Nearly all internet marketing professionals use video as one of the core methods for marketing their business. Video grabs people’s attention far more quickly and effectively than text, audio or photographs. Making a short video can capture a thousand words and pictures and helps to get across your personal brand and lifestyle. It’s important to stand out in the crowd on video channels and search engines. Aim your headlines at capturing the imagination regarding your topic. So don’t be dull – test out curiosity, shock or fun tactics for getting those download clicks.
First of all, get set up. When you’re starting out, it’s ok to just use your webcam. It will give you the opportunity to practice while you’re honing your presentation skills before you fork out for a camcorder. When you’re ready, you can buy an inexpensive digital video recorder, like say the Flip and a tripod.
Make sure you take your videos in well-lit conditions. Inside your office you’ll need decent lighting, or you can whip out your camera when you’re out and about. It makes for a much more interesting back drop.
#1: Keep your videos short
Whether you’re loading videos on YouTube or just putting them up on your website or blog, it’s really important to keep to just 5 or 6 minutes. If needed, you can of course break longer topics up into a series of smaller videos, which you could market as a series – see tip 10.
#2: Post videos on your sales pages
You can use video on your sales page to introduce the main benefits of your product or business opportunity. You might even put a very short video on your landing page or capture pages. This helps to orientate visitors and to highlight the main points of your regular, written sales letter.
#3: Choose your keywords carefully
This is really important tip, because it will affect how your video gets picked up by the search engines and other internet ‘bots’ that seek out content. Research your top keyword phrases. Pick keywords that will attract the right kind of traffic and leads – research like crazy to find out what your prospects are looking for – and ensure you include your keywords in headings and tags and description boxes.
Doing this research and tracking click thrus (CTR) and conversions will help you secure your most cost-effective keywords and keyword phrases.
#4: Have a clear purpose & structure
Your keywords will help make sure you target your video on the right purpose before you start. Does your video answers the questions your visitors have in their heads when they’re searching for solutions. Make things crystal clear. Stay on your topic and give added value – unique value if possible – and the videos will convert much better for you. Write down a structure – a set of headings – for what you’re going to cover. Have a script if necessary.
You can mention any links that you have another video specifically on that related topic.
#5: Look at the camera
The aim here is to connect with your audience, both in the topic you choose and the content but also in your communication style. Remember you are talking to people – real live people. What are their needs and wants, hopes and fears. With regards to presentation, stick your list of headings right next to the camera so you stay looking in the camera at all times, rather than looking away at a screen on down at your notes.
An authentic and honest video is far more valuable than a glossy tv like broadcast. So don’t worry if you’re not up to TV presenter standards. Just be yourself and enjoy the opportunity to reach out to people in a different way than using text copy.
#6: Create a clear call to action
You should create one very clear offer and call to action. It’s very important that people know exactly what to do as a result of watching your video. What is your most wanted response (MWR)? Don’t confuse visitors with lots of options and different offers. Focus on the single most wanted response.
Alternatively, you can put your video up next to a sign up box – linked to your email marketing – and you clearly ask them to opt in, more than once. Provide an incentive, such as a free report or further video coaching resources.
#7: Encourage comments on your video
One of the best things about video is that it’s very personal, social medium. You’ll create loads of social buzz if you get masses of folk commenting and sharing your content. Visitors may return to your page to see who has commented since their last comment. There may accumulate a whole list of tips that have been created by your niche community, prompted by your initial video post.
#8: Write articles, forum posts and blog & emails about your video
Write a short article (500-1000 words – like this one) on the same topic as your video. Then create a short blog post that links to your article and/or video.
If you have a list of existing contacts and subscribers, send them an email with information about your new video you just posted up. You might approach them to forward it to their affiliates. This can help with the viral process and get your video out beyond your own marketing circle of influence.
#9: Make linkages with other content, social sites
This relates to tip 8 in many ways. It’s about linking different marketing on a single, focused topic and ultimately setting up many different entry routes into your marketing or sales funnel, using the linkages and relationships you have already built up.
Use the social sites to jump start the viral effect. One of the mistakes newbie marketing make is they often don’t unleash the true power of social marketing and they totally lose out on getting more leads out of their efforts. Make those integrations really work and the momentum will really build up on your marketing activities.
#10: Use time twice by re-purposing and repackaging your videos
Finally, following on from tips 8 & 9… put your videos on a DVD or CD and give it away for free in exchange for their contact details or other call to action (see tip 6). If you create 10 videos on different marketing topics, you would have a neat series of using internet strategies to market your business.
You can use your 10 video series in different ways, such as an email’boot camp’over 7 days, a microcontinuity subscription over 10 weeks or simply create a ‘thank you’ web page with links to the full set of videos as a bonus for opting in.
Author: Jay Allysonn