Are you using video in your content marketing?
Do you realize the secret power of video?
High engagement is one of the key reasons to include video in marketing campaigns.
There are branding opportunities everywhere for content marketers.
Different social media channels, different types of B2B and B2C content, and different websites.
One platform that is underutilized is a little site you might have heard of:
YouTube.
It’s by far the largest video sharing site—nothing even comes close to it.
- Get this: YouTube has over 1 billion users.
- Those billion users account for over 4 billion video views a day.
You can find literally any type of audience on YouTube, which means that just about any business can find a way to benefit from marketing on it.
VIDEO LENGTH
How long should my video be?
What keeps people watching?
Length is one of the biggest deciding factors for engagement.
- Videos under one minute are watched to completion 80 percent of the time.
- 2 to 3 minute clips have 60 percent retention.
- 5 to 10 minute videos are only completed 50 percent of the time.
However, the average session length a user spends on YouTube has increased, and the average video watching time per day is 39 minutes. Users are ready to engage.
We’ve seen the impact of Facebook video offerings on engagement, and we know the video audience is key to long term success. Facebook takes on YouTube with this feature.
BEST VIEWING TIMES
VIDEO IS CONTENT
You should treat a YouTube content strategy just like you would treat a content strategy on any other channel.
Your content needs to be created for a specific audience you want to reach.
The more you define your niche, the more your content will resonate with viewers.
At this point, there are three main aspects you need to determine.
Goal #1 – The type of person: First up is the type of person you want to create content for, which should be the same type of person who buys your product(s).
Businesses are more savvy now and they’re throwing more money into video production. If you want to be competitive, you’ve got to have some skills.
You can often narrow your audience by being more specific about their knowledge level of your topic and location.
Target your audience.
A narrow audience is a good thing because it allows you to make your content just that more targeted.
Goal #2 – What do they want to do?
- Are they trying to make more money?
- Be more fit?
- Be a better parent?
- Make their home look better?
- Learn to cook better?
Determine the things they care about the most. Solve their problems. Ideally, it will relate to your product as well, but it’s not always necessary.
The main point of content marketing, including videos on YouTube, is to attract the attention of your target audience.
So, if you see a need that hasn’t been filled, jump on it regardless of whether it’s directly tied to your product.
Goal #3 – How do they want to consume it?
Finally, does your target audience seek a solution to their problem in video form.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be the whole audience, but it should be a large part.
Video is great for certain types of content:
- Demonstrations
- Overviews of strategies
- Entertainment
- Information tutorials
- Product reviews
- Education on a specific product or service
Marketers, and just about any audience, would love to get fitness tips through videos. It makes sense because it’s the simplest way you can show movements and explain complex topics.
But it won’t suit all types of content.
For example, let’s say your audience wants to find resources.
You can’t exactly put a list of tools and resources in a video because it’s not easily scannable.
Once you’ve come up with an audience with a specific need that can be fulfilled with video, you’re good to move on to the next step.
WHAT SKILLS DO I NEED?
In order to create videos that are going to be worth your audience’s time, you (or a team) are going to need to have a solid handle on at least these 5 areas:
- Storytelling/Writing
- Composition
- Networking
- Editing
- A Basic Understanding of SEO
These basic components are in the DNA of nearly every video that spreads online.
STORYTELLING
This is the foundation. Without a basic understanding of how to tell a story, there is no way you’re going to make a video that’s worth watching.
At the end of the day, good storytelling is the foundational element that separates the competent videos from everything else. It is also often the missing element in most online videos. Without a good story, there is nothing to build on, so the video is destined to fail.
A few key resources on storytelling and writing:
Terrible Mind’s 25 Things You Should Know About Story Structure
EDITING
One thing I can say with the utmost sincerity is good video is more about what’s taken out than what’s left in.
If you want to make good videos, you’re going to cut the script. You’re going to move your story structure around. You’re going to shoot things that will never see the light of day.
Editing is so much more than simply cutting footage. It’s an opportunity to take your audience on a journey. Whether you’re editing a complex narrative film or simply putting together a corporate video, there is a deeper story being told.
Editing is the most frustrating, most time consuming, most rewarding experience.
Becoming a great video editor isn’t easy, but with practice and patience you’ll be editing like a pro in no time. Here are a few of the most important tips and techniques you need to know to become a professional video editor.
The first thing that you need to do when you sit down to edit a video is determine who your hero is. For a corporate video, the hero might be an interviewee or even the audience. Let your hero go on a journey and overcome obstacles — even if the obstacle is as trivial as not knowing what kind of toothpaste to select. Using this technique will change the way in which you edit and you’ll instantly see an improvement in your video’s quality.
It happens in two phases:
Pre-Production: This is where you’re plan your video.
- You write your script
- Figure out your locations
- Plan your camera angles.
After you’ve planned your story and written the first draft of your script, it’s important to cut out all of the parts that are superfluous. Then, once you’ve written your script (even if it’s as something simple as a burger review) you need to read it aloud so you can rewrite and cut all all parts that do not move the story forward.
If you’re shooting “on location” it may become necessary to edit the script again. More often than not, you’ll find certain things don’t work as well in real life as they did when it was just you and your computer.
Your script may need to be edited frequently throughout the entire process. So long as your edits are ultimately serving the story, frequent editing is okay.
Post-production: After all of your footage is shot, it’s time to put it all together. This is the part where most people just aren’t willing to put in the time, probably because editing a video is very hard work.
It has been said that in the average 90 minute move there are over 5000 cuts. Editing is what makes the video. It controls the pace of the story.
A major Hollywood production shoots nearly 200 hours of film, the editor may work for months, even years, turning those 200 hours into a 90 minute movie. Professional video bloggers do it too, just much quicker.
An infographic from Subrat Kar, CEO and co-founder of Vidooly, offers five tips for increasing engagement.
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About Blair
Blair Evan Ball is a Social Media Coach and founder of Prepare1, a company that works with businesses, individuals and non-profits. He is a former executive with a Fortune 50 company, and his national division did $1Billion+ in sales annually.
Blair has written three e-books: Facebook for Business Made Easy, Facebook Pages for Business Made Easy, and WordPress Blog Setup Made Easy.
Blair also educates, trains entrepreneurs and business professionals how to amplify their brand, increase revenues, and raise more funds.
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