In many ways, most of us would strangely qualify as video marketing experts; simply because companies spend billions of dollars per year trying to determine what types of advertising entices us.  Believe it or not, analysts examine almost every aspect of our daily lives to determine how we interpret the world around us and they’re desperate to learn things like:

• What time of day are we most likely to make an impulse decision?
• When are people the most relaxed, hungry, frustrated or motivated?
• How does product placement in commercials influence buying patterns?
• Which colors most accurately display a brand’s message?
• What aspects of video marketing lead to the highest conversion rates?

The list goes on and on, to the point where humans are studied by marketing experts more than global warming, cancer research and all professional sports combined.   In other words, knowing who your producing a video for can actually be more important than the marketing itself.  We see it every day at Next Day Flyers and it never ceases to amaze us how far some corporations go to gain even the slightest of edges within the marketplace.

SEE ALSO: The Week’s Best Viral Videos & Marketing Lessons – Brands Rule Edition

So how do you really get to know your customers?  Here are three quick tips to get you started:

1. Target your Key Demographics

Many of you may be thinking, “Why would a major life insurance brand use 1970’s Peanuts characters to try and sell a product in 2013?”  If you can figure out the answer to that question, then you’ll be one step closer to really understanding your key demographics.  It’s no accident when a commercial that makes us fall out of our chair laughing or reminds us of a great childhood memory…because it was designed specifically for us.

The entire reason for creating an advertising campaign is to give viewers that split-second “Aha!” moment where they completely connect with your brand, and you have to know your ideal consumer to achieve that.  Think about specifics:

• What would your ideal customer eat on their birthday?
• Where would they hang out on a Friday night?
• How long have they been married (or dating)?
• What’s their annual income?

The more questions that you can think to answer, the better your marketing will target your ideal client specifically.

2. Never Be Afraid of Variety

Likewise, do not be afraid to test the market with several different video marketing approaches to see which ones generate the largest buzz among consumers.  One good example of diverse advertising would be GEICO; from “A Caveman Can Do It” to the lovable gecko lizard to their biker made of money, this company has never feared making specialized marketing ads that were focused only on a small portion of their demographics.

The bigger lesson to be learned here is that it’s never too late to change a company’s image.  If a video marketing campaign doesn’t seem to be working, then it’s better to start over now than to continue to feed an unpopular approach.  Major corporations are forced to do this every day so don’t let your ego get in the way of the bigger picture.

The Golden Rule in Video Marketing: Know Thy Audience.