Making Video Marketing Work For You

Making Video Work

With an average of 2 billion video being watched very day, the average user watching approximately 200 videos per month, and Google purchasing YouTube and developing it into the most popular video sharing site on the Web, video marketing is clearly something that it’s worth taking notice of. Low cost, high quality, easy to operate digital video camera equipment and fast, easy to use (and often free) methods of distribution are now so widely available (thanks to the Web) that video marketing can be successfully undertaken by organisations of all sizes – including small businesses.

Videos now feature frequently in Google’s search engine results and thus can be a great source and driver of traffic, as well as aiding conversion and retention. They offer a flexible, fast, and engaging way to get your marketing messages simply across in short space of time.

What is Video Marketing?

Video Marketing is essentially the creation, distribution and monitoring of videos designed to increase traffic, conversion and retention.

Planning Your Video Content

The goal / aim of your video should ideally be linked to the all important ‘call to action’ which should feature in your video – this goal should drive the ‘storyboard’ that you need to create. The overall purpose of the video and the goal will help your to develop the story i.e. is the video for branding / personal branding, is it answering questions?, demonstrating something?, building a relationship, answering questions?, upselling? etc.

You need to be clear on exactly who the target audience is, and make the video specifically to appeal to that target. Use ‘A.I.D.A.’ to help guide you i.e. Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. Make sure the video is compelling and grabs attention, and link this to the ‘benefits’ of what your featured product / service. To help maintain interest use the video to show how your product / service can solve the particular problem of the target audience. You can then generate greater desire for your featured product or service by making a clear offer which is of real value to your target audience. The call to action is an essential element in your video.

It is also important to get the main message / the big idea across early in the video e.g. within the first 15 or 30 seconds.

What Equipment Do You Need?

Hardware

A high quality video camera no longer needs to be large or does it need to be expensive – particularly if you use websites like eBay to buy your equipment. Typically £150 will get you a good camera e.g. a Samsung Palmcorder or a Kodak Zi8(old now but still great if you can get one from Ebay). You may also need a tripod (approximately £20) and perhaps an external microphone to cut background noise in your recordings (approx £30).

Lighting is important – not too bright on your face if you are planning to feature yourself in the video. 3 point lighting is recommended to give a good all round distribution e.g. a main key light, a softer fill light and a back light. A neutral background also helps to focus attention on the subject and avoid any light / shadow or reflecting problems.

Software

There are lots of different combinations and types that can be used to put together, augment, and edit your videos. For example you could use PowerPoint with a voiceover. Audacity is also a great free recording program (for music and the spoken word). Windows Movie Maker, YouTube Video Maker, Easy Video Player and Camtasia are popular choices for making and editing your videos. Camtasia is especially designed for people trhat want to record their screen movement - training etc.

Editing Tips

Avoiding flashy effects can make the message stand out more, and a fade in / fade out can create a smoother feel. Overlaying a message or URL e.g. in the bottom third of the video screen can be an important way to strengthen and clarify the ‘call to action’. When it comes to saving your video files, HD WMV or AVI are popular formats. Sharing the videos however requires formats like FLV or MP4.

Where Do You Put the Videos You Make?

By distributing your finished videos to a number of quality sources you can attain maximum reach and increase the chances of your videos staying around for a long time.

YouTube is the largest video sharing website and you can create your own channel within it i.e. your own area to group your videos together. There are many other video sharing websites to submit to and increase your reach e.g. Vimeo and Viddler, and websites like TrafficGeyser.com

Videos can also be submitted to ‘article’ website e.g. for instructional videos, such as ehow.com, about.com and answers.com. Videos can also be distributed as Podcasts using podcast directories.

Your videos can be included in all of your websites, blogs and social media pages e.g. your Facebook page. You can also submit them to social bookmarking websites such as Digg.com or Del.icio.us. When using them your website for example, you can submit a video sitemap to Google so that Google knows more about them, thus potentially increasing their chances of greater visibility in relevant search engine results.

Some Comments on YouTube

As the largest, most widely used and Google-owned video sharing website it’s important that your videos are on the right side of the algorithms. Regular video posting on YouTube seems to contribute to better rankings, as does getting lots of ‘likes’ and ‘favourites’. Obviously including plenty of good, compelling, interesting and relevant content (to your target market) in the videos is a must.

Paying particular attention to how and what keywords feature in the title is also important. For example the titles and tags should feature your main keywords, with the most important keyword being at the beginning of both. Also it can help if the tags are essentially the same as the video title. Including a high quality keyword based description can also help as can getting your videos into playlists.