Online Video Marketing

You can’t under estimate the power of video! Sounds very cheesy but it’s true.  For your business or blog a decent video can work wonders on many levels.  This section explains the benefits of Video Marketing, the different types of video and some tips on Video Search Engine Optimisation.

Why Video Marketing

Through video marketing a business can communicate their message directly, the viewer is choosing to watch and the video will say so much more about your business than text or audio formats.

Video can drive more qualified leads and conversions in a manner that is measurable helping a business to calculate their return on investment.  For small business video marketing does not have to be expensive, but it will require planning and organisation.  Video search results are much more noticeable and the click through rate is higher than text in the search engine results pages.

Planning a Video Marketing Campaign

Video Content

For small business and bloggers high production video does not bring visitors or customers.  A good production is likely to attract interest, whereas very high quality video will be viewed as advertising. Video Formats can be:

• Slide Show with voice over – not traditional video, but for online video sites and the search engines it perfect.
• Webinar – Can talk through various points on a subject and if you do it live you can invite comments via Twitter or your blog.  Keep a recording and upload to Youtube and your blog.
• Interview – either face to face or on Webcam.
• Tutorial – Share some knowledge that might be of benefit to visitors.
• Documentary – Shows parts of your business at work, interview employees.
• Gaffs (Bloppers) – If you have enough to compile a short film and it is presentable and will not hurt your image, why not.
• Customer or Employee Testimonials
• Video Blog – Frequent updated videos covering interesting content
• Internal Training Video – Great for internal purposes and could be of interest to visitors

Landing Page

The landing Page is where visitors will arrive when clicking on links or typing addresses connected to your video.  This has to be a well planned page with a ‘call to action’ on the page which will lead to a conversion (sale, download, new subscriber). The landing page has to be monitored regularly to see which video is bringing the most traffic and to monitor where visitors are going after the landing page.  If visitors arrive and leave straight away Analytics information and testing different content with the Google Website Optimizer can help to improve conversions.

The landing page is just as important as the video content and the Search engine optimisation requirements, if visitors go to a non relevant page they may leave altogether.

Video Search Engine Optimisation

Although the video content is extremely important when planning a video marketing campaign you also have to be aware of the Search Engines.  You may have the best video in the world but no-one will be able to see it if you don’t plan and optimise your video content.

Remember that Video Search Results Online

• Appear in Google Search Results, sometimes up to 6 images in a line
• Are more relevant than Image results as they have more descriptive content
• There is less competition
• Visitor attention is drawn directly to images, than text on the Search Engine Results page.

Video SEO

1. Keyword Research – Just like text pages videos can be optimised through keywords, do your Keyword Analysis and Research.  Your aim is to get your videos discovered when visitors search for your optimised keywords.  Although you want people on Online Video Sites to see your videos you also want them to rank well for Keywords
2. Video Distribution – There are many online video sites where you can upload your videos, but a service like Tubemogul can help to speed up the process.  Set up video Channel pages (e.g. YouTube) this is very important and these need to be optimised.
3. Linking Strategy – As you would with text create a linking strategy to get your content noticed.
   • Social Media – Talk and link the video, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Bookmarks, talk to your groups, contacts, fans and community.
   • Encourage visitors to share and comment your video, add embed and share links
   • Offer the video in Multiple Formats allowing for different download speeds and platforms.
   • Cross Link videos, create series of videos.
4. Create Video Content from existing Sources or create Web Content From Video,
   • shorten long videos 30 seconds minimum and 3mins max video time is a good benchmark.
   • look at any information you currently have on your website is it interesting? Can you turn it into a video?
   • Create transcripts of your videos, add to your website, and text based social media e.g. slideshare.
   • Take Screen shots of your videos, add to Photosharing sites.

Hope this helps and will give you some ideas, if you have any questions catch me on Twitter @briancee1