How to create a cross platform video campaign
According to YouGov research, 55% of Britons frequently use their mobile phones while watching TV. Often this will be to look up information about the program or ads they’re watching, but it also could be a cheeky scroll on social media during boring bits. To fully capture your target audience, you should be executing a cross-platform video campaign.
This ensures that your brand gets seen by consumers wherever they are online. It’s an effective strategy, but it does require some planning to make sure your content aligns and creates a seamless experience. Here’s how to do it!
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The multi channel approach to video marketing
Most of us can admit to using several devices every day – phones, laptops, work computers, tablets – even fridges have their own screens now! This can be both good and bad for brands due to the amount of content on show. Looking at it positively, there are so many opportunities to get in front of consumers, but at the same time, online spaces are oversaturated and it’s hard to stand out.
By taking a cross-media approach to your video marketing, you’re creating a consistent, effective experience for your audience. Each platform you’re on should be working together and complementing each other, but your content should be tweaked and specialised for each channel.
A big benefit to this approach is that you can reuse your existing video content for several platforms, saving you time, money and resources.
What does a cross platform video campaign look like?
Your cross platform content strategy is going to be unique to your brand, depending on what channels you use. You need to consider where your audience is spending their time online. Are they spending hours scrolling through TikTok, or are they watching more long form YouTube or TV content?
Even within your audience, people will still have different preferences for consuming content, and this is where this strategy shines. By creating content for multiple platforms, you’re not just reaching new viewers, but you’re making it easier for your existing audience to engage.
How to build your cross platform video marketing strategy
With so many video-focused platforms, it can be hard to know where to get started. Here are a few key steps to help your brand build a cross-platform strategy.
Know your audience
Hopefully, you’ll already have your target audience mapped out. It’s an essential step in creating any marketing strategy, and it’s the same for cross-platform campaigns. We’ve talked already about considering what platforms your audience are using, but you also need to think about the overall messaging. What are their hopes, struggles and desires, and how can you use your content to leverage these?
Understand each platform
Once you’ve decided what platforms you’ll be using, you need to understand the best practices and user expectations for each. It sounds obvious, but people expect something very different from a TV ad compared to an organic YouTube video. If you ignore this and just shove the same content everywhere, your videos will feel forced and you won’t get any engagement.
If you’re using linear TV or CTV in your omnichannel marketing, you’ll need to understand the specific content requirements for each channel or platform. You’ll also need higher quality content than you’d use for TikTok for example, otherwise you’ll stick out like a sore thumb and hurt your brand reputation.
When you understand what platforms your audience are on, and how they use them, you can create an optimised strategy that drives results.
Set your goals
Before you start planning your content, set your goals and KPIs for your cross media campaign. Do you want to build brand awareness, educate people about your product, or directly drive sales?
This will allow you to make decisions about how you’ll produce your content, your budget, your timeline and overall messaging.
Produce the content
Once you understand your audience, platform, and goals, you can start producing your video content.
It might feel overwhelming having to make content for multiple channels, but you should plan to make the most of your resources. A lot of content you create can be repurposed for different platforms with some post production editing.
Your content should generate interest and build a connection with your audience. Do this through telling stories, showcasing your products and sharing customer reviews.
Measure and optimise
When your creative is ready, you can launch your campaign across platforms. But, you need to know what’s working, and what to do differently for your next campaign.
Measurement and reporting is essential to understand how your marketing channels perform. You might also want to try different testing strategies, such as multivariate or A/B testing. This will help you work out what parts of your content make the biggest impact and resonate the most with your audience.
You’ll learn more about your audience with each campaign, and you’ll be able to optimise each time to lead to better results.
Every platform will have their own analytics to explore, with unique data sets to help you gain insights and plan effectively. In particular, you’ll want to look at stats like views, engagement rates and viewer demographics.
How cross platform video campaigns help your brand
Diversify your reach
By running a video marketing campaign across multiple channels, you can reach a wider audience. Different types of consumers will prefer different platforms for their content, as well as different types of videos. You’re essentially casting your net as wide as it can go, to capture as many people as possible who would be interested in your brand. You’ll be able to target different demographics and interests on each platform.
Build interest
Ideally, you want your audience to be loyal to your brand. To do this, your content needs to be more of a two-way conversation. Depending on your brand and the platform, you might want to reply to comments, respond to messages or give targeted advice on your email newsletters.
Posting across channels allows this deeper connection to be made, as well as keeping your brand at the front of people’s minds.
Maximise your impact
As you’re able to switch your marketing strategy with each platform, you can really target specific audience segments whilst still maintaining synergy. Use your insights into your audience’s behaviour to tailor your content and maximise your reach.
The best platforms for video content
There’s no one size fits all guide to cross platform marketing. As we’ve discussed, you need to work out what platforms are going to perform best for your brand. Here’s an overview on some of the top choices, and how to use them.
Linear TV Advertising
Traditional linear TV advertising still offers a broad reach and high impact. TV is probably the most trusted media channel, because all adverts are reviewed and cleared by a central body that approves ads that adhere to the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising. There’s also a huge variety of demographics watching TV daily. Linear TV ads will help your brand create a credible presence that adds consistency to your campaign, whether you opt for an awareness boosting brand ad or results driving DRTV.
You’ll be able to reach mass audiences during popular programs, which will help amplify your brand exposure and help with recall. It can also boost engagement on your digital platforms as people research your products after seeing the ad.
Integrating your TV ads with digital content also works really well, with tools like QR codes becoming more popular to encourage viewers to interact online. This bridges the gap between TV and digital interactions.
BVOD advertising
BVOD reaches viewers who stream content on apps or websites, combining the trust of linear TV with the targeting flexibility of digital. It really is the best of bost worlds, and as viewers have actively chosen what to watch and when, they’re usually more engaged, making the ads more memorable.
The precise audience targeting is a huge benefit of BVOD. The platforms collect data on viewer behaviour, so brands can show ads based on interests, viewing history and demographics. This is ideal for a cross-platform marketing strategy, as you can target different demographics with tailored messages that you can coordinate with your social media.
BVOD also allows viewers to directly engage with your brand, by using clickable CTAs that make it easy to visit a website or sign up for a trial.
TikTok
TikTok ads bring energy and creativity to cross-platform campaigns by tapping into a highly engaged, mostly younger audience. TikTok’s short-form, scroll-stopping video format makes it ideal for sparking curiosity and encouraging viewers to check out other channels where the campaign is running.
One big advantage of TikTok is its viral potential. With features like trending hashtags, challenges, and remixing tools, ads can reach audiences far beyond your followers if they catch on with users. Brands can create unique, interactive content—like challenges or UGC (user-generated content) campaigns—that invite viewers to engage directly.
TikTok’s advanced algorithm also allows for precise targeting based on user behaviour and interests, making it easier to match ad content with relevant audiences. TikTok ads work well in a cross-platform strategy to create buzz and then direct users to deeper content on other channels, boosting overall engagement.
Youtube
YouTube advertising is a powerhouse for cross-media advertising, thanks to its vast audience and diverse ad formats. With billions of users globally, YouTube allows brands to reach potential customers where they spend significant time watching videos, making it a key player in any video marketing strategy.
One of the main benefits of YouTube ads is targeting. Brands can reach specific demographics based on interests, location, and behaviour, ensuring that ads appear in front of the right audience. This targeting is particularly effective when combined with remarketing strategies that engage viewers who have interacted with your brand previously, driving them back to your website or social media.
YouTube offers robust analytics, so you can track performance and optimise campaigns in real-time. Integrating YouTube ads with content on platforms like Facebook or Instagram can create a consistent message, maximising visibility and driving traffic across multiple channels.
Social Media Advertising
Social media advertising is crucial for any cross-platform video marketing. Platforms allow for seamless integration of video ads with other content, reinforcing your brand messaging. An advantage of this is their interactivity, as users can like, share, and comment on the ads, creating opportunities for brands to engage directly with their audience. Features like Instagram Stories and Reels enable short, engaging video content that can quickly capture attention.
Social media also has valuable insights through analytics, so you can measure engagement and refine your strategies in real-time.
How Fall off the Wall can help
At FOTW, we understand the importance of a cohesive video marketing strategy across platforms. As an independent, female-led, and employee-owned agency, we bring a unique perspective and a commitment to delivering exceptional results.
Our team crafts customised campaigns that align with your specific goals and target audiences, ensuring your message resonates wherever it’s seen. We excel at storytelling; creating compelling narratives and visuals that engage audiences and drive action across all screens.
We prioritise brand consistency across all channels—TV, social media, digital, OOH, and more. This integrated approach maximises your campaign’s impact, creating a unified experience for your audience and reinforcing brand recognition.