Jamichael Mitchell — November 6, 2017 — November 6, 2017
(Courtesy Pixabay)
Digital video can be a powerful marketing tool, but only if it reaches your target audience. With businesses publishing an average of 18 videos per month, according to the 2017 Video in Business Benchmark Report, it’s clear that brands are recognizing the value of video content.
In order to get the most out of your video marketing efforts, it’s important that your videos are strategically produced and promoted in places where your targeted audience resides online. Whether you’re a small business owner or the marketing director at a fortune 500, getting more eyes on your video content can significantly increase web conversions.
Check out these 8 ways to maximize the reach of your video content.
1. Capture Attention in the First Three Seconds
Research has shown that it’s crucial to capture your audience’s attention within the first three seconds. Social media platforms offer a variety of tools to help you captivate your viewers’ attention quickly and entice them to watch more. On Facebook, choose the auto-play option so that your video plays instantly. YouTube uses thumbnails that attract viewers with colorful photos, animations, or text. Sometimes the title of the video may be compelling enough to encourage viewers to click and watch.
2. Prompt Further Clicks with a Call to Action
The end of a video is just as important as the beginning. Create a call-to-action at the end of each video to prompt viewers to learn more about your brand, shop at your store, or watch another video. You can also use a call-to-action to direct people to your website through a clickable link.
3. Optimize Your Video for Local Search
Video impacts SEO results significantly given the authority of video hosting platforms like Youtube. Just like your website, your videos need to be optimized for search engines to increase viewership. As the video itself cannot be optimized, you’ll need to take an extra step and optimize the video’s text, such as the title, description, and tags. Incorporate keywords into your title (while still making your title captivating) that will help your video gain traction in the SERPs. To make it possible for your audience to contact you directly from search engines, be sure to include important details such as your business name, address, and phone number.
4. Post Your Video at Peak Viewing Hours
Posting your video at the right time of day can make a significant impact on your views. You want to post your video when the majority of your viewers are online to prevent your video from getting lost in a sea of similar content. Video viewing has grown more than 20 percent in recent years with the greatest percent increase in the overnight and early morning hours, according to a report from Nielsen. Opt for an evening post, or publish your video in the morning between 5 AM and 8 AM.
5. Add Captions to Your Videos
An estimated 85 percent of Facebook videos are watched without sound, according to Digiday. While Facebook has an auto-play feature that automatically plays your video to viewers, it does so with the sound off. If your viewers are unable to hear your video, they may miss out on some paramount information. To ensure that your viewers get the information they need, add captions to your videos. Facebook offers the option to upload an SRT file of your captions when uploading your videos. You can also edit your existing Facebook videos to add captions.
6. Embed Your Videos into Blog Posts
While text can still convey a message, adding other forms of media can take your content to a whole new level. Embed your video into your blog posts for viewers who would like additional information or those who prefer to watch instead of reading. Embedding videos into blog posts also allow for cross traffic to your social networking pages like Facebook and YouTube.
7. Focus on a Single Key Point
Too many ideas floating around can make it difficult for viewers to understand what exactly you’re trying to convey. Focus your video on just one key point that is easy to understand and reflects your brand and objectives. Consider an idea that people will want to share, such as a video that makes them laugh, helps them learn something, or evokes feelings about a certain topic.
8. Go Live and Connect With Your Target Audience
Social media outlets like Facebook and YouTube now allow users to stream live. What makes live streams so valuable is that these social networks rank live videos more favorably than non-live content as live videos are more likely to keep viewers engaged. Live videos often include chat functions that allow viewers to communicate with each other and allow your business representative to speak on behalf of your company.
Publishing your video online isn’t enough to get views. If you wish to expose your business and video content to a larger, more relevant audience, you need to take the necessary steps to gain views. Start taking advantage of different online platforms and you’ll begin to see more engagement from your followers and potential customers.
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