Keep up with the changing trends of social media. Never appear dated – Yatharth Chauhan.

Don’t just enjoy watching videos start observing them. Start listing out things that strike you. Know the internet in and out.– Says Yatharth Chauhan

Yatharth Chauhan is a video expert at Hindustan Times Digital. He led his team to win the highly prestigious Star Award for the show “Friday Flicks”.

Read on to learn more about Yatharth Chauhan as he shares his journey and his experience of video marketing.

1. Tell us about your life journey, Yatharth Chauhan.?

I was born and brought up in Dehradun. The ICSE school culture laid an early impact in shaping my interests, which back in the 90s weren’t considered as ‘mainstream’ enough – you know, stuff like movies, cultural fests, etc.

I knew I really enjoy writing but the thought of carving out a career around it was a long shot. I was like those who opted for science, just to hang around with their friends even when their proficiency in those subjects were strong deterrents. 

So, I eventually took up media studies and graduated from Indraprastha University in Delhi in Bachelor of Journalism & Mass Communication. Immediately after graduation, I joined Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan to study script writing & direction.

I believe things were meant to shape in a certain way and I was at the halfway of my Master’s program when I found myself stood puzzled at the crossroad. 

Whether to continue pursuing my growing interest in production or give my strong writing skills a try?

Whether to move to the city Bombay or stay in Delhi?

As it turned out, I was offered a position of Copy Editor by Hindustan Times and that seemed like a proposition too enticing to ignore.

Having served there for about 15 months, I then moved to MakeMyTrip.com to add some adventure in my resume. As it was going to be a combination of travel and writing.

Even though I stayed there for less time, the learning was immense. MMT also happened to be my only ‘corporate’ professional experience to date. 

Hindustan Times, I believe was both in my comfort and challenge zone, which is why I came back to this world, only this time in a completely different role.

This time I joined growing entertainment website – Desimartini. It was during this period that I learned things about shaping and growing a small brand into something big.

I got introduced to the start-up culture despite being an employee of a media giant like HT. The challenges kept increasing and with it came the opportunities of increasing my skills and horizons.

In the second year of my second innings with HT, I finally forayed into videos. Right from conceptualizing, scripting, anchoring and producing to selling and making it work online, and this is the role I enjoyed most.

So much so that I ended my 4 years stint there as Video Lead and produced countless exciting campaigns. 

2. What made you interested in Video Content Marketing? 

Video Content Marketing isn’t something you can grow your interest overnight. It comes with experience, both in the field of videos and marketing.

As we successfully started producing quality video content, we then realized the potential to make money by marketing them. 

Content Marketing through videos is exciting as it breaks all the shackles of mundanity. 

You can be flamboyant, entertaining, clear-headed all at the same time while promoting something that essentially feels like a part of the package. That is an incredible way of marketing. 

3. How can a Marketer devise a Video Marketing strategy that drives value?

The first question a video marketers have to ask themselves is if the video marketing content they are making interests themselves in the first place. There are a number of factors that are needed to be laid out right when you’re brainstorming ideas

a) What is it that you’re trying to market?

b) Who is your target audience?

c) Is your video so dependent on marketing that content has taken a back seat or vice versa?

d) Does the content look pushy while you’re marketing it? If yes, then rework.

e) Could you be more subtle while plugging your product? If yes, then go ahead.

f) Have you in the process followed the right markups for SEO?

g) Is your content discoverable?

h) Every social media channel has a different video algorithm, have they been factored in?

So an effective video marketing strategy depends on a number of variables, all of which come at play at the same time.

Read More – Top 25 Video Marketing Disruptors (Globally) in 2019

4. What is your thought process when you plan Video Content?

What’s most important is to know the difference between an ad-film and a promotional plugin.

When money rides over content, the thought processes change. 

You are purposefully made to consider things that you wouldn’t consider otherwise. As my personal experience, I have been part of some push over kind of marketing campaigns along with some subtle plugins.

No variable whatsoever should make you compromise on your content, your video must always be watchable and not just to a niche audience but a larger audience.

5. What advice would you give to someone who wants to take up Video Marketing?

Don’t just enjoy watching videos, start observing them. Start listing out things that strike you. Know the internet in and out.

Keep up with the changing trends of social media. Never appear dated. Always think of sharable ideas. Learn to make the right pitch. 

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