Why creating a great video isn’t enough
Youtube. A platform that now has 1.5 billion logged in monthly users. It’s an absolute powerhouse for online video content, and has probably single handedly contributed to the growing decline of TV, especially for young people, who use it for everything, from finding new ideas and music, to learning about who they want to be. (Check out this fab interview with Casey Neistat on the way we consume visual media).
With the news this week that Whatsapp will be allowing Youtube videos to play directly within chats, making sure your video is not only good, but seen, is vital.
As a branding and content strategist, video is a key part of many of my client’s activities. However, creating a good video just isn’t enough.
In the past, there were just four channels on the TV (back in my youth!), and you had a very limited selection. What’s more, you couldn’t pause, fast forward, or skip to something else if you didn’t like it. Now, that’s no longer the case - you can curate your viewing content exactly to your tastes and preferences.
Therefore, it’s incredibly important in a sea of content that you get yourself noticed. The viewer has more power than ever before. That means, if you don’t grab their attention quickly, they’re off - onto the next video. That’s part of the reason why Loreal is changing their strategy to create more 6 second ads.
You can create an amazing video; but there’s no point if you don’t also focus on maximum visibility. Here’s a few things to bear in mind.
A great video description: I’m a big fan of the gorgeous Christina Sutra on Instagram. She creates art, and she’s recently started creating Youtube content. There are definitely more opportunities for her to utilise her description to include her social accounts, include SEO keywords, and links to her online art shop.
Optimise your content: This follows on from your description, but needless to say it’s vital that you’re using the right keywords for your business and include them in your video file names, annotations, and tags.
An eye-catching thumbnail: Pictures speak a thousand words, of course, and creating a thumbnail can allow you to stand out from the crowd. I like Digital Nomad Girl’s thumbnails. This kind has become formulaic along many vloggers, but next to ordinary thumbnails, they certainly stand out.
Teaser clips as adverts: This can be 6, 10, 30 or 60 second clips of your video, to spread on social media. Preferably sponsored, if you have budget to put behind it.
Create content around your video: Something like a long-form blog post on your website to go with your video will not only attract organic traffic but will increase the commitment your user has to your product or service.
Pin it to your pages: If your video is part of a large ongoing campaign, pin it to the top of your social media channels. That way, even passing visitors to your Facebook or Twitter page will be able to view your content. You can even make your Facebook cover image a video, like Carrie Green from the Female Entrepreneur Association has.
Include it in your communications: It can be something as simple as a link in your email signature (i.e. have you seen our latest video?) to an integration in your newsletter. Social feeds are easy to miss, so you’ve more chance of gaining visibility by including video in your regular communications.
Creating a great video isn’t enough. Don’t let your content stay in a bubble; let it be seen as many places as possible.
Need help with your #videostrategy? Get in touch with me for more information.