Design can help you identify your target market and design an effective marketing strategy including your video content. 

3.  Be Strategic and Efficient

Which brings us to… 

Being strategic and efficient with your video content creation. 

As fun (or easy) as it is to jump on the latest trending sounds on TikTok or reel on Instagram, you need to have a strategy to make sure you’re not wasting your time. 

Sure, you can have some trendy videos here or there, but truly understanding what your ideal customers want and showing how you uniquely give it to them will take you much farther. 

At the same time, you don’t need to get carried away with the logistics of video editing or hire a fancy company to create animations. 

Adding short-form videos to your marketing strategy shouldn’t break the bank or become a huge time-suck. In fact, 40% of businesses spend $0-500 per video and 55% create their own video content. This makes video creation a much more accessible form of content creation than more traditional forms like postcards, letters, blogs, or even value-driven social media content. 

A few suggestions to keep you efficient and strategic:

• Write down your most frequently asked questions, concerns, or tasks that take up a lot of your (or your employees’) time. Can these be answered in engaging video formats on your website or social media?
• Batch content so you can film multiple videos at one time instead of breaking up multiple days to film different topics. This is especially true if you want to start posting weekly or daily to social media. Your life will be so much easier if you film 8 videos for an hour and a half on a Monday and use that pre-made content for 2 weeks than trying to film every few days. Remember to do some outfit changes!
• Practice live. You can go live on your Facebook or Instagram to start building engagement with your audience, get comfortable in front of the camera, and see what questions they have. This can also be a good way to see what messaging resonates.
• Make sure your videos make sense. Don’t just do a trend because it’s funny (or you’re trying to go viral). Everything you create should go hand in hand with your branding message, answering your customer’s questions, and providing value. 
• Caption your video. This allows people scrolling on social media with sound off to still enjoy your video. It also makes your content more accessible to those with disabilities.
• Always have a CTA. You need to tell your audience what you want them to do at the end of the video. Is it signing up for your email list? Downloading a freebie for wine pairing suggestions? Buying a bottle with this one-time special discount code? Not only will this help you track the success of your videos by providing some tracking metrics, but it also urges your viewer to take action that drives sales!

You can do it!

Starting video marketing feels like a big step, but it doesn’t have to be! It’s the natural next step for your business to grow. 

If you’re looking for some inspiration, we love what Tank Winery is doing on TikTok! They have exciting videos to draw you in, a prompt to sign up for their email list (which enables them to track the traffic coming from TikTok), and an automated email sequence about their company and product education. 

We also love Union Wine Company’s Instagram reels! They’ve captured an engaged audience by regularly posting related and humorous content that their followers want to share.

Have any questions on how to get started on video content for your winery business? Schedule a free 30-minute discovery call with our Creative Director, Rebecca! She’ll make it easier than trying to figure out how to record yourself on a tripod and actually have good lighting — we promise!