How do you feel about using video as part of your content strategy?

It may not be high on your list of digital assets, but it should be. Video is an essential part of any digital content strategy and used well, can be a thoughtful way to engage your target audience.

Why is video so popular?

Think about how often you watch video content on social media and news sites. I’ll go out on a limb here and say it’s probably a good chunk of your internet surfing time!

People love video because it’s accessible, it’s free and it’s fun, and you can watch it anywhere, anytime, when you’re on-the-go, working out or waiting in the doctor’s office.

Busy people often prefer to get their entertainment and information hits from short video clips than from a longer form blog post. If you want to know something or learn how to do something, I guarantee someone will have posted a video about it!

Video is also highly shareable, in fact, videos generate 1200% more shares than links and text combined. In 2019 video is expected to dominate 82% of all consumer internet traffic.

Let me say that one more time: 82% of all consumer internet traffic! That’s a pretty big deal.

For small businesses, video is a powerful content medium to help build your brand and tell your story. You can show your products in action and entertain your target audience. You can also connect with people through comments and encourage them to buy your product or use your service.

You’re really only limited by your imagination when it comes to video!

So what kind of videos should you create?

First and foremost, they have to be authentic.

You might be thinking “but I don’t have professional equipment, I can’t make a video”.  Actually you don’t have to stress too much over this since most audiences tend to prefer imperfections and vulnerability. Authenticity is much more valued over professionalism, and many people simply use their iPhone camera and a tripod to shoot videos.

For small businesses, this makes video an affordable digital asset because you don’t need a huge marketing budget for it.

Hubspot has some good suggestions on the types of videos to create, including:

• explainer videos
• interviews
• animations
• live videos and
• case studies.

If you’re not comfortable being in front of the screen, then you don’t do it! You can use animation, gifs, inspirational quotes, voice overs, subtitles or music to get your message across.

Check out this YouTube video by ‘Be Your Own Boss’ founder Sunny Lenarduzzi which shows you 3 apps you can use to make a video without being on camera.

4 tips for video marketing

Making a video is one thing but ensuring it gets seen is another. Here are 4 tips that will ensure that you get lots of views for your video, from the right people – your customers!

1. Use SEO

YouTube is the second largest search engine on the internet so it’s a huge information hub. Using SEO will help people find your video, so be sure you have:

• short informative titles
• keywords in your description
• hashtags in your description
• optimized for mobile

2. Use clear CTAs

If you don’t use a call to action (CTA) in your video at the end it’s a missed opportunity for customer conversions.

With 90% of customers saying a video can help them make a buying decision, it’s crucial to include a direct message, link to your landing page/social media pages in the description or encourage people to share/subscribe.

See Sunny’s video above where she utilizes most of these points by asking people to:

• Hit the like button below
• Share the video with your friends
• Subscribe for new content.

She also shares a shot of her Facebook page, explains who it’s for, what it’s about and adds an text overlay of the link to join the page. Lastly she thanks people for watching – don’t forget to do this as being polite can help increase your viewers and your retention rate!

Overall she uses simple, but clever CTAs, that guide people towards the next step of their relationship with her business.

3. Engage with viewers

Encourage people to leave comments if they like the video and be sure to respond positively to any comments. By doing this you’ll increase your engagement level with your audience, encourage more views and increase the chances of customer conversions.

4. Distribute your video

YouTube is the first place you should look at posting your video but don’t stop there. You can share to your Facebook, Twitter and any other social media channels you belong to. Also consider placing a video on your website’s home page – video on landing pages can increase conversion rates by 80%.

5. Content shredder

Your video doesn’t have to be just one digital asset, it has the potential to become multiple pieces of content if you shred it. A ‘content shredder’ simply refers to the repurposing of content.

You take the video, you put it into the content shredder, and a whole bunch of other content falls out the bottom. You then load all the individual pieces into the cart and deliver it in various ways, such as:

• video
• audio
• text
• tweets
• infographic
• slides

Doing this can set you up with different types of content for months, so it’s well worth putting aside an afternoon to content shred your video!

How Do You Feel About Video Now?

Hopefully we’ve shed a little light on the use of video within your content marketing strategy. By posting helpful, relevant video content, 1) your business will stand out from the competition 2) your brand will gain authority and 3) you will build trust with your audience. Three good reasons why you should start making video a priority!