Rapid ROI: The Value of Video in Successful Social Media Marketing
Video is a rich media content that your online marketing just can’t do without. Many people already own Web-enabled mobile devices, wireless internet is becoming widely available, and video-editing-related careers are growing in sophistication. And with rising HTML5 adoption, video is going to be even more important among digital marketers. Video helps improve your website’s SEO performance. It also keeps visitors on your site, increasing the chances of converting their visits into sales. Either shape up your video marketing strategy or fail to capture the attention of your target costumers–especially on social networking sites where videos are more likely to go viral and enjoy maximum audience engagement. Read on and find out exactly how video can enhance your social media marketing campaign.
Social Media
Effective Ideas for Making a Catchy Business Video
You can embed video on your website and your Facebook page. You can also upload it to video-sharing services like YouTube, Vimeo, and Vine for leading traffic to your website.
Here are several viable ideas for your business video. One, edit video clips of your top customers talking about why they chose your product. Client testimonials are powerful, especially when they are shown as candid and sincere. You can also invite people to upload videos that show how they use your product. Consider offering giveaways to chosen participants. Two, make instructional videos that provide useful information to your customers. Stick to topics that are related to your product and industry. “How to” videos are especially appealing because they are easy to follow and help people experience your product better. Authoritative instructional videos loaded with effective tips tell consumers that you are on top of your game and a leading voice in your niche or industry.
Three, beautifully made “personal” videos are fine additions to your social media content. Share short videos that introduce your employees, your company’s mission, your company’s efforts to better the community, and the causes you support. If you make it a point to never use ingredients that are tested on animals, for example, then say so in your video. Such corporate social-responsibility messages go a long way in elevating your company’s standing from your competitors. These types of videos almost always lend warmth, personality, and humanity to the otherwise corporate face of e-commerce. So, make a lot of different videos to build your audience. Upload and share them regularly.
Before you start planning your video content strategy, arm yourself first with copyright know-how. Business Wales has discussed video marketing copyright considerations in this article.
Tips for Marketing on YouTube
Entice YouTube users to subscribe to your YouTube channel by having a channel trailer, which automatically plays when a non-subscriber is in your channel. The option for adding a channel trailer on YouTube won’t appear unless you’ve already uploaded videos. Treat your channel trailer as an elevator pitch–it should be concise, stirring, and catchy. Don’t forget to include a forceful call to action (CTA) encouraging visitors to subscribe.
Curating videos from other users can enrich your YouTube presence. On top of uploading your own, you can hand-select relevant videos by other users and corral them into playlists on your YouTube channel.
Creating Business Videos
Professional services like http://www.bluestarmultimedia.com/services/websites help streamline the daunting task of planning a successful video marketing strategy. You can also make your own with the help of free software. Check out Animoto, Windows Movie Maker, iMovie (for Mac users), and Magisto for creating high-quality videos.
Tips for Using Video on Your Social Media Marketing
When sharing video on your company’s social media accounts, make sure to embed the video code. Don’t just share the link and then add a hash tag. You don’t want the tweet or the Facebook post to appear as plain text with a link to your YouTube video. On Twitter, you can do this through a Twitter Card, whose workings are explained in this NiemanLab article. Facebook, on the other hand, enables a direct embed though its Add Photos/Video option. Instagram and Vine also allows users to upload short video clips, so explore these social networking sites, too, so that you maximize your reach.
Use updated SEO practices to ensure your video’s organic reach. Pay attention to smart titling, keywording, choosing thumbnail stills, tagging, as well as composing descriptions and CTAs. You need your videos viewed by many people. That’s one way of boosting your chances of conversion. Finally, empower consumers to share your video to their social media feed and their blogs by not skipping the crucial call-to-action message that encourages them to share your videos.
Thomas Ranieri is the owner & creative director at Blue Star Multimedia. Blue Star Multimedia is a full service creative agency and marketing firm; we specialize in video production, multimedia website design, branding solutions, and Search Engine Optimization strategies. Blue Star Multimedia makes client engagement easy and turns marketing and design collateral into engaged customers.
