What Is Video Marketing? Using Digital Content To Improve SEO Visibility
There’s only so much information a reader can absorb from a text block before their attention wanders. Consumers crave instant and efficient ways to learn about a product or service. Videos with complementary audio allow brands to answer those questions with moving imagery and clever sound bites. Motion, visuals, and text enable companies to explain complex concepts in seconds, creating a human connection that static images could never achieve.
Video Marketing Defined
Video marketing encompasses the planning, production, and distribution of digital video files to promote a brand, inform a customer base, or incentivize users to make a purchase. Any resource that moves on the screen from vertical testimonials to full-scale commercial productions can be categorized under this umbrella term. Deploying video content across social channels, search results pages, and your website allows businesses to engage with customers at every stage of the buying process.
Why Video Marketing Works
Billions of online eyeballs are competing for attention every hour of every day. Videos have become one of the most effective media to stand out against generic advertising due to how rapidly the human brain processes imagery vs. words on a page. Viewers are naturally drawn to flashing screens, and when a brand can convey its unique story through a lens, an emotional reaction occurs that builds trust exponentially.
While textual content is undoubtedly valuable to your bottom line, integrating video into your marketing strategy can drastically improve your campaign’s overall performance. Users are more likely to share moving graphics, instantly increasing your brand awareness organically. Watchable content allows you to tell your brand’s story through persuasive storytelling, humanizing your business by sharing your team’s personality, mission, values, and overall character.
This persuasive format also helps your prospects retain a higher volume of your information. Audiences who watch your video will remember 95% of that lesson one week later, whereas readers only remember 10% of content consumed from a traditional article. What does this mean for your business? Clients who interact with your video will remember your brand name, a unique product feature, or a helpful tip long after they leave your site.
Is Your Audience Interested in Video Content?
- Do visitors to your website tend to bounce before 30 seconds?
- Are you noticing a decline in comments on your image-based social media posts?
- Do you find yourself struggling to succinctly explain what your company does in less than three sentences?
Based on the questions above, your target market may be ready for video content. Consider implementing a consistent video marketing strategy into your current digital strategy.
Types of Video Content
Every organization has different objectives, so it’s crucial to understand how each format benefits your overall strategy. You may not need explainer content if you only focus on B2B industrial sales, or live video could be detrimental to your brand if your target demographic is older millennials.
Social Media Videos
Channels like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn consume short-form videos that are designed to pop on a feed. Whether you’re giving your followers a behind-the-scenes look at your office, explaining industry tips in 15 seconds, or lip-syncing to the latest viral track, vertical videos allow your brand to reach new consumers that may not have otherwise discovered your business organically. Because social platforms prioritize content with higher engagement, every post has the potential to reach users outside of your existing following.
Explainer Content
A comprehensive guide is ideal for longer-form videos that target leads further down the sales funnel. Whether you’re walking clients through a new software, explaining a complex mechanical process, or showcasing unique business values, there’s an explainer video out there that fits your niche. By incorporating colorful animations, detailed screen recordings, or even a professional speaker, these types of videos allow your business to preemptively address pain points.
High-Impact Video Content
For businesses looking to create advertisements that convert, paid promotional content is an essential element of your marketing strategy. Jumping right into the core message is critical; you run the risk of losing your audience within the first few seconds. Every commercial should focus heavily on the problem you’re solving and succinctly outline your company as the undeniable solution. Successful ads are typically short and hyper-focused on a single marketing objective with fancy graphics and voiceovers.
Build Your Video Marketing Strategy
Trying to ride multiple horses at once can often lead to burnout and poor content quality. Streamlining your approach and defining your objectives before jumping headfirst into production will save you countless hours that could be spent improving other aspects of your business.
Set Your Intention
Every video should have a measurable purpose before scheduling a single shoot. Maybe you want to introduce a newly established franchise to your local market or educate potential leads who have had questions about your service in the past. KPIs like watch time, click-through rate, or embedded form submissions can help you track success directly from video content.
Identify Your Audience
A video selling web development services to high-level executives will look and sound very professional. Create buyer personas to better understand your ideal customer’s pain points and overall customer journey. For example, if you learn that your target market fears your services are too expensive, highlight your affordable pricing and valuable industry experience to position yourself as a logical solution to their problem.
Select Your Channel
Google Hangouts, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels are all acceptable platforms to host your videos. Instead of wasting precious time uploading content to every platform under the sun, we recommend focusing on a couple of websites that your audience frequents most. B2B service-based businesses typically see higher engagement from longer tutorials on YouTube and LinkedIn, while square videos tend to perform better for consumer-targeted brands.
Video Content Tips
By now, you’ve likely generated a few video ideas and maybe even scheduled your first shoot. Here are a few things to remember when filming and uploading your video content to maximize your impact while you’re on the clock.
Keep it Short
Retention rates for online content are low, which means you only get one shot to provide value to your audience. Do not waste time with lengthy intros or boring segways. Present your topic clearly and get straight to the point.
Include Transcripts
Many viewers watch videos with their device sound turned off, and if your content is heavy with dialogue, your point may get lost on curious browsers. Include text captions to ensure your information is accessible to all audiences.
Optimize your Upload
The majority of digital content is consumed on mobile devices, which means square or vertical videos will appear much larger than traditional landscape content. Resize your text and graphics so they’re readable on small screens.
Video Tip: Lighting
When recording video content on your smartphone, make sure your main source of light is in front of the camera. You don’t want your subject to be backlit, as it will make it difficult for your viewers to see their face.
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FAQ
What equipment should I use to capture video content?
Smartphones are sufficient to record quality clips that your audience will enjoy. Make sure you’re operating in a well-lit area with minimal background noise. Adding an external microphone and light ring can help boost production quality if you’re unfamiliar with video editing techniques.
What video topics should I be focusing on?
You should always be creating videos that supplement your existing content. For example, if you have a blog post about local SEO targeting Dallas consumers, produce a short reel walking your audience through that same content.
Is there a right time to post videos online?
Try to publish your videos as frequently as possible. While there’s no set schedule for video uploads, you should be creating at least one per week to stay relevant in your consumers’ eyes.
