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.
Research your top keyword phrases and use these in your upload descriptions and titles. 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.
These ten tips aim to help you create short, attractive, effective videos based on solid keywords that convert and that stand the test of time.
First of all, get set up.
When you're starting out, it's ok to just use your webcam. This is what I've used in this video for illustration. You can see it's not great, but it does the job. 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 and you'll be set up to rock and roll.
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.
OK. So now let's go through each of my TOP 10 TIPS for creating and using videos to market your business.
TIP 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 them short. Just 5 or 6 minutes is really all that's needed. It's just enough for introducing yourself to people that may not know you yet. In fact, YouTube.com will not accept videos over 10 minutes. I guess that's a maximum for all kinds of reasons that make sense.
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.
TIP 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. It can help to orientate visitors and to highlight the main points of your regular, written sales letter. People often want to listen or watch an explanation rather than read a whole long story. And let's face it, sales letter are becoming more and more alike these days, with everyone using what they think it 'good sales copy' to draw buyers in and provide proof and testimonials.
So you can use videos to introduce yourself and what you represent, to demonstrate your product or an explanation, and talk about how easy it is to get started and to get in touch with you personally. Often what we prefer is to hear it from the horse's mouth.
TIP 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. If you're loading your videos onto YouTube then it's really important that you allow people to find those videos. So if they are putting in words or phrases into a search box like google, yahoo, msn or on YouTube itself, you need to ensure your video shows up.
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 then use a keyword tool to identify long tail keywords that you can really dominate. Make sure you headline and description includes your main keywords.
Getting this right is critical because it will help people again to find your video when they type in those keywords and over time will mean you get ranked higher. Doing this research and tracking click thrus (CTR) and conversions will help you secure your most cost-effective keywords and keyword phrases.
For example, if you pick a long tail keyword such as "find online marketing coach in uk" (use exact match or phrase match), there may not be many searches but when there are, you should find your video comes up high.
Once you find a set of keywords that are fit-for-purpose, make sure your video answers those questions, give visitors solutions to what they were searching for, make things crystal clear. (With the above example, you'd certainly want to introduce yourself as coming from the UK. Make a different video for any other countries you might want to target.)
TIP 4: Have a clear purpose & structure
Your keywords will help make sure you target your video on the right purpose before you start. Keep on topic and provide 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, so you don't waffle on. Have a script if necessary (but be careful you don't appear to be reading from it and not looking at the camera, see tip 5!) So be very clear what is the focus for each video and have a list in front you. It really does help you to stay on topic and to present things in a logical flow.
For example, if your video is on the topic of using video to market your business... don't go too far off on a tangent and start talking about blogging or SEO. If there's a link (see tip 9), make the point and move on. Those links will provide you ideas for other topics and you can mention in your video that you have another video specifically on that related topic. So in my video about making videos, I would mention about putting your video or a link to it on your blog, and then tell them about my other video on using blogs to market your business.
TIP 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. This way, you'll stay looking in the camera at all times, rather than looking away at a screen on down at your notes. This gives you a far better connection with your audience.
A video made from the heart can come across as far more authentic than a skillful, broadcast-like production. 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.
TIP 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.
So it might be you want them to visit your website. You can provide your domain link. For example, your can add your web address (URL) as a title on your video, so that's it's showing throughout or comes up at the start or at the end. Make sure it's there for sufficient time for people to write it down or put it in their browser.
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. And clearly say "just put your information in the box on the right... and you'll get instant access to...".
TIP 7: Encourage comments on your video
One of the best things about video is that it's very personal, social medium. So the more you can link into other social activities, the more exposure you'll get. So if you're posting your video on YouTube or your blog, make sure you enable comments. Allow visitors to enter comments about your video, add their own tips or advice. The more people that are talking about your video and passing it on, the more buzz you'll create. 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.
TIP 8: Write articles, forum posts and blog & emails about your video
Write a short article (500 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. Have a link on your blog to your video, send people watching on your video back to your blog or capture page.
If you have a list of existing contacts and subscribers, send them an email with information about your new video you just posted up. Ask them to pass it on to their contacts and lists. This can help with the viral process and get your video out beyond your own marketing circle of influence. You may have joint venture (JV) partners and could send them a personal email asking for some feedback on your video and if they'd like to make any joint offers or provide a free report. They may even blog about your video or send out an email to their list or include it in their regular newsletter or digest.
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.
TIP 9: Make linkages with other content, social sites
Use the social sites to jump start the viral effect. One of the mistakes newbie marketing make is they spend a lot of time creating videos, or writing articles and blog posts, even twittering and don't make enough linkages between these. Yet they often don't unleash the true power of social marketing and they totally lose out on getting more leads out of their efforts.
Creating links between other marketing you're doing helps with the viral effect, and you'll get more leads than just the sum from the individual components - they work in synergy. So you need to link to and embed your video into social media sites, like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc. Integrate icons for sharing tools, like Digg, StumbleUpon etc to allow visitors to pass your link onto to their contacts.
Make those integrations really work and the momentum will really build up on your marketing activities.
TIP 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. For example, one video would be on using videos to market your business. A second might focus on using twitter, another on article marketing, using blogs, pay-per-click, and so on.
You can use your 10 video series in different ways. You can offer a 'boot camp' via email; subscribers receive an email explanation with a link to your video and/or full article each day or week. You could create a microcontinuity programme over 10 or more weeks; subscribers pay a monthly fee to get their package each week. You might simply create a webpage with links to the full set of videos on your opt-in thank you page.
How about creating a physical DVD product as a "free plus shipping" offer for subscribing members or as a ClickBank product for affiliates to market. You'd need to create or buy some attractive graphics. You could even include an upgrade for the set of associated articles you have written.
People like to get a physical product in the post. You can follow up subscribers whose addresses you have with postcard marketing, sendoutcards.com/jayd for a free gift account, and start bringing in offline methods to complement your online marketing.
To summarise... your video marketing checklist: Short - Focused - Clear offer - Complemented - Linked - Viral - Repurposed
Were these tips useful?
More advice, coaching & resources on my personal site at www.jayallyson.com
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