Recently my washing machine conked out leaving me faced with the decision to sink repair fees into a fifteen year old machine or buy a new one. Pondering my choices I realized that there was a third possibility. So, in one of my finer “I am woman, hear me roar” moments, I decided to fix it myself. But where to begin? YouTube of course!
I wasn’t surprised to find several videos demonstrating exactly how to repair the machine, but I was surprised to see the hundreds of thousands of views on one handyman’s YouTube channel. It seems he had discovered the secret of video marketing to grow his business. Smart man!
Online video is the biggest development in marketing since the start of the web, and there’s not one business that wouldn’t benefit from it. Yet so many business owners avoid the use of video because it feels complicated, perhaps even intimidating. Once you get the hang of it, however, video creation is just another fun DIY project and I know you love those!
A few more benefits of video marketing.
You’ll be seen as the expert.
Some worry about giving too much information away when using this medium, but the handyman who showed me how to fix my washing machine didn’t have that concern. Why? Because these self-produced videos containing a generous amount of information position him as an expert. He does a lot more than fix washing machines and people will hire him a lot sooner than his competitors because they have proof that he knows his stuff. They’ve also come to trust him and feel as though they already know him, simply because they’ve tuned into his YouTube channel.
Google will love you.
Besides being seen as the creative expert you are, video will increase your search engine results—a lot. Google owns YouTube so the search algorithm places sites with active YouTube channels closer to, or at the top of, its results. Even just one video will help your rankings, so it’s time to break out your SmartPhone or tablet and get recording. That’s right, you don’t even need an expensive camera!
Greater opportunity.
Your future customers aren’t the only people perusing the internet for experts; the media and meeting planners love to find sources here as well. If you are open to opportunities to speak and be interviewed by the media keep those goals in mind while producing your videos. Think of a few topics that would be of interest to conference planners and industry publications and produce videos based on those. You can even add a verbal call to action for these folks at the end of your video.
Ready to smile for the camera? Great! Here are a few tips to get you going.
Get comfortable and keep it short.
Just do what you normally do: speak naturally, smile, and avoid technical terms. Keep your video as short as possible, today’s viewers have a short attention span. While the standard limit on YouTube is fifteen minutes, it can be increased. However, it would be best if your instructional videos are each be about three to five minutes in length and demonstrate clear and concise steps in the crafting process. To keep your videos short consider creating a series based a theme rather than crunch it all into one session. Be yourself and look at the camera lens just like you would look at a friend.
Keep it simple.
You don’t need a fancy camera, lighting, or backdrop; hold off on expensive purchases until your views hit the millions! Choose a naturally sunny room and make sure your background is as plain as possible. Don’t choose a busy bookshelf or a wall of photographs as your background, it’s distracting. Likewise, avoid stripes and crazy prints in your clothing. Simple, solid colors that do not blend into your background are the best. You will need a tripod for your SmartPhone or portable device: they are only a few dollars online.
As an alternative, use Powerpoint.
If you are totally averse to being in front of the camera put together a simple powerpoint presentation with pictures of each step in your crafting process. You can lay a voice track over the presentation and you have a video! These videos will perform just as well in the search engines.
Use keywords.
When you upload your video make sure to add popular search terms to the description. Also add your company name, and/or your name to the tags. Think like your audience; what would they search for? You can also embed one link into your video, this is great for SEO.
Promote your video in social media.
Let everyone on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and any other social platform you can think of know that you're a YouTube star! Put the video on your website and spread the word. Don’t worry if you don’t get thousands of views right off the bat. Be consistent, informational, and charming and someday you will!
