Online video is exploding onto corporate websites as more and more businesses recognise its marketing potential.
But will this platform work for your organisation? What kind of video should you produce? How can you optimise it?
The right video for you
Different businesses benefit in different ways from online video. A big brand like Coca Cola or a bank might use entertaining content to spread brand awareness, meaning it might publish content that’s not specific to a product.
However, a smaller company would potentially benefit more from producing videos that show how to use its products.
Generally speaking, there are three kinds of video. Conversion videos, typically product information clips; educational videos, which spread brand awareness by offering useful information; and viral videos, which use entertaining content to generate buzz behind a brand.
But what are the benefits? Here are some stats.
The numbers
Growing numbers of online marketers are choosing online video as an integral part of their marketing campaigns. A study by online video firm BrightRoll found that 28% of marketers plan to increase their online video spending this year.
It also showed that almost two-thirds of the marketers it polled consider online video to be more effective than TV advertising. It’s certainly a cheaper option for most businesses.
Video can also dramatically improve your search engine optimisation efforts. Analysis by Forrester shows that video is more likely to appear in the first page of results. That’s a compelling reason to begin an online video strategy.
The benefits
In addition to its SEO potential, here are some of the other benefits of online video.
Video appeals to bloggers
Everyone wants multimedia content for their websites, so you’re more likely to find websites willing to host video content, compared to simply articles.
Video is personable
Text can seem dry and impersonal, even if it’s well written and fun. But a well-produced video is a great way to engage with your customers in a really informal, fun way. You can even feature your staff, showing the human faces behind the brand.
Video can answer customer questions
You can use video to explain tricky concepts to your customers. For example, if your product is getting bad reviews because customers can’t follow the instructions then a video can address that and help mend your reputation.
Video can generate buzz
A well-produced video has the potential to generate real excitement around a brand. It’s hard to match that potential with copy.
Video gives information quickly
The online customer is fickle and can rapidly flit from one piece of content to another, so you need to provide information as quickly as possible. Videos deliver an information punch and don’t require much concentration from your visitor.
Best practice for video and SEO
There’s a lot of useful best practice information available online, particularly from the UK Internet Advertising Bureau. Perhaps the most important tip is to keep content short and sweet, don’t drag it out and alienate viewers.
But I’m primarily interested in how to leverage video for SEO purposes.
So here are some tips on best practice for optimising your video content.
Make it sharable
Don’t bother making a video that you wouldn’t choose to watch. You want people to link to it and share it, so don’t be lazy with the content or you’re wasting your investment.
Use your keywords
Make sure you include these in the video’s title and tags, as long as they are relevant.
Get social
Proactively share your content using social platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Sometimes the buzz needs a little help to get started.
Add video to your sitemaps
Create a video sitemap so that the search engines can easily find your content and include the video in search results.