Video Marketing for Beginners: 5 Simple Tips to Keep in Mind Before You Post

Internet video continues to grow in popularity, and as we all know, it is unrivaled as a way to communicate with prospects and hold attention. It’s no big secret that the modern man is no big reader, and in fact, it has always surprised me that blogging ever got popular in the first place with the lack of avid readers in society. We soon saw with social media, and of course video, that being a big reader wouldn’t be a prerequisite for surfing the web for long, and now any marketer worth their salt knows its time to start harnessing the engaging power of video to get their message out there.

Well, here’s 5 simple tips for making the most of your video if your just starting to dabble with this platform.

1. Tell Them Who You Are and What You want

In most cases, you should have a clear purpose for making your videos. You might be doing them for SEO, but there’s no reason to sacrifice the possibility of each video being something more.

Make it clear who you are and what the purpose of your presentation is all about. Include a call to action at the end and give a link. One of the biggest mistakes newbie IM’ers make is not telling the customer what they want them to do next and what the benefit of doing that is.

2. Use Good Keyword Strings for File Names

File names play a big role in search engine optimization for videos, and they should, but it also opens up an easy opportunity for easy SEO. Just do some good keyword research write keyword-rich descriptions as well. There’s a lot more coming in the world of video search, but a few simple basics can go a long way right now.

3. Brand It

You should always use video as a platform to build your brand. You won’t find a better chance; when else do prospects give you such undivided attention?

There are plenty of ways to incorporate your brand into the package. You can put it in the pre-roll or the end credits. You can use software to edit the video and put your brand in the corner. Or, if your tech skills are limited, you can even stand in front of a simple backdrop showcasing your brand beside you.

Don’t make it harder than it needs to be, but make sure you leverage this opportunity to build some brand recognition.

4. Split Content Into a Series of Small Videos

Try not to make your videos too long or you can easily lost viewer attention. Instead of using the fully allotted time video sharing sites allow, make a series of smaller videos presenting your message in doses. Try to put some kind of hook at the end of each segment or leave people hanging so they want to move on to the next.

This gives people control over what they want to see and when, but it also makes them more likely to listen to your call to action because when people have already listened to your directions a few times (i.e. clicking over to the next video), they are more likely to do so again.

So the further they follow you through your chain of videos, the more you build a relationship with them. It is a matter of perception, even if it is a subconscious perception.

5. Be Clear About Audio

Finally, the need for intelligible, clear speaking in order to communicate your message is obvious, but there are other reasons to put some real time into audio as well. How many times have you turned off a video just because the speaker didn’t sound confident enough? Or because their voice was even just a little too annoying?

In other cases, a low background hum can be enough to get on a viewer’s nerves. Or when the volume is too low and you have to straining to hear it over whatever else is going on around you. To go even further, future video searches will make use of automatic video transcripts in the future, which means the clarity of your voice will someday play a role in rankings.

Video marketing is a very substantial part of the Internet experience, and the best thing about videos, in my opinion, is they cut to the chase and give the marketer more of an obligation to produce value. Let’s face it, a lot of online articles are just made for SEO purposes and many of you are not expecting people to read them. I discourage that approach, but it is the route many take.

Video, however, keeps you honest. Regardless of the SEO value, videos are made for the end user, and you will be judged by what is given. Keep that in mind, and produce something of merit.