The Pulse

When we talk about marketing with video, mostly we are talking about using YouTube content as part of your marketing efforts. And while there are a number of other online video platforms available such as Vimeo, DailyMotion, Blip.tv and even Facebook, only YouTube comes with the power punch that Google search can deliver.

After all, according to Alexa, YouTube ranks as the third most visited website (after Google and Facebook), capturing 10% of traffic on the internet each day. The average viewer spends 900 seconds on YouTube every day, generating over 2 billion page views.

And while these statistics alone make YouTube an attractive proposition, there is one other fact that suggests online video should be part of your marketing mix—YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google.

So if your digital strategy includes search engine optimisation (SEO) and you are not producing video content as part of your integrated digital strategy, then you’re limiting the potential touch points between your brand and your customers.

For many business owners, however, the prospect of using video can be daunting, but to get started, try following the “ABC and D” of marketing with video:

• Analytics: Video takes some effort to create, so it is therefore essential that you understand what works and what does not work for your audiences. And that means analytics. If you have Google Analytics running on your website, monitor the inbound search terms and the popular pages to see how your video content is performing. Remember, there are also in-built analytics within your YouTube channel. Click the “Show Video Statistics” button under each video for details.
• Blog: Use your blog to create the right context for your video. Upload the video content to YouTube, and then use the embed code to publish the video to your blog. Be sure to properly contextualise your video with appropriate keywords, introductory remarks and appropriate links.
• Content: Most businesses have plenty of content ideas at their fingertips. Think about your “unique selling proposition” —the thing that differentiates you from your competitors. Create content around it. If your customer service is the best in your industry, showcase it using video. Interview members of your team, talk about the training that you undertake and allow your team to share their passion and personality. If you are well-known for your whitepapers, interview the authors and get them to read and explain the executive summary. Make your content relevant for your audiences.
• Distribute: Once you have your video content ready, share it widely with your audiences. Sites like OneLoad provide a simple way of sharing your content across a range of video sharing sites, and it also provides useful analytics to help you understand which sites work best for your content. Remember to also share your video content via your social media accounts such as Twitter and Facebook.

Video can be a very powerful marketing tool, but don’t expect to “go viral” on your first attempt. Practice, refine and improve your techniques, and you will be amazed at the way you can build an audience and engage your customers.

Statistics courtesy of SpeakyMagazine.