 |
| Courtesy of Flickr |
Video marketing is hotter than ever right now, but there are some hidden monkey wrenches out there you have to watch out for. We have been spreading the word about video marketing since 2011 (when most were not listening). Today, video is easier and cheaper to produce than it was back then. Plus, there are many free publishing venues, so anyone who really wants to take advantage of the dynamic nature of video marketing can, (and for little or no capital investment). In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will provide you with access to comprehensive content, along with our top seven tips to help you improve your video marketing success. This will also include the details of what’s trending now and in the near future. So, put on your director’s hat and get ready to say “lights, camera, action,” as we explore video marketing – what makes it hot and the top seven tips to keep it that way.
You may be asking yourself – “what does Working the Web to Win really know about video marketing”? My answer to that question is a lot. Beyond our many years of video production, scriptwriting and web TV show creation, we have written about this subject for almost eight years now. In fact, there are several sections in our first book called Working the Web to Win that covers video marketing. Our latest edition of that book called, “Working the Web to Win 3.0” has even more information than the first. On top of that, we have written more than two dozen articles on this subject. Here is a partial list of those articles.
- A Movie in Every Mailbox
Courtesy of Flickr - Lights! Webcam! YouTube action!
- The Changing Face of Online Video
- How to Work the Web Gangnam Style
- Is Humor Marketing’s Secret Weapon?
- Using Video as a Social Media Platform
- Social Media Marketing via Online Video
- Is Humor a Weapon of Mass Distraction or Attraction?
- The Future of Web Video – Candid Camera for Everyone
- Is Your Business Still Waiting for the Movie to Come Out?
- How to Turn Your Best Customers into Your Best Salespeople
- Content Marketing Tips and Best Practices for the 21st Century
- Working The Web - How to Get High SEO Ranking on YouTube
- How to Use Storytelling to Save the Day - 3 Secrets to Content Marketing Success
 |
| Courtesy of SocialMediaExaminer |
Here again, you don’t have to believe me. All you need to do is a simple Google search on “what is the latest in video marketing”, and you will get a list of articles that include; Cyberclicks - top-10-video-marketing-trends-for-2018, Forbes - Video marketing 2018 trends continues to explode as the way to reach customers and DigitalDoughnut - The-latest-video-marketing-trends. On top of that, you will also find useful information in these three video topic sections for Entrepreneur.com, Marketingland.com, and Marketingdive.com.
Every article will provide an opinion based on current statistics, their experiences and whatever biases they carry. It's pretty easy to understand that social video is hot right now (with the exception of Facebook issues). Having said that, you also need to take into account what leads to success. At Working the Web to win, we have discovered seven vital elements that almost always lead to success. In fact, if you produce a video using all seven elements you have a high probability (I believe as high as 99%) of achieving viral success. This doesn’t mean that you can bypass the necessary marketing that is needed. Nor can you ignore what a particular social network is doing at the moment, or that you can cheat with regards to giving people what they want. No, you still have to provide high-quality content that is relevant, timely and useful to their needs. Yes, you still have to understand that social means giving people what they want.
Here are our top 7 ways to achieve video success.
- Go for Quality - Produce high-quality video with great production value (as best as you can produce) providing useful, relevant, timely, authoritative information and if possible, with entertainment value. No shaky cam, clean sound quality – focused and concise but personal and authentic. Use good equipment when possible. Many smartphones today can produce a better video than the Sony TV cameras used just a decade ago. There are tons of free and low-cost video editing apps that can raise the production value of any video (even mediocre video).
- Optimize to Viralize – There are actually millions of great videos on the internet that just aren’t getting seen because they were never optimized. Make sure you're using good keywords and phrases (in the video, in your description and the keyword label section). It’s also a good idea to make sure you have an excellent thumbnail image for your video. Often, it’s the thumbnail that hooks viewers to click on your channel. Lastly, make sure you mega share your posts on all of your social nets. You should be posting to the top eight social channels often, (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger and Pinterest).
- Get the Length Right - Make sure your length is appropriate for the venue and topic. Videos generally come in four lengths. Short (60 to 90 seconds), Quick (3 to 5 minutes) Overview briefs (5 to 30 minutes) and Full-Length Productions (like movies and longer recorded live events). If you produce testimonial videos, they should be in the short range. Unique Selling Propositions, Benefits, and About US videos can be Short or Quick depending on the complexity of the subject matter. And finally, Overview Brief (i.e., live streams, webinars, and recordings of live events) and Longer Educational Classes and full-length Movies can run as long as two hours. We have found that shorter videos have the greatest chance of being watched unless you have a captive audience that needs to watch your video to achieve a certification or other captive need.
- Repurpose on Purpose – Get your full use out of any video content you create by repurposing that content into useful videos. One of the golden rules of content production is to re-purpose all content. This doesn’t just mean “rewrite an article several different ways.” It also means producing content using different media. Video is an excellent medium for producing new content from old.
- Get a Threefer – A great way to get maximum return on your production investment is to use your blog as the fodder for an internet radio show or live podcast that you also then live video stream on social media. This way you end up with three content products for the time it takes to develop just one. Creating a “Threefer is Repurposing on Purpose.”
- Go Green – Create Evergreen video content whenever possible. An
evergreen video is a video that provides principled material that does not go out of fashion or is useful for many years because it is based on constant values or laws that are fixed or change very slowly. An evergreen video can be posted to the social nets many times and over many years and still produce traffic and a new audience.
Courtesy of Flickr - Recycle When Appropriate – If you're producing evergreen content, then you can recycle your post many times. Just be sensitive to spamming. Spread out recycled posts by at least 30 days (60 days is better) and make sure you use new curated headlines and thumbnails if possible. This will usually draw new followers and prospects and may even lead existing followers to finally view your content.
I want to make sure that I emphasize that using our top seven video marketing tips are not the be all to end all. You still have to engage in marketing. You must push out your video content to as many people as possible. If you have a small following, make sure you hitch your social caboose to a company or person who has a large following to get your coverage. I like Twitter because of the cultural use of Hashtags, which allow your posts to be seen by thousands (if not millions) of people who aren’t directly connected to you. Today we are favoring YouTube, but we will continue to post to and monitor Facebook because on the web what goes around comes around sooner or later.
Don’t forget other video channels like Vimeo, Instagram, Snapchat and others as each of these channels often offer specialized markets and opportunities missed by the others. Try and stick to short length videos as this leads to more viewers and completed views. And don’t forget that high-quality video content is king. Put your director’s cap on at least weekly and put your best face forward with each and every video you produce. Don’t forget that your audience determines what it likes. You're there to please them, not the other way around. If you don’t have the time, skill or inclination to do video right, by all means, outsource this marketing. Pick a company with references that have lots of experience while also fitting your budget and timeline. Providing consistent, high-quality video content can be a terrific way to build credibility, more traffic, and more sales.
That's my opinion; I look forward to reading yours.
This article provides a detailed discussion of video marketing, its latest trends and our top seven video marketing tips to help ensure your video marketing is successful. This article also provides many additional links to other comprehensive related articles, including a link to the BlogTalkRadio show notes page.
 |
| Get your FREE Copy Below! |
If you found this article useful, please share it with friends, family, and co-workers. I recommend checking out the links on the blog, along with checking out other related articles on our Show Notes Page. Also, don’t forget to listen to the BlogTalkRadio show on this subject. If you have a related useful comment or opinion about this article, leave it in the comment section of this blog. Also, don’t forget to plus us, on Google+ and share us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment