We are living in a digital age where videos are now a key aspect of your marketing strategy. Whether you use your video on your website to promote a particular product, to engage customers on a social media channel, to encourage people to click your email or just as a form of content marketing to build up a relationship with a brand, there is no denying that including a video can work wonders for your business.
According to the facts by Website Builders UK, 78.4% of US internet users actively watch online videos. The average time spent by adults in the US watching videos from 2011 to 2015 has risen by an incredible 195%, and in 2012-2016, video views increased from 171 to 213 million! The rise in video usage shows no sign of stopping. Experts predict that globally by 2020, video traffic will reach 3 times the traffic of 2015, and 75% of mobile traffic will be video. In 2020, it is also predicted that for every second, a million minutes of video will be on the internet.
If video is so popular now, and it's only going to increase in popularity in the future, then it is important for your business that you leverage videos in the right way. Just make sure you avoid the points below, and it won’t be long before new customers come pouring in.
1. Don’t Forget About SEO
Sure, creating some great content is a big part of having a successful video campaign, but what many people forget is to make it SEO friendly. You should be including SEO within the descriptions and titles of your video, as this is the best way for your content to get found. If you are not making sure that your videos are SEO friendly, then it has very little chance of being found by potential visitors.
2. Don’t Go in for the Hard Sell
There are plenty of opportunities for the hard sell, but really a marketing video is not one of them. One of the best uses for a video is simply to build a relationship with current and potential customers, and you don’t want to push them away by being too forceful. Videos are mainly used in the awareness stage, so one of the most important things to consider is to make some content that people actually want to watch. In most of the situations that people are watching a video, such as in their email or on social media, people are not looking to be sold to, they are looking for entertainment and content of value.
3. Don’t Miss Out on Next Steps
A video is great for drawing a viewer in, but if you don’t tell them where to go next, the likelihood is they will just move on to something else. It is very important to include a call to action button in (or near) your video that will drive the viewers to take action with your brand immediately. Ideally, you want to retain your viewers’ attention on your brand for as long as possible, and that definitely will not happen if they are not shown what they are meant to do next.
4. Don’t Make Your Video Poor Quality
When it comes to videos, people are used to quality, so if you provide your potential customers with a bad quality video, this is likely to reflect badly on the brand as a whole. If businesses want to create content then and there, then chances are they will rush the job and maybe even cut corners a little bit. However, it would be much more effective if they spent a little more time on the project to make sure that it is completely perfect before rolling it out. That doesn’t mean you are expected to invest in the highest quality video equipment, you are able to create a good video without it, but make sure the camera is steady, the lighting is good, and the audio is clear.
5. Don’t Choose the Wrong Platform
One of the biggest mistakes that a business can make is to create an amazing video, only to put it on the wrong platform and not attract any viewers. Make sure to take this into consideration before you start planning how you will promote your video. The best way to avoid this is to do some research on different platforms that are available and what they are able to offer you. If you want to gain awareness, then websites like YouTube are a good place to start, but businesses should also consider conversion when making a platform choice. There are plenty of platforms out there that can be the platform for your video, some of the most popular being social media, email and general TV ads, the tricky bit lies in choosing which you want to use.
Want to learn more about how best to leverage video marketing? Check out this infographic: https://websitebuilder.org.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/127-Video-marketing-facts.png.
About the Author
Karthik Reddy
Community Manager
Karthik Reddy, the Community Manager at Websitebuilder.org.uk, is the author of India’s number 1 travel blog. Having an MBA in computer science he once decided to get away from the office desk life and take the breathtaking journey of traveling the world. He is eager to use the sociability of the web to inspire others. A passionate traveler and photography enthusiast he aspires to share his experiences and help people see the world through his lens.
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