How Video Can Supplement Written Content

Video is a great storytelling tool, and in the digital age it’s driving more engagement than ever before.

People consume video content all over the Internet every day, and brands that choose to ignore video in their marketing strategies are getting left behind.

Despite this, there are certainly content teams who haven’t gotten on board with video yet. Content creators sometimes get stuck in an all-or-nothing mindset with video. They assume that video production is equated with a big-budget commercial with a world-class creative concept and perfect execution. Thankfully, this is far from the truth. Those types of videos are great and definitely have their own place in a content strategy, but executing them can take time and a creative vision that might overwhelm a team that’s newer to video content.

How do I get started?

The good news is that there are alternatives that make video production easier, without having to sacrifice any of the value that the medium offers. One of those approaches is to make video content that supplements your existing written content.

This makes sense from a practical perspective. Video helps you tell stories, and if you’re creating written content for your audience, you already have stories that they want to hear. Video just adds another element to those narratives, either explaining the same concept in a more dynamic way or adding another perspective that didn’t exist in the written content.

For example, if you have a popular blog post called “2020 Video Marketing Strategy: The Ultimate Guide,” you might add another element by embedding a video where you summarize the exact content of the blog post. Here’s an example of what that would look like. The video, which can be played at the top of the page, gives a high-level overview of what the rest of the written content will contain. This can be especially helpful for long-form content, where viewers might need a little incentive to want to dive into a 20-minute read.

Get creative with the options.

Alternatively, a video placed on the same page could add additional context. It could talk about how video marketing originated, for example, or it could include an interview with a notable video marketer who shares a personal experience. In that case, instead of summarizing existing material, you’re generating new value for the same audience that would be interested in the written article. This is a win-win, because the video can now stand alone as its own content, but can also support and add a new twist to the written piece.

Ultimately, using video to support written content is a useful way to approach video concepting, whether you’re just getting started with video marketing or have dozens of videos under your belt. The principle stands regardless—video content based on written content has the benefit of having a built-in audience, and it’s efficient because you already have the core of the concept fleshed out. The resulting production process is simpler than it would be for a video you have to brainstorm from scratch, and your engagement will likely reflect the impact, too.