In the last article, I discussed some of the key points that will help you get started with video marketing for your business. There is no denying the power of video marketing to broadcast the value of your services and expertise to your customers. In this installment on the Power of Video Marketing, I will dive into some of the essential strategies to use when you want to optimize your videos for search engines like Google or for sharing on social media. Ready? Set. Action!
The Players
The three primary “characters” we will be investigating in this adventure are Google YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Yes, there are others (Instagram, TikTok, etc.), but the strategies that apply to the big three will work the same for the others. It is also important to recognize a key point mentioned in the previous article, Know Your Audience! In a business to business (B2B) setting, the three primary platforms are the go-to choice for business-oriented content.
The principal differences between Google’s YouTube and the more social-centered channels (LinkedIn and Facebook) is how video content is discovered and disseminated. YouTube, being owned by Google, is built around search, thus you want to prioritize optimizing video content like you would a website with search engine optimization. LinkedIn and Facebook are more focused on sharing as a means of distribution for video content. When a video goes “viral,” it does so because it is repeatedly shared by people. Let’s unpack how both sides work and some quick and easy tips on what to do.
Video and SEO
Search engine optimization, or SEO for short, includes the practice of creating content that will be indexed by a search engine with the goal of appearing on a search engine results page (SERP) near or at the top (ranking). You may have noticed on a Google search results page that there are tabs at the top: All, Video, News, Images, Shopping, and More. Those tabs are there to help you as a searcher be more specific in the type of content you want to view, and it is easier to get a better result (a higher ranking) in the Video specific tab with content than it is for the All tab.
For video content, using titles and descriptions that are clear, specific, and engaging are important. For example, a title like “Wood Pallet Repair Guide” is clear and specific, but it isn’t really engaging. Injecting a little more pop into the title, “Improve Your Pallet Quality with a Repair Guide” still provides a clear signal to a search engine about the video content for proper indexing. It also catches the eye of an actual person searching about this topic and is more likely to earn a click and view. More clicks and views let Google know that the video is highly relevant to the title, and it will help it rise more quickly to the top of the page.
When you create and download the video, before posting YouTube will offer a text box that you can use to type in tags. Tags are those keywords and phrases that remain unseen when the video is posted publicly, but they help Google on the backend understand what the video is about and aid in indexing. You can add more tags at any point after the video is posted to help further clarify the content.
A good description of the video is also important. The description is an opportunity to provide more information about the video, and you can insert links back to your website with the video posted on YouTube. Be sure to include the appropriate keywords and phrases to describe the video.
Many people who use YouTube also use hashtags to find a topic of interest. Hashtagging is when you use the “#” symbol in front of a word, for instance #pallets or #supplychain. It is a great way to get the video collected under that specific hashtag topic and get more clicks and views.
To connect it all together, one of the best paths to getting good rankings in search results and more views of your video is to tie the title, description, and tags together by using the same keywords and phrases in each instance. Of course, you can utilize other keywords and phrases in these areas to round out the details; just make sure to have a core group that work across all of them.
Video and Sharing
Quirky or interesting subjects or superstar videos have the capability of going viral and getting literally millions of views within a few hours. Now is that going to happen to a video about wood pallets or machinery? Probably not unless you have E.T.-the extraterrestrial demonstrating how to repair a broken pallet board with his magic finger. All kidding aside, social media platforms are a great way to get more views of a video. These platforms can work in tandem with YouTube to help create awareness about your business and build strong credibility with potential customers.
One of the key features for all social platforms is the “Like” button. I’m sure you have watched a video on YouTube or the other apps and had someone ask you to “hit that Like button” right in the video. The Like button functions as a metric to gauge the popularity of content. More Likes means the video will be seen in more feeds. The feed is the content you scroll through, typically in the middle column, when on the app itself.
Within social media you have followers, friends, connections, subscribers, or contacts. These are the people (and companies) that you are connected to, in essence your network, and they are the ones who will view any video content you produce.
This network generates what are known as social signals. It is basically how a social media platform’s algorithm blends the added value of you engaging and sharing your videos and weights that activity to give a video wider distribution. Sharing is a core feature on Facebook and LinkedIn, and it is probably one of the most effective ways to get distribution of your videos.
On Facebook, if friends and connections share your video, this action increases your reach much more than if it is just posted to the feed and forgotten. Same goes for LinkedIn, when connections share your video, it achieves a tremendous amount of reach. The key tip here is to use the same tactic as in the Like button and ask those people to share the video if they find it useful or informative. This one tip will help you get much more traction with your videos.
Another great method is to embed the video into your website. Just like using the YouTube description mentioned above, you should provide content around the video itself that adds value to it. This has the bonus effect of keeping people on your website longer which is a great signal that lets Google know you have something interesting to share and will rank the webpage better in search results. Remember to tie keywords and phrases to this content as well.
Measuring for Success
Video content success is frequently measured by likes, views, shares, subscribers, or followers. These are the easy metrics also known as “vanity metrics.” The real measure of success comes down to what you, as the producer of this content, wished to accomplish with the video. This is where the plan mentioned in the previous article, The Power of Video Marketing-Part 1, is important.
When developing that plan, it is crucial to ask questions that help define the goal of the video content. Is the video intended to establish credibility or expertise? Is the video intended to drive more traffic to your company website? Is it to qualify the audience and generate leads? What do you want to happen because of the video? These are the real key performance indicators of the video content, and they will help you understand what your customers deem valuable.
Most videos shouldn’t be more than 5-10 minutes long unless it is a lecture or lesson of some sort (webinar recording). Be aware that watch time is a key measure to gauge audience interest and whether your content has any traction. If you’ve created a video and it is only getting an average of 30 seconds of watch time, it should tell you that the topic may not be as valuable as you thought. Or maybe this video could use a change in how the topic is approached.
Analytics for your website will tell you when and where a visitor has come from; this includes links from videos on the platforms discussed. Did this traffic lead to a potential customer filling out a contact form on your website or contacting you via phone? It’s always good to make sure your office staff asks the question of where the potential customer found out about your company. This may seem old-fashioned, but the results are important and will guide you in creating better, more relevant content that accomplishes your goals.
The key is to connect the tips and advice given in the video to the analytics, numbers, and results. Then, you want to use this information to generate actionable insights that achieve your goals for the video content. Bear in mind that online and video marketing is a moving target. Keep at it; try different things to see what helps you get traction. In the end, the results will come to those who stick with it. And the rewards are finding new customers in an increasingly competitive market.
