This week I reached out to someone who I consider to be an online video expert, Andy Havard, for a guest post on a marketing topic that matters! Everywhere I look, online video seems to be exploding - so I wanted to learn more. A special thank you to Andy for sharing these great online video marketing tips.
When you consider YouTube is receiving over 2 billion video views a day from thousands upon thousands of registered users (and even more from unregistered users) it’s imperative to make your online video content stand out from the competition. The following post explores how Internet video marketers can ensure their online video content is as good as possible in order to win over large audiences and generate higher levels of traffic and conversion.
1. Keep Your Online Videos Simple.Simplicity is key to a successful online video. Using creative effects and animations may seem like a good idea, but such distracting on-screen material can take viewers attention away from the true message of the video. The power of simple one-on-one video can be just as effective and actually more accessible to an audience than any online video that’s been taken straight out of a cinematic blockbuster. Not only is it advisable to keep your on-screen content simple, but your message should be kept simple too. Addressing one point per video is far more powerful than trying to address three or four. If you have a lot to say in your online video think about creating separate episodes to successfully target each subject clearly for your audience.
2. Keep Your Online Videos Short.When creating and editing online video always think ‘short and sweet’. It’s common in video productions to struggle to cut down content as you may feel every second is worthwhile, but your audience might not feel the same. Be as cut-throat as you can in keeping your videos between the 2 to 5 minute mark. If your content is more than 5 minutes then think about creating more than one video to express each point to its maximum potential. Creating a few episodes is much more beneficial than trying to shove all of your content into 10 rushed minutes of footage.
3. Keep Your Online Videos Current. Never promote old news. If your online videos are out of date, there’s not much you can do for them. This is why you need to make your videos current and topical at all times. If news about new developments, productions, services or technologies in your niche crop up in your field create a short online video production to discuss it. Online users will always be searching for information on new developments. If users are interested in your particular niche then a topical video could be very useful to such users, which in turn could generate a great deal of popularity for your brand or business.
4. Make Your Online Video Content Informative.It’s not always possible to create a video when industry news breaks, but your online videos can be informative and educational in other ways. Creating ‘how to’ guides, instructional videos and tutorials are a great way of being a useful asset to Internet users. By establishing your business or brand as a knowledgeable online entity you can begin to enjoy a great deal of trust from your audience, which is an exceptional trait to among potential clients and customers.
5. Make Your Online Video Content Entertaining.Entertaining an audience is perhaps the most powerful thing any online video can do. Internet marketers are all too familiar with the idea of viral video and always seek to reach similar degrees of success. Making your online videos entertaining is one of the best ways to achieve such goals. An online video that is funny, inspirational, innovative or interactive can be very entertaining to an online viewer. It’s not an easy feat creating a universally entertaining online video, but mastering it could generate more traffic and leads than you ever thought possible.
By taking into account these five tips when you next think about creating online video as part of your Internet marketing strategy you can aim to make your content as popular as possible. It’s not easy to create outstanding content, but following these tips will help to ensure your online videos are giving your competition a good run for their money.
Guest Blogger: Andy Havard