Video Marketing Strategy: How to Build One That Works

resources video confidence collective podcast Aug 01, 2025

A video marketing strategy is four decisions you make before you record: who the video is for, what you will say, where it gets published and how often. Write them on one line, publish on a fixed day each week, and measure what moves. That plan is what turns a string of random videos into ones that bring in work.

Key takeaways

A video marketing strategy comes down to four decisions: the audience, the message, the platform and the publishing day.
If the strategy will not fit on one line, it is too complicated to survive a busy month.
A plan is what lets you measure, because every video had a job before it was recorded.
Byron Trzeciak says the leads arrived once a properly delivered script went live as his video ads.
Strategy is one part of the work: the message, the delivery, the tech and the habit of publishing all have to be in place.

What is a video marketing strategy?

It is the plan that sits underneath your videos. Chris explains it as a recipe. Your ingredients are your scripts, your ideas and your platforms. The recipe is the plan: who it is for, why you are making it and how you will serve it. The oven is your publishing schedule, because timing matters.

"And without the recipe, you just end up with random ingredients and a messy kitchen, or in this case a string of videos that just never convert." Chris Schwager

If you have posted a handful of videos and nothing much came of them, the usual cause is that nobody decided who they were for or when the next one was due. The wider system it belongs to is set out in the video strategy guide.

How do you build a video marketing strategy in four steps?

Decide these four things, in this order, before you record anything:

Who is it for? One kind of client. The person you would most like more of, described the way they would describe themselves.
What will you say? The questions that client asks before they buy. One question per video, answered plainly.
Where will it be published? Start with one place. A single recording can be cut for several platforms later, once the habit exists.
How often? A fixed day of the week you can keep for a year.

That is a complete strategy, and you can write it on one line. Add to it once the rhythm is there. If you are still working out what the plan half should decide, read what a video marketing plan actually is.

What changes once you follow a plan?

The videos start arriving in a sensible order. In the episode this post comes from, Chris describes a client who had been posting whatever they felt like, whenever they felt like it, for months. A simple weekly plan tripled their engagement, the leads started coming in, and Chris says that client has since closed almost $400,000 in sales.

Andrew Zbik, a financial adviser at Creation Wealth, runs one of the simplest plans we know of. He records a market update on the first Wednesday of every month, after the Reserve Bank meets, and sends it to his 70 or so clients. He told Chris he gets about a 60% open rate on those video newsletters, and the call to action at the end of each one brings in bookings. You can read how video changed the way Andrew works with clients.

Andrew Zbik before: framed too close against a plain beige wall — Andrew Zbik before and after. The setup changed once; the monthly plan is what keeps it working.

Andrew Zbik after: lit and smiling against a clean dark backdrop — Andrew Zbik before and after. The setup changed once; the monthly plan is what keeps it working.

Where does the message fit into the strategy?

The plan decides which video comes next. The message decides whether anyone acts on it. Byron Trzeciak runs PixelRush, a digital marketing agency. An agency had written him a script, and after training with Chris he recorded it again at a much higher level. Then it went out as ads:

"And I really saw the impact of once this script went live and these ads went live. The amount of leads that I got through was unbelievable." Byron Trzeciak

That campaign led to an $8,000 retainer with a client he still has. Hear Byron tell it, from 9:17 in his interview with Chris:

Watch from 9:17

The rest of his story is in how Byron added $300K with video.

How do you know if your video strategy is working?

You test and measure. Some videos will land and some won't, and Chris is the first to say so:

"And I'm not saying that every single video is a winner. It's about testing and measuring." Chris Schwager

The plan is what makes the results readable. Because you decided why each video existed before you recorded it, a flat one still tells you something. Without a plan, a weak video and a strong one look the same, since neither had a job. For the numbers worth tracking, see how to measure what your videos bring in.

Why do video strategies stall, and when is outside help worth it?

Because a plan on paper only covers one of the four things video needs. You also need a message you can say clearly, a delivery that sounds like you, gear that works the moment you sit down, and the habit of publishing on the day you picked. Video fails for all four reasons. Sonia Majkic, who runs 3 Phase Marketing, has seen the last one up close:

"I think people will fall in love with the idea of making content and they buy the lights and it stays in the box for 12 months." Sonia Majkic

Sonia Majkic before: wearing headphones on a blurry, badly framed webcam — Sonia Majkic before and after. A strategy only pays when the recording actually happens.

Sonia Majkic after: talking to camera behind a podcast microphone — Sonia Majkic before and after. A strategy only pays when the recording actually happens.

Video strategy consulting is worth paying for when you have the plan and still are not publishing, or you publish and nothing comes back. That is the point where someone working with you every week on all four pieces saves you months. Ridge's version is video coaching for business owners. If the sticking point is fitting recording around real work, start with a video content schedule that does not burn you out.

Video marketing strategy questions we get asked

How long does it take to build a video marketing strategy?

An afternoon for the first version. You need four decisions: the audience, the message, the platform and the publishing day. The rest you will adjust once real videos are out, so a twelve-month document written before the first recording is mostly guesswork.

Do you need a different video strategy for each platform?

No. Keep one strategy and decide where each video gets published. The plan covers who the video is for and why it exists, and one recording usually stretches across several platforms. Splitting the strategy by platform tends to leave you with four half-finished plans.

How many videos does a strategy need before it works?

Fewer than you think, published more regularly than you think. One a week for a quarter beats twelve in a burst, because your audience learns when to expect you, and that familiarity is what turns into trust.

What does a video strategy consultant do?

A good one helps you settle the four decisions, then keeps you publishing once the plan exists. At Ridge Films that work covers messaging, performance, tech and implementation, because a plan with no one recording it, or a message nobody can deliver, brings in nothing.

Is a video marketing strategy the same as a content calendar?

No. A calendar says when a video goes out. A strategy says who it is for, why it exists and what should change if it works. Decide those first and the calendar dates follow easily.

Transcript

Read the full transcript

[00:00:00] Chris Schwager: You know, baking a cake without a recipe, it's a disaster waiting to happen. You throw in a bit of flour, a bit of dash of sugar and hope for the best, right? And what comes out is either rock hard or raw. And that's what happens when businesses make videos without a video marketing strategy. They're post here and there and they chase trans and wonder why no one's biting.

[00:00:22] Chris Schwager: But imagine if every video had a purpose, a plan, a path to profit, suddenly your marketing doesn't feel [00:00:30] like guesswork anymore. And here's the part people miss the most. Hi, I'm Chris Schwager, video coach and founder of the Complete Video Success System, and I've spent decades helping professionals create high impact videos that build trust, generate leads, and drive business success.

[00:00:44] Chris Schwager: And if you've ever felt unsure or under-prepared. Or just playing awkward with video. This is for you. I'll give you the mindset and strategies to take control, build video confidence so that you show up like a pro. It's time to make your videos work for you. Alright, [00:01:00] good day. Welcome back. You might be thinking, oh, I've posted a couple of videos before.

[00:01:03] Chris Schwager: What's the problem? Isn't that enough? But without a clear video marketing strategy, it's like throwing darts in the dark. You might be hitting a board. Rarely does it hit the bullseye. And in this episode, I wanna show you why building a strategy is your secret weapon and how to transform video from time wasting into client magnetizing material.

[00:01:27] Chris Schwager: Think of it like a strategy. That [00:01:30] allows you to bake a cake. Your ingredients, right uh, are your scripts, your ideas and platforms. Your recipe is the plan and who it's for and why you're making it and how you'll serve it. And the oven is your publishing schedule. Because timing is everything. And without the recipe, you just end up with random ingredients and a messy kitchen, or in this case a string of videos that just never convert.

[00:01:55] Chris Schwager: And when we coach our members inside the Video Confidence Collective, the biggest shift [00:02:00] is simplicity wins, right? I this concept of. Video marketing strategy doesn't have to be complicated. It just needs to speak to the right audience. It needs to deliver value consistently, and it needs to magnetize the right opportunity so that you can say yes.

[00:02:19] Chris Schwager: To having real growth with your videos. Videos that actually work. And here's a real life example. One of our clients had been posting whatever they felt like whenever they felt like it for [00:02:30] months. And once we helped them build a simple weekly plan, their engagement tripled. And more importantly, the lead started rolling in.

[00:02:37] Chris Schwager: This particular client's closed almost $400,000 in sales. It's the difference between hoping your cake rises and knowing. It will. And I'm not saying that every single video is a winner. It's about testing and measuring. Okay, so here's the key takeaway from today's podcast. Don't post another random video without a video marketing strategy.[00:03:00]

[00:03:00] Chris Schwager: Your strategy is your recipe. It's the difference between videos that vanish into the void and videos that actually grow your business. Think about it. Don't start going down the rabbit hole of video creation without knowing what to do. Start simple, stay consistent, and keep it fun because when you know your next move, every video feels easier and easier and easier, and the results will taste sweeter.

[00:03:25] Chris Schwager: Any cake. Thanks for listening to the Video Confidence Collective Podcast. If you enjoyed this [00:03:30] episode, leave a five star review on Apple Podcast at Spotify and subscribe to us on YouTube so you never miss an episode. For more resources, check out the show notes and follow me at Chris Schwager or Ridge Films and see you on the next episode.

Which of these sounds like you?

"Setting up takes so long I end up not recording." That is what the Desktop Studio removes. Installed for you, one click to record.

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"Honestly, both." Book a call and we will work out where to start.