We’ve had a lot of corporate clients come up to us with amazing, innovative video ideas that we love. Many of them carry a clear vision of what they want all the way through scripting, production, all the way down to the final edit. But when it comes to actually getting the video out to the public, suddenly they have no clue what to do with it.
That’s completely normal. Promoting video content online is like trying to be seen wearing blue in the middle of the ocean. But what value does your video have if it’s not seen? Not to fear, here are the starting steps, and some more advanced tips we suggest you try out if you want to stand out in the sea of digital content that we live in today.
STEP 1: UPLOAD VIDEO(S) TO YOUTUBE/ VIMEO/ WISTIA
This step seems obvious, but the differentiating factor is how you put up your videos on these sites. Why? Because of SEO. In any platform with massive amounts of content being uploaded each second, you have to know how the platform works to rank your video as more relevant over others. This topic is so important that we have a separate blog all about this topic here. The in-a-nutshell of it is that it’s all about knowing the keywords to use which your target market would be searching for.
Also, don’t underestimate the power and cost-effectiveness of using paid ads on places like YouTube. Speak to us here about options for paid ads on this platform.
STEP 2: POST VIDEO(S) ON YOUR WEBSITE TO HELP CONVERT VISITORS & IMPROVE SEO
Embed your video(s) on the pages where the video will most likely be viewed in full. To embed a YouTube video, click the “Share” button and select “embed.” Then copy-paste the text into your website’s source code.
When people engage with your video, that engagement is noticed by search engines like Google who rank your site higher because it has more relevance to the users. As a result, you want to place videos where they make sense to be played.
For example:
- Company profile or culture videos can go in your About Us page
- Product videos or webinars are great on the pages actually promoting those products
- Consistent educational content can be posted on FAQ pages or into a blog post where you write additional copy to accompany the video itself.
STEP 3: UPLOAD VIDEO(S) TO YOUR SOCIAL PLATFORMS (LINKEDIN, FACEBOOK, TWITTER & INSTAGRAM)
Social is where most online content live now. You might feel tempted to just copy-paste a YouTube link and post it. The issue with this is that the views within platforms like Facebook do not contribute to the views on YouTube. That’s why you sometimes see YouTubers include a picture image of their video, but then supply the link in a comment for audiences to properly be directed to the YouTube site. If you are looking at building up a following on YouTube then you can take this route, or similarly you could post a direct link to a page on your website where the video lives. However remember this is one extra step for the viewer.
If pure engagement is the priority, the best practice for videos on social media is to upload the video directly onto the platform so that it will auto-play within the feed.
Here are some extra tips for your videos on social media:
- Add an informative or witty caption that tells viewers why they should care to watch your content
- At the end of the post, use hashtags to help viewers find your content
- Consider tagging individuals/organizations that you think would enjoy the video
- You can add the video to your bio (company and/or personal) for some extra reach
- Consumers trust content more from individuals than they do from corporations, so encourage your employees or co-workers to share or interact with company content on their personal pages
- You can pin your video post at the top of your Facebook & Twitter feed so that it stays a focal point and get the most interactions possible
- Know which platform is best for your target audience: LinkedIn is great for B2B audiences, whereas Facebook, Twitter and Instagram cater better to B2C demographics.
Speak to us about options for paid ads on these platforms. Ads on social media are very customizable; you can set daily and total budgets with specific time-frames to run the campaign as well as micro-target your key audience to effectively reach viewers.
Target the People That Will Watch: Your Friends, Family, and Industry
If there are any group pages relevant to your industry or target market you should post your videos there. Oftentimes clients don’t want to sound too promotional on social media. A way to share your video without feeling too promotional would be to ask for feedback. Something along the lines of “Would love to know what you think of ‘x’” works well – people are more likely to respond if you ask a question or encourage them to give you feedback.
Capitalize on your co-workers, vendors, friends, family; they’re the most likely to engage with your content. Ask them to share, comment, and like the videos you post so that it will get more reach into their networks.
Here are ways to engage with your existing following.
Option 1: Email Campaign
Either through your company newsletter if you have one, or a specific email campaign, you can send the video and/or link to a blog where the video(s) is featured, on a monthly or bi-monthly basis to your email list.
Encourage your email list to share with anyone they think may find the content interesting or useful.
Tip 1: Adding the word “video” in an email subject line boosts open rates by 19%
Tip 2: Make sure to embed in your email a clickable screenshot photo from the video with a play button overlay to encourage viewers to click, along with a clickable text link for those whose email blocks photos
Option 2: Email Signature
Consider adding a clickable link at the bottom of your signature which links to a youtube playlist or a specific landing page on your website where the video(s) is housed.
Ensure the copy you use is enticing: “See videos on some of our favourite products here”
Option 3: Presentations/Events
Videos are a great tool to kick-off a presentation or event, capture audiences’ attention, and give them a better idea of your brand. They can also be used throughout to supplement information and drive home a point.
Option 4: Partnerships
Pass these videos along to any companies that you have or can create partnerships with to post on their own website or social channels – ex. Sister companies, vendors, related associations. It’s free content for them to post and associate themselves with, and in turn you’re getting access to their network.
Be shameless about asking friends, colleagues, vendors, and clients about sharing your video content. You spend a lot of time planning and executing video projects and most often others would be happy to help and share this great content.
Paid Strategy
Beyond all of the free strategies mentioned above – which heavily rely on the network you already have around you, a paid video ad strategy could be effective and not that expensive depending on various factors. Let us know if you’d like to be connected with our partners that can provide more information on a paid strategy option.
Future Video Considerations
Overtly promotional content is necessary and helpful in certain situations (ex. Front page of your website where viewers are searching out relevant info on your product or service), however on social and for ‘pull content’ that pulls target audiences to want to learn more about your brand, try to develop content that is educational and/or entertaining in some way. People are more likely to share content that they find humorous or will make them look well informed when sharing online.
At Arc and Crown we want you to get the most out of great video. To learn more about what we do at Arc and Crown Media Inc , please click here . If you have any questions about how we can help you, contact us here .
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