Michael Peggs — November 11, 2016 Follow @MichaelPeggs
According to Syndacast, 74% of all internet traffic in 2017 will be video-based. This is a figure that continues to grow as mobile usage skyrockets and customers are looking for faster, more entertaining content to consume. If, right now, your website only features written content, you might want to consider sprucing things up. When integrated properly, videos are a fantastic way to give your brand a face and increase customer interactions. Studies have shown that blog posts with videos attract three times as many inbound links as blog posts without videos. To get you started, here are four video integration methods you should consider.
Start a vlog
Video + Blogging = Vlogging. This phenomenon has really taken off over the past few years and is now a trademark of some of the biggest brands around. The key benefits to a vlog are twofold: firstly, it adds a human dimension to your brand, making you more relatable and identifiable to customers; secondly, it allows you to keep visitors abreast of the latest happenings with your brand, helping them feel more included in the process. You can use each vlog as a platform to send viewers to other areas of your site, and call them to action with slogans like, “Sign Up for Our Newsletter!” or “Subscribe to Our Channel!”
There’s no criteria for how often you should post each vlog. Many business do this weekly or even daily. Take into account your time and resources and, most importantly, be consistent.
Post how-to videos & tutorials
It’s one thing to TELL someone how to do something, but with videos you can SHOW them how. Viewers love and appreciate how-to videos, as evidenced by the endless supply of such channels on YouTube. According to mediakix, the second-most popular type of YouTube video are how-to videos. Why? We all have problems that need a solution and questions that need answering and we want someone to SHOW us the way.
If you can show your audience how to hit a 5 iron, how to change their oil, or of course, how to use the products you sold them, you will be endeared to them. Tutorials solidify you as an “expert” on that particular topic, which in turn helps your brand’s reputation and trustworthiness.
Create a video gallery
The longer people stay on your webpage and the higher your time onsite, engagement rate and the likelihood of a conversion increases. One way to keep users from clicking away is by placing multiple videos into a collection, or a video gallery. This will aggregate and organize your content in a way that shows users your full body of work. Then visitors can search for a particular video, or simply watch one after the next.
Video gallery plug-ins are amply available for little or no cost through WordPress and others website builders. The great news is these plug-ins can usually import videos directly from your YouTube channel so the setup and maintenance is minimal.
Link to other videos
Adding annotations, promoting your other content, and posting hyperlinks to other videos will support your overall branding and aid your inbound linking strategy, a signal when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). It will also remind users of your other content and provide clear Call to Actions to explore everything you have to offer.
And if you’re feeling generous, you might consider linking to videos from other creators. It’s important to work with and cross-promote other creators and channels. Why? Working with other channels helps find and attract new audiences. YouTube is social; be a part of the community by sharing other videos and hopefully creators will share yours too.
Experimentation
Toy around with your videos to see what sticks. If you’re not getting conversions from a vlog then try producing other forms of video. Perhaps a basic way to begin would be to include a simple introduction video, welcoming users onto your site. By monitoring analytics data from both third party platforms as well from YouTube, you’ll quickly realize whether your videos deserve credit for giving you leads and sales.
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