Let’s start off with a few facts from the Cynopsis Digital Newsletter:
- The number of American users frequenting online video destinations has climbed 339% since 2003
- Time spent on video sites has shot up almost 2,000 percent over the same period
- In the last year alone, unique viewers of online video grew 10%, the number of streams grew 41%, streams per user grew 27% and total minutes engaged with online video grew 71%
- In the last year alone, time spent on social networking sites has surged 73%
- In February, social network usage exceeded Web-based e-mail usage for the first time
If you’re thinking to yourself, “So what? What does this have to do with me?,” then you’re missing the point. There is a humongous elephant in your office and you’re ignoring it! The truth is, video has become one of the best, if not the best, tool to reach your buyers online. Despite the facts, however, many companies are only just beginning to dabble in creating videos. It takes time, and maybe some funding or convincing in order to do, but it can be done. The following are a few methods in reaching your target audience directly through video:
Posting to Video Sharing Sites: YouTube is a smash hit and can make literally anyone famous. The video doesn’t have to be of great quality; you can even shoot it with your phone. All you have to do is upload it to your account and then you can begin embedding it into your blog and sharing the link with other people. Be sure to tag the video with various keywords, that way random visitors to YouTube can stumble upon your video. You might even go viral!
Vlogging: Video logs are quickly becoming more and more popular. This sometimes starts by creating an account on YouTube or Vimeo (or both) and then embedding the videos into your blog posts. The advantage with vlogs is that you can add accompanying text in the post, which will also help with Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Vodcasting: Similar to a podcast, but with actual video not just audio. Vodcasts are typically done in a series or have a common theme and are released through either iTunes or can be subscribed to via RSS. You can do a how-to series or something fun, such as an “Around the Office” series.
Hold a Contest: You can always ask your customers to create videos for you by holding some sort of contest. Winners get a prize and you get to showcase the videos they made for you on your site. These have an increased chance of going viral because they’re made by the average person rather than by the business itself.
Good luck and be creative! You’ll be surprised how much fun you have with these.
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