With so many options out there to increase SEO, it is no surprise that the digital marketing world is so focused on capturing a piece of that online audience pie. Because we are carrying video-enabled tech with us on a daily basis, watching videos “On the Go” has become a very mainstream thing to do.
And why wouldn’t it?
Put yourself in the shoes of your customers for a minute. Would you rather read through a long page of black text and try to figure out if you are interested in the product or service? Do you enjoy scrolling down a long page, looking for images or bullet points to help you along? Or, would you rather click on a video and have the product or service explained to you? Well, if you’re lazy (busy!) like me, you’re not alone. According to TMG, “Consumers who watch product videos are 85% more likely to buy products, compared to those who don’t.”
People Share it:
Tell me the truth, when you’re looking for a general contractor or planning a night out at a new restaurant, do you pick the first person in the phone book or in a search result? Or do you ask your friends and neighbors if they know a good plumber, doctor or Thai place?
Word of mouth advertising goes a long way in establishing trust with your clients and building a business. When you have a great video (either as a 30 second commercial) or a longer (no more than 1 minute please!) explainer video, your site visitors are more likely to share it with their friends.
In fact, Jeff Bullas reports that over 700 YouTube videos are shared on Twitter every minute and 500 years of YouTube video are watched every day on Facebook. The stats speak for themselves – be sure to add sharable social links to help them spread your word!
Of course, it helps to create content worth sharing in the first place – something short, sweet and provides genuine value whether it be information or a smile. Take a Dollar Shave Club; for only a few thousand dollars, they created this hilarious gem that has been seen by millions of people and liked by hundreds of thousands of facebook users.
Transparency:
You are rocking your digital marketing efforts and SEO. You have a presence on various social media channels and are blogging and tweeting with the best of them. But I have to ask you a question, are you forgetting to add a personal touch?
Even with video, a personal touch goes a long way to engage audiences and draw them in. If you’re a consulting or other service-based firm, why not start a vlog (Video blog) – where your team shares tips and advice via video? This would go a long way to establish a rapport with future clients and build trust with them before your first meeting. Have a look at this video by Auto Credit Express . Bad credit money lenders like this don’t usually convey a trustworthy impression to the public, but this video is friendly, shares some great tips for the viewer and provides a relatable face for the company.
Don’t forget the SEO!
When uploading a video online, don’t post it and forget it. Use SEO to bring in the traffic and engage your future customers.
Some keyword research will help you to come up with a title that is relevant to the video and your brand. Knowing what your audience is searching for will help you to come up with a title that search engines will pick up and lead customers to. Use these keywords to provide a rich description of your video so viewers know what they’re getting. Video transcripts work great with search engines, and if your video is on YouTube or Vimeo, don’t forget to link back to your business website for added traffic potential.
If your video is one that others may want to embed onto their own sites, be sure to provide the embed code and help that thing go viral! Finally, having video on the landing page of your site makes it 53% more likely to show up on the first page of Google. (Source Mist Media)
Videos will help to increase users’ time on your website, make your message memorable as you engage the viewers’ multiple senses and, most importantly, help you to stand out from your competitors!
Sharn Kandola is a Toronto based digital strategist with extensive experience in helping national brands find their online voice. You can follow her at www.twitter.com/gursharn