Getting a video scripted, shot and edited is half the battle. There's also hosting and marketing your video to consider.
You want your video to attract a crowd and engage viewers who will like, comment and share your video!
Before you go through the video creation process, work out a strategy for how you plan to circulate your video to draw maximum attention to it and boost visibility for your expertise, product or service.
WHO CARES? You've already determined what your audience wants and needs before producing the content of your video, right?
Now think about where your target audience spends time and look for a variety of ways to get your video in front of them in all the places they frequent. The goal is to have your viewers feel “I see you everywhere.”
You can get some helpful hints for how to do this with a little "reverse engineering." Find influential videos in your industry and note which platforms they use and how they are using them to spread their message.
Natural places to share and promote your video online and off include:
- Your Website / blog
- YouTube
- Social Media
- Trade Show
- Direct Mail – DVD or link
VIDEO DISTRIBUTION: I recommend uploading directly to YouTube which is the big dog in the category with the most viewers worldwide. You may also know of small niche interest sites to which you'll want to manually submit your video. But uploading your video to dozens of video-sharing sites individually can be time-consuming.
VIDEO SYNDICATION: If you plan to distribute a lot of video, look into a syndication service to streamline the process of getting the most exposure. You upload once and they do the rest. Video syndication services, both paid and free, save you time by spreading your one piece of content across multiple video and social media platforms.
Traffic Geyser and One Load (formerly Tube Mogul) are well known tools. A search engine check for “online video syndication service” will find many more.
Be sure to read the terms of service (TOS) since some syndication services will not allow “commercial content.” Figure out what “commercial” means to the site owner and play by the rules or your videos could all be deleted.
VIDEO OPTIMIZATION; Online video is not an "If you build it, they will come" world. You need to make sure your video will get noticed. You do that with video SEO which is called optimizing your video. Optimization is about getting the title, tags, description and other elements right on the uploaded video so your video matches what your target audience is looking for. That way your video will land at the top of the list in online search results.
You've spent time creating your great content, but don''t neglect the extra steps. Your video marketing won't get the results you hope for unless your video is easily discovered. And that is unlikely to happen unless the video is optimized and distributed "everywhere."
Now go make more videos!
NOTE: Like any marketing, video strategies and techniques are continually evolving and what worked a few years ago may not work anymore. ie- the latest google algorithm change: Hummingbird
I am happy to discuss your visibility goals and help you craft an online media blueprint for your business whether my team produces the content or you DIY. Use the contact form here.
I would love to hear your thoughts about online video. Please leave a comment.