Video marketing for beginners (part-1)
Why You Should be Using Online Video Marketing
#1 Your customers are spending their time watching videos
Did you know that more than 4 billion views occur daily on YouTube? It’s the second largest search engine with only Google ranking higher. 55% of people watch at least one video daily and 78% watch at least one video weekly. That information in itself should have you stoked to get that video up and enjoy the benefits.
#2 Your Competition is Already Benefiting from Online Marketing Video
Did you know that 81% of all senior marketing executives are using online marketing video? That’s up 11% from just two years ago. Don’t miss the opportunity that awaits you.
#3 Video is Easy to Search
When it comes to searching on Google 70% of the top 100 searches are videos. Consumers are seeking information on products and services and they are ready to buy when they find what they want. YouTube is the second largest search engine and so videos rank well and you have an optimum opportunity awaiting you with online video marketing.
#4 Videos are Educational, Entertaining, and Inspiring
Over 60% of consumers spend at least 2 minutes watching a video about a product they are thinking of buying. Video is excellent for marketing because it engages emotions. Viewers can get mad, cry, laugh, and learn. Viewers are far less likely to walk away from a video than an article because of the visual component.
#5 Your Visitor is Just a Click Away From Buying
More than 34% of shoppers looking to buy apparel will purchase after watching an online marketing video compared to only 16% after watching a TV ad. When you watch a TV ad, you can’t buy right then. You have to go to a store, log on to the site on your computer, or make a phone call. When an online marketing video is done correctly the visitor can instantly make their purchase and that’s powerful which is why the high conversion rate.
Now that you have five good reasons why you should be using online video marketing, isn’t it time to start creating?
Online Video Marketing - The 5 Secrets You Need to Know
Chances are if you are reading this, you are about to undertake your own online video marketing or at the very least you still classify yourself as a beginner. Congratulations are in order for stepping outside your comfort zone and being smart enough to recognize that you could use a little help in getting it right.
Let’s start by sharing with you the 5 secrets you need to know to have a successful online video marketing campaign.
Step #1 Do the Necessary Research
We all like to go from point A to point B as quickly as we can, and in the rush to get our online video completed many fail to do the proper amount of research. The end result is disappointment. By taking some time initially to do your research you’ll save time, avoid disappointment and achieve ‘success’ much faster.
Ironically, never before in the history of mankind has information been so readily available. Just a few clicks of the mouse and you can have all the information you need, and yet over anxious beginners skip this key step.
Step #2 Take the Time to Plan
A smart person once said, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” Is that you? This is especially true with video marketing. Don’t believe me? Just take five minutes to check out a few of the videos available and it won’t take long for you to find confusing, mixed up, disjointed videos that completely fail to engage you. Sadly, it’s the biggest mistake that beginners make. Take your time and created a streamlined flow of information that the viewer can easily understand.
Step #3 Execute Your Plan
Here’s where you succeed or fail – it’s where your viewers will see just how much effort you put into research and planning. However, that said, even when you do your research and planning properly if you do not have the necessary equipment, resources, and skills to create an online marketing video you can still fail here. Make sure that your ability and your ambition match. Start small for your first video, grow your skills and you’ll enjoy success.
Step #4 How Can You Improve
This is the step that separates ‘the men from the boys’ – it’s what separates the amateurs from the professionals. If you put together one or two marketing videos and they get disappointing results, so you quit, you were never in it to win it! But if you learn from your mistakes, find out how you can improve, before long you’re a real pro and before long, you’ll be reaping the benefits of your efforts.
Step #5 Ask the Experts
One of the best-kept secrets by those who are highly successful with their online video marketing is that they aren’t afraid to seek help from the experts. They don’t try to go it alone! There are all kinds of free and low cost help out there so why set yourself up for failure because you are too proud to take the help.
If you are new to online video marketing and you implement these 5 secrets, you’ll be enjoying success before you know it and growing your business at an impressive rate.
What an Online Marketing Video Can do For Your Business
Online video marketing has become the latest epidemic when it comes to marketing tools. In fact, it has gone viral. If you haven’t given online marketing videos a try yet, you should, as there are plenty of benefits you can enjoy and increased sales are one of them. Let’s look at what your video should accomplish for you.
It Should Introduce You
A video is a powerful tool that allows you to present a polished you. You can polish your online marketing presentation and then create a flawless delivery that puts in you in the best light with your potential customer.
Establish That You are an Expert in Your Field
When you create your online marketing video you should focus on showing your viewers your expertise. This is much easier to do with a video than text content. Adding videos that establish you as an expert to your website, blog and/or email marketing can be highly beneficial.
Maximize Your SEO Benefits
In the past, as far as SEO was concerned, videos were actually a liability. But that is not that case any longer. Today, videos are more than fifty times more likely to be on the first page of a surfer’s search. There are three main ways a marketing video can give you a major SEO boost.
1. There is far less competition with video compared to text content. There are millions of text pages competing for the top SEO ranking, but only thousands of video pages competing for the same space.
2. Videos are ranked much quicker than text content. It takes hours for videos to get ranked and weeks for text to get ranked. That also gives video the ability to be very current.
3. Videos often go viral. It is much more likely that a person will share a video than text. This is especially true when you put together a really good video.
Online video marketing is affordable, requires only a webcam, a microphone, and a good script to begin to enjoy the benefits. Take some time to fine tune your message and make it easy to understand. That way you’ll enjoy the greatest benefit.
Online marketing videos are the hottest tool business owners have at their fingertips. In today’s online environment a video is far more likely to lead to a sale than even the best text content. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.
Strategies for Follow up on Your Marketing Videos
Marketing videos are ‘hot.’ They are a great way to increase your viewers and your customer base, which means an increase in your revenues. Follow up is also an important step in successful marketing videos. Let’s look at some very effective strategies.
You are going to have to experiment with follow up techniques. Remember nothing is a waste of time. You can learn from every experience. So just because you have made your marketing video doesn’t mean you are done. It is time to promote it – all of the action you take after you post your online marketing video works towards growing your exposure and that’s important.
Try these video campaign follow ups:
* Monitor comments that are left on your videos and then reply to those comments. You can develop conversation about your industry, your brand, your products, etc. and of course answer any comments tied directly to the video.
* Always measure your statistics. If you have a call to action, monitor the sales that come off that call to action. If you have links to your site then monitor those links.
* Answer any questions that come up. If your viewers are debating topics, you discussed in the video, answer any questions that arise, and allow them to continue the conversation
Podcasts for your videos are a good follow up. Don’t make the mistake that it’s done once you post your video to YouTube. Create podcasts, which will help to follow up on your YouTube videos. It will allow you to expand your visibility to millions of possible viewers. You will need to have web host for your video files if you are going to create a podcast feed.
You can also make use of YouTube annotations. These will direct traffic to additional videos you have or to a call to action. This is a great follow up that can be of great value. It is also beneficial if your information in the video has become out of date and you can add an annotation directing viewers to the new video that has been updated.
The follow up is very important in your online marketing video is very important to enjoying the full benefit of your video campaigns. It is a common mistake of beginners not to follow through and incorporate the follow up with their online marketing video campaign. Don’t let this be your mistake!
How to Create Your Online Marketing Video for Less Than $100
It’s a bit of a catch 22 – your business needs a video to start selling but you need to sell to afford to have a video done, which is why you’ll want to read on. There are plenty of options and you can actually get your online marketing video going for less than $100 with this step-by-step guide.
#1 Write a Script
The basis for a good video begins with the script, so take your time and get this part right. You want to capture the viewer’s attention, tell what your business is about in a way that’s easy to understand, and keep your visitors engaged.
You might do a video that shows your viewers how to do something or explains how to fix something. Don’t forget to close with your company name and invite your viewers to call you, sign up, buy something or whatever the next step is.
#2 Record Your Voiceover
Once your script is complete, you need to do the voiceover. You’ll need a decent microphone, a space that’s echo-free, and a good voice. If you don’t have a good voice recruit family or friends to help you out here. You can also hire a pro to do the voiceover.
#3 Create the Necessary Visuals
Before you start to create your visual assets, you’ll need to complete your video. It’s helpful to brainstorm and create a written storyboard with your script to see how it best plays out.
If your video is not going to be live, there are a number of ways of getting still video footage. Sites like Getty or iStockPhoto have thousand of images that are royalty free. If you have your own camera, you can take your own images. If you are giving directions or doing ‘how to’ videos you can also use screen capture.
#4 Editing your Video
Now you need to put all of it together. Here’s where you bring your project to life. Most professionals use Adobe After Effects but there are some other cheaper options like Camtasia or PowerPoint. The software is fairly easy to learn.
#5 Add SFX and/or Music
Next, you’ll want to add any special sound effects or music. However, remember, it is not legal to just pick a song and use it. There are many stock music websites online so you can purchase royalty free tracks for under $50. Make sure your music track doesn’t drown out your voice track. Fading In and Out is a nice technique that adds a professional touch.
Step #6 Publish your Online Marketing Video
That’s it, you’re ready to publish. YouTube is the most popular site for publishing. The MPEG-4 format is ideal for high definition. Make sure your video has a good title and description. Also, make sure that you do a good job with your tags so that the right people find you.
There you have it. Six steps to get your first online marketing video up and running, and all for under $100.
Make a Professional Online Marketing Video on a Budget
If you’ve decided to get involved with online video marketing, you may be considering using a professional video production company. This can be a great idea, as you’ll get a top quality video. However, if you are like many small businesses your budget is small and your need great. This may inhibit your ability to hire a professional video company. This shouldn’t stop you – you may not be aware that making your own online marketing video is not nearly as difficult as you might think.
Start by taking advantage of the many free video editing software programs. You might already have the equipment you need – a microphone and a webcam, and you need a plan. Let’s have a look at what you need start producing your own video on a budget.
A Quality Microphone
If there is one thing you need to buy that’s of the highest quality, it is your microphone. Viewers will put up with grainy or choppy video, and they’ll live with pictures and without animation, but if the sound is poor they’ll hit the back button so fast you won’t even be able to say ‘bye.’ There are a number of good quality mikes available for a reasonable price. The Samson G Track USB microphone is one of them. Another is the Yeti, which is made by Blue Microphones. Take a little time to review the pros and cons of the many microphones on the market that fits your budget.
A Quality Camera or Webcam
Depending on the type of video you will be doing, you’ll need either a quality video camera or a webcam. While a lot of online marketing videos can be shot using a webcam, if you are planning to do live action you’ll need the right camera. Look for something that does live streaming video like the Sony Bloggie HD for around $129. While you shouldn’t expect professional quality from this gem, it is reasonable for doing blogs, video tutorials and video marketing.
You might also want to capture screen shots right from your computer. This is especially useful when doing tutorials. There are plenty of free programs that can do this for Snipping Tool and Screencasts are two such programs. They are easy to use and give you the opportunity to create professional looking videos.
If money is no object and you have the budget to hire a professional, then do so, but if you are like most entrepreneurs with small businesses, money is an object. In which case you can take the project on yourself with only a small investment in equipment.
Online Marketing Videos – 4 of the Best Tips You’ll Ever Find
If you consider yourself a beginner when it comes to making online marketing videos, we have some great tips for you. After all, your real goal is to be successful right from the start. So let’s have a look at 4 of the best tips you’ll ever find.
Best Tip #1 Don’t Make Your Video a Lonely Video
One of the most common mistakes beginners make is to sink their entire budget into one high quality video and hope that they get the success they are hoping for from that video. The vision is to instantly create brand recognition and step ahead of the competition increasing their revenue ten-fold.
Let’s rewind. While this can happen, it’s not the norm and you are gambling your entire video budget on one production. A wiser choice would be to create a series of videos. Don’t make one video and leave it hanging there all by itself. View your video as part of an ongoing marketing campaign, so when you begin to create your video think of a dozen or so topics that tie together that you could produce a video for each. The videos can be short – in fact, viewers have a short attention span, so the faster you can get to the point and give them the important information the better. So instead of investing your entire budget in one video why not break it into at least six videos or even more.
Best Tip #2 Reduce Reuse Recycle
Before you spend a bunch of money to create your video, first look at what you have handy. Perhaps you have some sales material from your supplier, perhaps there is industry material available, consider using staff interviews or guest interviews, include customers in your video, do a tour of your facilities or office, try doing a ‘day in the life,’ video. Just get creative and use what’s around you to keep costs down and make your videos really interesting.
Best Tip #3 Take Advantage of Events
This is yet another way to get some great content for your video. Events provide some great opportunities for material. You may be able to capture live product demos, presentations you do or another member of your company does, interview with speakers and visitors, etc. The key is to be creative and take advantage of the resources that are there for you to use. That’s how you can really make interesting videos and keep your costs down.
Best Tip #4 Make Videos That Work on All Devices
The number of professionals that are accessing content while they are on the go keeps growing. The number of individuals professional and non-professionals, your potential customers are busy and they are taking advantage of smartphones, tablets, iPads, and other mobile devices.
That means you need to make sure that you create a video that will work across all devices. This will give you the maximum exposure and distribution, which equates to the highest sales opportunities.
If you incorporate these 4 best tips into your online marketing video, you are setting yourself up for success.
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