Series: Complete SEO Marketing Guide

Part 3: Video Continues to Impress

Video Continues to Impress

A decade ago, creating videos for the sole purpose of marketing your business was completely optional. Now, it’s a required practice for any organization. Video marketing has moved to the forefront of internet marketing.

Today’s generations, both Millennials and Gen Zers, value videos tremendously. In fact, it isn’t uncommon to read a blog post with a video version embedded at the top of the article.

Chances are, your competitors are using video to advance their marketing strategy. Don’t get left behind the competition. Instead, educate yourself on the full aspects of video marketing to grow your conversions.

Here is a comprehensive guide to help you understand everything about video marketing so you can develop your own central strategy.

photo: video impresses

What is Video Marketing?

Video marketing is the process of creating videos that promote your products and services. With that said, this definition can still confuse people about what video marketing is truly about.

To begin with, video marketing is not the equivalent of simply producing videos. If you’re creating videos that plainly state “Hey, purchase my products because….”, you’re not leveraging video marketing properly.

Video marketing, like any other marketing activity, is subliminal. This means videos shouldn’t be made to directly promote your products and services. Here’s an example.

Let’s say that you run a tax preparation business. A quality video would explain a few tips on how business owners can secure deductibles to save more money over the course of the year.

Video Marketing

A poor video would just state the reasons why your audience should work with you. Video marketing is similar to content and social media marketing in the aspect that you have to provide value through your videos while not excessively promoting your offerings (until the call to action, at least).

Now that you know what video marketing is about, here is why it’s important.

Why is Video Marketing Important?

Video marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach younger audiences. With the Millennial generation taking over a lion’s share of today’s consumer market, you simply cannot ignore adapting your marketing strategy to accommodating them.

If there is one stereotype that is true about Millenials, then it’s that they value convenience. A person nowadays is more likely to watch a video if they are learning how to change a flat tire than read an article.

This isn’t to say that content marketing is dead. People just value video marketing in certain situations. However, it does mean that there is an increasing demand for video. The sooner you realize this, the better.

Of course, don’t just take this article’s word for it. Here are some captivating statistics on the power of video.

Video Marketing Statistics

Video marketing is continuing to impress in recent years. Now, it has become an invaluable part of the marketing strategies of countless businesses. Here are some reasons why you should develop a video marketing strategy for your business.

  1. 85% of all internet users in the U.S. watch videos monthly on their mobile devices. (Statista)
  2. 54% of consumers want to see more video content from the businesses they support. (HubSpot)
  3. 87% of marketers use marketing professionals as a marketing tool. (Wyzowl)
  4. Consumers love to see videos on social media. (Animoto)
  5. 88% of video marketers are satisfied with the ROI of their campaigns. (Animoto)
  6. Video marketers receive 66% more qualified leads every year. (Supplygem)
  7. Web users spend 88% more time on websites with videos. (Forbes)
  8. 80% of people have purchased an app or software after watching a brand’s video. (Wyzowl)
  9. Web users spent 6 hours and 48 minutes watching videos in 2019. (Limelight)
  10. By 2022, 82% of all web traffic will be derived from video downloads and streaming. (Citgo)
photo: video stats

All of these statistics, and many more, prove that video marketing is worthwhile. Therefore, here are some fundamental ways to make your videos best represent your brand and capture qualified leads.

Create Custom Videos on Each Social Media Platform

Social media is the perfect place to promote brand videos. However, you have to take into account that every social media platform is different. Many people make the mistake of creating a video and posting them simultaneously on all of their social media networks.

For example, a YouTube link may seamlessly fit into Twitter and Facebook, but it can’t be embedded into Instagram. For this reason, you should create custom videos for each platform.

If you’ve created a YouTube video, you can post clips of the video on Facebook and Twitter. Lastly, you can post a short clip on Instagram with a link to your website and a call-to-action (CTA) in the description.

It may take more time and effort to do this, but it’s essential to make repurpose your to be embedded in all major social media platforms.

photo: video social

Use Both Popular and Branded Hashtags

Hashtags are phrases that are used all throughout social media. Not only do hashtags place your content in the faces of people with similar interests, but it can increase your chances of your videos going viral.

This is why one of the most basic video marketing tips is to use hashtags when promoting your videos on social media. Though, that’s not all. To increase your brand recognition on your social media networks, you should create and use a branded hashtag.

Popular brands like Apple and Coca Cola are well-known for billions of people around the world. The names of these brands can suffice as hashtags themselves. If you want to start off with your own branded hashtag, choose something that’s creative.

Cartoon of hashtags

Use Whatever Works for Your Audience

TV commercials come in all forms of entertainment. Insurance companies selling serious products, like Geico, use a gecko to inject humor in the minds of viewers. Conversely, law firms like Morgan & Morgan invoke a solemn tone in their commercials for their audience.

Videos are much like TV commercials, and there aren’t any one-size-fits-all strategies for reaching your audience. If you already have a brand persona and know your audience down to every specific detail, it will be much easier for you to create a video using a persuasive device that works.

Host Your Videos on Your Website

Sure, creating videos on YouTube is an effective method of increasing your brand’s exposure. It shouldn’t be the only platform you host your videos on. You should additionally host your videos on your website.

If you have quality videos, more people will post a backlink to your website. This will result in increased exposure for your videos and at the same time, an enhanced SEO ranking depending on how many people link back to your site.

Invest Time and Effort into Your Videos

Granted, video marketing is a straightforward marketing activity. Nonetheless, it takes more time and effort to develop high-quality videos that will best represent your brand. Putting together sloppy videos is both unprofessional and lazy.

With that said, you should invest the necessary time and resources to make your videos spectacular. Here are some ways to make this happen:

  • Invest in a quality video editing software.
  • Use a device with a powerful camera.
  • Create a script if necessary
  • Create a flowchart for your video.

These are some basic tips that will impact your video marketing strategy.

photo website video

Consider Paid Social Media Promotion

If you’re looking to accelerate the exposure of your videos on social media, purchasing an ad is your best next step. Facebook has one of the most prominent social media advertising networks in the world.

With billions of worldwide users, promoting your videos on Facebook is a worthwhile idea. Make sure you set a budget when considering paid social media promotion. The success of your ad will depend on your willingness to experiment.

If you aren’t getting the results you’re looking forward, you can adjust your campaign thoroughly according to your strategy and budget. When done right, Facebook could be a beneficial tool for video marketers.

Leverage Rich Snippets

Have you ever searched for a question online and saw a video as the first search result? If so, you’ve just seen a rich snippet. Thousands of marketers fight for rich snippets to put their business in the position of being seen first by a potential customer.

You can do the same by adding a schema code to your website and submitting an XML sitemap to Google’s webmaster tools. This can take a lot of time and SEO knowledge, but leveraging rich snippets for your videos can impact the direction of your entire video marketing strategy.

Besides, once you nail down the basics of creating a rich snippet, it’ll be much easier to do time and time again. Following this tip can result in increased conversions and more traffic delivered straight to your website.

Conclusion

Video marketing is an essential part of internet marketing. Ignoring this strategy can result in several missed opportunities with qualified leads. After all, your audience may prefer video over your own marketing initiatives.

In the next post, voice search optimization will be discussed to help businesses improve their online visibility and traffic.

Voice Search Optimization

Next in Series: Voice Search Optimization

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