A video strategy sounds complicated, especially to a brand that isn’t already using video marketing as part of their content strategy.
But I’m going to show you how easy it is to create a simple video strategy that will help you not only map out your video content into ongoing campaigns but also, how it will help improve engagement with your audience.
ORIGINS OF THE STRATEGY
The Hero, Hub, Help content strategy was developed by YouTube strategists based on viewership, engagement data and analysing what people actually search for and watch.
It is important to note that while YouTube will be referred to a lot throughout this piece, it is only because it is a huge video platform. The triple H approach works wherever your video is being hosted (YouTube, Facebook, website etc).
After analysing all of this data, it was discovered there are essentially only three types of content that people watch and engage with. Each piece is different, has its own purpose and traits and therefore, means the brand must act differently when creating/using them.
THE HERO
The Hero piece of video content is the ‘big moment’, the flagship video of the year. Often highly creative, these videos are huge awareness drivers that will engage with a wide audience. For example, not everyone who saw the Volvo truck video featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme was in the market for a new truck. But everyone who saw it remembered it.
The brand, no matter what they do or who they are, can suddenly appear like a broadcaster or entertainer – creating something seen by millions that creates engagement and inspires people to further interact with the brand.
HELP
Next comes the Help content. It’s really quick and simple content compared to the Hero piece. Help is basically, tutorials. ‘How to’ videos are really popular and the brand that supplies the answer their audience need, is the brand they come to trust. This trust ensures repeat visits and further interaction.
Of course it could be slightly more in-depth than just a ‘how to’, it could be a documentary on a particular subject, category or product – it just depends on the audience’s needs.
And that point is particularly pertinent. Your audience. Knowing as much about them as possible. Before embarking on creating a video, you need to research it as much as possible. That includes the target audience, how it will be distributed, how it will be viewed, what the Call-to-Action should be (the action you want the viewers to take after watching), the metrics of success and the desired Return on Investment.
THE LAST H
The last H, Hub content, is regular content delivered to your audience. Ongoing, almost episodic, content that will keep your brand top of your audience’s mind but also, keep them coming back to you as a trusted source of useful and relevant information. This content can be anything that you think your audience will find useful, so it could be really broad or it could focus on a particular niche of your industry – something that maybe no-one else is producing content about? Becoming the thought leader in a specific area of knowledge is a great way to get your brand well-known.
WHY USE A 3 TIER CONTENT STRATEGY?
Linear strategies no longer work. Using these three buckets of content allows you to communicate to a wide audience, offering something to everyone. You don’t know when or where a consumer will interact with your brand. It would be nice to think they move through from Hero to Help to Hub but they could just as well watch your ‘how to’ before seeing your Hero video.
It is less about singular campaigns and more about creating on-going content that you consistently produce so your audience come to rely on you.
The HHH strategy is something we often talk to clients about, using it help create video content and map out the client’s video marketing activities going forward.
DIGITAL TRAILBLAZER SERIES
We have created a video series called Digital Trailblazers in which we interview a variety of people who are at the forefront of digital marketing in their business or industry. Our most recent episode featured a Virtual Reality expert talking about all things VR and soon we are launching a new episode featuring former Google Zoo Strategist, Lazar Dzamic who talks about the HHH strategy.
This content is viewed as Help or Hub content as it provides education to viewers and also, makes them come back to tune in for the next monthly episode.
THE FUTURE?
The HHH video strategy isn’t the only one that is used in video marketing but it is one that has proven itself to be hugely successful. As video marketing becomes increasingly popular will we see other video strategies overtake the HHH approach, or is it here to stay?
If you interested in knowing more about video marketing, or how your business can embrace video, please do get in touch. I’d be happy to discuss ideas, views, opinions and help you create a video strategy for your business.
To view a PDF version of this comment, please click the Download button above. Or contact David Hunstone, Hub TV, 0207 014 3712 , www.hub.tv
