According to YouTube, the number of hours of video watched by users is growing 50 percent each year. The major video sites receive billions of views each day, across categories and subjects of all kinds. Mobile video is growing, advertising revenue is increasing, and many small businesses are seizing the opportunities provided through video marketing. There are some people who think that video views are driven by young people and viral videos, but a Forbes study revealed that 75 percent of senior executives reported watching work-related videos via business websites on a weekly basis.
Many entrepreneurs can see this great potential in video marketing, but there is often a feeling that it is just too complicated and costly to pursue, and won’t provide a good return on investment (ROI). While some videos can be expensive to produce, with no guarantee of reaching a wide consumer base, it is possible to make effective, targeted, low-cost productions. Produced and marketed in the right way, your videos can bring in new customers long after they have been released.
Brainstorm Different Types of Video
There are many types of videos you can create, largely dependent on your business and market. Certain industries lend themselves to light-hearted content, whereas business-to-business services might benefit from a more serious tone. You can also base your content around the medium, with short videos gaining traction on sites like Vine, Twitter, and Instagram, while longer videos might be more suitable for YouTube. If you create a slick, glossy video, a site like Vimeo can give more gravitas.
Create Riveting Content
Due to the enormous amount of video content uploaded each day, you must create something compelling if you want somebody to press play. There will be instances in which a product demonstration or walkthrough video is necessary, but your marketing videos will benefit from more creativity. Building a narrative is a way to keep people interested, whether you choose to do this with humor, a personal story, or an interesting lesson. Aim to showcase a wider context to your video, rather than just pitching to potential customers, so your business can develop an identity within the market.
Optimize Your Video
Optimizing your videos will ensure the highest number of potential viewers can see them. Your title is one of the most important factors to consider, along with the thumbnail image associated with each video. The perfect title should be intriguing and contain industry-based keywords, but not mislead any viewers. The thumbnail image should stand out amongst lots of other images, but be relevant to the actual video. Include tags and a detailed description, including a link to your website, and you could make use of annotations linking to your site or other videos.
Share on Social Media
With no promotion and a lot of competition, the average video will go unseen by most people. To ensure your video gets some initial views, share the link with your social media network. If you haven’t been active on social media, set up accounts and start to contribute with people in your niche. Embedding videos around the web will increase your views, providing you with a more prominent position within YouTube and similar sites.
Respond to Comments
A well-crafted video is more likely to encourage viewers to share their thoughts. Look at any video with respectable viewing figures, and you will find comments and conversation taking place. Try to engage with people who have spent time discussing your content, even if it is only a brief message. This becomes harder as your video marketing reach grows, but in the early stages it is a good way to develop a core audience.
Participate with Related Content
A quick way to get new viewers is to get a recommendation from people with a following, but this is unlikely to happen unprompted. Try to participate within the community, commenting on similar videos and joining relevant groups. Most video sites offer a community element, so make use of pre-existing groups by adding value. Most video sites work in a similar fashion to other social media properties; the best results are enjoyed by people who think in terms of community.
Study Your Analytics
As you start to progress with video marketing, your analytics account will become incredibly valuable. In any business, having a clear idea of your customer base is necessary, so the demographic and geographic information in your analytics accounts can help you to tailor your content. Also, learning where and how people found your videos can ensure you double your efforts with these particular traffic sources. Video statistics can give you information about your customers that you may not have previously known, allowing you to make adjustments within the rest of your business.
Bonus Tip – Find Untapped Potential
Creating quality videos does come with a learning curve, but you can begin promoting your business before even reaching the content creation stage. If you search for popular videos within your niche, you should start to find those without any obvious promotional elements. Many eager amateurs have created videos, but they are not actively involved in the business. For example, a dog owner might upload videos of their pet, receive consistent viewing figures, and leave their account dormant. If you owned a dog training business, this video could be extremely valuable to you.
Contact these video owners, ask them if they will add a link to your website, and offer to sponsor their video. Typically, only a small number of people will respond to you, but this will be enough to get your promotions rolling. You can instantly gain a stream of consistent viewers, and the cost will be minimal. This is a quick way to get started with video marketing before you progress to your own content creation.
Based on research from eMarketer, 51.9 percent of marketers cited video as having the highest ROI amongst content types. With so many business owners reaping the rewards of a successful video marketing strategy, ignoring this content type could prove to be damaging. While the world of video might initially be unfamiliar, when you start to see the benefits, it could easily become the driver of your marketing efforts.
