By now, you’ve probably heard that video marketing is all the rage. It’s evidently more impactful and can engage many more people on social media networks than a post with an image alone could. You may be saying, “Yeah, that sounds great, but I don’t have the time and the resources to make a video!” Well, don’t throw the idea away just yet.

 
What if we told you that within just a few hours, you could have enough video content for almost a whole year to dole out each month? There are many styles of videos for marketing and some will take much longer to make. However, a simple Q& A style video can be done relatively quickly and provides numerous beneficial results to your marketing. 

by addressing topics you believe are important to your audience, your business value is increased and deeper relationships are developed as you’re looked at as a trusted expert in your field.

 

Before you take your first stab at making a video, keep in mind the following pointers to get the most out of your work:

1. Grab attention early.

Ideally within 1st 10 seconds or less, appeal to the viewers’ emotions by addressing particular pain points, concerns, or other impassioned viewpoints.

2. Establish a clear Call to Action (CTA).

Determine what your ultimate goal is for the video, i.e. visiting your website, sharing the video, etc. and incorporate that into a straightforward CTA usually toward the end of the video, such as “Learn more at (insert url).” 

3. Don’t forget about the post text.

What you write about in the text for the video post is very important and should be used as the bait & hook to the video. Be sure to not spam it with hashtags.

4. Set it to autoplay with subtitles.

One study found that 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. The video needs to be able to attract attention without sound, meaning an aesthetically pleasing background and camera quality is important, but so is the need for subtitles. Facebook offers this as an option now. Contact us if you want more specifics! 

5. Know how to measure your success.

Depending on the platform the video is posted on, make sure you know how to read the metrics, i.e. the number of shares, the amount of engagement, and the number of clicks to your site.

6. Follow the golden rules.

Make sure you have a good audio (lavaliere wireless microphone), a clear and aesthetically pleasing, but not distracting background, and that you’re discussing something that you are passionate about.

7. Upload the video individually into the social networks rather than sharing a YouTube link.

While it would certainly be easier to share the same link across all channels, Facebook’s algorithm favors videos placed directly onto their platform more than links. Doing it this way will create greater organic reach, especially on Facebook. 

8. Optimize for search.

The text you include in your post about the video won’t be searchable, but the headline and descriptions you post with your video will. Try to include those keywords or phrases you think viewers would be searching for to help them find your content, and include a couple relevant hashtags on platforms like Twitter and Instagram to boost search results.

Now for the director & producer in you, here’s a list of ideas for topics:

 

1. Share a how-to video.

It’s important to keep the video short, so if it’s a visual “How-To”, use the speed-up feature in your video editing software to shorten the duration. 

2. Answer questions.

Give brief answers to a few of the main questions you know your audience is interested in. This is a great way to establish your business’s expert credibility.

3. Take viewers behind the scenes.

This is a powerful brand-building tool as users on social media follow companies typically because they have an affinity for the business and want to learn more about what the brand really is and what it stands for. Show viewers how something works or how something is made and this can lead to major increases in brand loyalty.

4. Tell a story.

By creating a story with a beginning, middle, and end that fits into a 30-second video, you’re bound to easily connect with viewers. Telling stories about real people is ideal, but even telling a story about your customers, your business, or a cause you want to raise awareness on are dynamic tools to build and sustain loyal relationships.

Are you ready yet?

If you’re pressed for time, but feel video marketing is an excellent strategy you want to give a try, start out with the Answering Questions format. 

• Develop a list of 10 questions that your clients and prospects most frequently ask you about your business. 
• Then brainstorm another list of 10 questions that you think your clients and prospects need to know, but rarely ask.
• Rehearse the answers so you can keep the videos short and sweet, ideally within the 60 sec range. This way, you don’t even have to worry about editing except for the start and finish. Doing them all at once can be filmed in just a few hours. 
  

If you schedule a day on your calendar that you can sit down and record 20 videos back to back, you can have 10 months of videos ready to go that get posted online every two weeks. Pretty efficient, right?

Once you have a video created, cross promote it on your blog, post it on YouTube so the link can be embedded into an email newsletter campaign, and add it as a video post to your social media networks.

 

BIS Designs is more than happy to come to your location or schedule time in our studio to record video tutorials, testimonials, or any such video as described above. Our comprehensive marketing services can integrate your video marketing with your website, social media, and print marketing endeavors, all the while ensuring your videos are efficiently optimized to help your search engine rankings. Contact our Designs team to learn more about our video marketing services and how we can increase your brand’s recognition, reinforce your business’s credibility, and boost both your search rankings and social engagement. 

 

Tuning In to Your Audience

Video marketing is a great way to engage your audience while also providing a form of entertainment for them that promotes and generates a genuine relationship between the company and the target market. Videos allow you to share information, products and business news in a direct and engaging way, as compared to traditional written content. YouTube is the perfect social media site to promote your videos, and here are a few simple key factors to help you maximize your channel traffic.

Add Your Personal Touch

YouTube receives millions of unique visitors every month, with over 6 billion hours of video being watched. In order to get your slice of the marketing pie with this type of traffic, the first step is simply setting up your page. You want to make sure to include the essentials, such as a link to your home website, as well as some well designed page art to grab the audiences attention and give that initial impression of what your business is all about. Be sure to alter your page design on a regular basis, it is recommended to do so quarterly. This keeps your page fresh and lets your followers know you are active.

Variety is the Key to Success

Be sure to use a variety of subjects for your posted videos. Alternate between topics such as new products, how-to instructional videos and even question and answer videos. By alternating your topics, you widen the range of the audience you are attracting. Be sure to include links to your home website and other relevant sources to tie in with the videos that your audience and follow for more information or even to purchase the product you featured.

Be Sure to Share

Don't limit your videos to just your YouTube page. You want to be sure to integrate your videos across all your social media channels. This allows you to build your audience across all of your social platforms. This means you want to link up your pages as well. Make it as simple as possible for your audience to find your other pages, such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn, where they can begin to follow you as well.

Excel in Engagement

Videos are a great marketing tool, and social media networks are making it easier than ever to incorporate them into your marketing strategy. Facebook, Google+ and of course YouTube are allowing for new forms of integration across platforms to allow you to engage and attract your audience like never before.

Do a Demo

Demonstrating a new product or giving your audience a how-to process to solve a common issue are a great way to not just grab their attention, but also grab their loyalty. These videos provide a great platform to demonstrate the options, and uses of not just your products, but ways they can find solutions to common problems in your industry or field. This is a sure way to build a genuine relationship with your target market.

Let Your Audience Get to Know You

Another great way to foster a genuine relationship with your audience is to bring them into your business. Post videos that give a tour of your store, office or restaurant and feature the employees that make the business run. This associates a human side to your business and puts a face with your product. This allows your audience to relate to you more and builds that friendship with your fans. You can take this even further by posting videos that show involvement between you and your community. If you are helping to sponsor a community event or have employees that are participating in that event, use videos to show and share this! Also, ask questions and provide video answers to your audience that addresses both the question, answer and the individual that asked it! This gives that personal touch that people love to see.

Webinars are the Way

Everyone loves education and webinars are a great way to encourage that. Host a webinar where you teach individuals about solving issues, addressing concerns and sharing general knowledge about your field of expertise. This also allows you to take their questions and interact with them individually which lets your fans and audience know you care about them as individuals.

Give THEM a Turn

Host contests or encourage interactions with the audience where they post videos to your page. This not only is a great tool for building your brand awareness and brand loyalty, but it gives you a great opportunity to know your audience and your market even better. It also lets them know you hear them and their ideas, concerns or even their positive feedback about how much they enjoy your business, products or services!