You might think, why you should be using video for content marketing right now? Content is the cornerstone of most online marketing strategies. It has always been a critical aspect of ranking, conversion, and outreach, which, unfortunately has led to a whole lot of people producing a whole lot of content. As a result, we end up with an internet full of clickbait titles, shallow discussions, and over-optimized web pages.
It’s the kind of content we, as an industry, have inoculated our readers against. We’ve trained them to skim over it and not really pay attention to what it says because chances are they’ve seen something like it somewhere else.
On top of that, while the search engines are rewarding longer, in-depth content, the average internet user doesn’t want to take the time – or doesn’t have the time – to really delve into something that long.
So, what’s the answer?
Video is very quickly becoming a significant part of content, because it is so much more consumable than a long text post. It also offers a number of other benefits for a content marketing campaign that will augment and streamline your efforts.
What Does Video Do that Text Alone Can’t?
The first and most obvious thing a video can do that other forms of content can’t is put a face on your message.
This is how content marketers can really start to build trust. We’re far more willing to listen to someone and consider their message when we can see who it is that is speaking to us. Video creates a connection. It’s really that simple.
It’s one thing to tell your customers how something works, but it’s something else entirely to show them exactly what the benefits are. Once they see how beneficial a product or service is in the video content you have created- you’ll start to see more engagement and higher returns.
Video has become one of the most important types of content for lead generation and user engagement. Video also encourages people to spend more time on your website. Time on site is one of those elements that we know impacts your rankings.
We should also note that you can include links from YouTube video pages to specific product or service pages on your site. It’s safe to assume that these links don’t carry a lot of ranking juice, but they can send more people to your site.
And as more people visit your site, the more likely you can get them to engage with the content there.
More importantly, if these people watched a video and then visited your site, it’s a pretty good indicator that they’re interested in your products. So they’re going to be more likely to convert.
How to Increase Conversions with Video
Just like any other content, your videos have to have a very specific purpose in mind. You can’t just create a video without a purpose and put it out there and expect great things to happen automatically.
The following types of videos are the most common in increasing conversion with video:
Explainer videos – Are there difficult concepts in your industry? Is your product something completely new and unique? A simple video that educates your audience can be very helpful.
Customer testimonials – If you can get real people on video talking about their real experiences, it can build a lot of trust.
Demonstration videos – Sometimes they need to see your product in action to understand how it really benefits them.
Personalized videos – When consumers sees an email with personalized video, they receive information tailored just to them, compare to impersonal content sent to thousands with the hope that a small percentage of recipients have a reason to be interested in the message. The personalized videos are tough to ignore.
How to Use Video with Social
When we talk about video marketing, we assume that it involves YouTube. Yes, but Facebook video is on a very upward trend, and it is currently serving nearly 4 billion daily video streams.
Just like any other search engine, there will be a lot of competition to appear at the top of the results in YouTube. And it can be a real challenge with so many people fighting for that top spot.
But there is a difference, people who view a video in Facebook probably aren’t there looking for a specific video to relax and watch for a few minutes watching. They’re simply watching because they’re in the mood to consume some kind of content.
When they see a video on Facebook, it’s because it showed up in their newsfeed.
Facebook’s newsfeed algorithm is placing a higher priority on videos so, as a company, you’re likely to see a lot more “reach” with a video than just another link and quick update.
Anyone Can Do Video- anyone with a smartphone can start making and sharing video content.
Eventually, you might want to get a better gear. The most important, is that you understand the message you want to deliver, not the understanding of ins and outs of lighting and audio.
Integration with Your Content Strategy
Video works even better when it’s integrated into the rest of your marketing content. All of your infographics, blog and social media posts and videos should work together in order to develop your audience and provide the answers they are looking for.
Don’t just create videos because “everyone is doing it.” Create video because you know how it can contribute to your goals.
Video content is a great opportunity to turn your plain content into deep and engaging assets.
