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You've likely watched animated explainer videos at work if you've ever spent time on a website or scrolled social media. These short, eye-catching bits of content are among the most effective ways to explain complex concepts, introduce products, or capture someone's attention in under a minute. So, why is there so much hype, and how do you obtain one that really performs?

We now know what drives video watching. Simple—a video the prospect wants, positioned where the prospect will see it. As much as it takes to make a great video, where and how you use it is just as important. To truly have an impact, you need to pair the right video with the right placement to reach your target audience most effectively.

Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might not get there.” That wisdom is particularly appropriate when developing an effective video marketing strategy. If you don't have specific objectives and a clear understanding of your audience, your video initiatives can easily miss the mark, failing to generate the desired outcomes.

Video has become a vital tool in the high-tech marketing toolkit. Its ability to simplify complex ideas, capture attention, and convey messages in seconds makes it a key player in reaching today’s decision-makers. But figuring out how to seamlessly integrate video into your existing marketing efforts can feel overwhelming.

Video is not a trend; it's a revolution. From halting individuals in their tracks in a scrollable feed to conveying complex ideas in a matter of seconds, video has evolved into the marketer's best friend. Yet if you're struggling to integrate video organically into your content strategy, you're definitely not alone. It can seem like a daunting puzzle, especially if you have no clue where to begin.

Effective marketing requires crisp differentiation. Define a unique market segment and be the best in that segment. Simple enough, but be careful – it is not product differences that define your segment, but rather buyer differences. Segments are defined by unique buyers with unique needs and desires.

I saw two great movies last week. The first – The Sapphires – was an independent film with unknown actors. The other was Iron Man 3, starring Robert Downey Jr. You couldn’t find two more different movies in terms of star power, production values, and overall polish.

Two questions clients ask me all the time about online video are “how many views are enough” and “how can I get more views”. These are great questions. The answers might surprise you.

Yogi Berra famously said “You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.” You never knew what Yogi was really talking about, but in this case he may have been talking about choosing your marketing targets carefully. Here are three things I’ve learned over the years about choosing your marketing targets:

A couple of years ago I was skiing with a group of general partners from top Silicon Valley venture firms. At dinner one of them was raving about Facebook. I mentioned it didn’t seem like a good fit for our B2B clients who sold to CIOs and senior IT staff. He assured me that was changing – that Facebook was refocusing on business. Skeptical, I mumbled something like “we’ll see.”