Online Video Marketing: Success In Six Steps

Online video marketing got you down?

No problem, we’re here to help!
After recently reading “6 Steps To Online Marketing Success” from business2community.com, we thought these 6 tips were good enough to share. 
Here’s a rundown of the 6 steps to help get your online video marketing back on track so it’s a successful component of your overall marketing efforts.
1. What Are Your Video Marketing Goals?
Clarity is key. What exactly do you want to achieve with your videos? Whether it is expanding your brand or promoting a service, make sure you have a clear idea before embarking on production.
2. What Is Your Video About?
What is the purpose of your video content? Is this going to be a series for your blog or a one off video for your homepage? Make sure the video style and format you choose helps to accomplish your goals from Step 1.
3. Lights, Camera, Audio!
If you can get these 3 things down when self producing a video, then you’re golden. These are the most important elements for  creating a video that gets your visual message across to a viewer successfully. And video equipment doesn’t necessarily have to equate expensive either. A well lit room with a webcam and a good mic may be all you need. But if you’re looking for something more professional, a video production company or a skilled videographer is all you need to get started.
Bottom line: If your video’s image or sound quality is off, your message will be lost. So get this right!
4. Edit
Editing does not have to be hard or expensive. In fact, your computer may already have some basic software built in, like Windows Movie Maker or iMovie that keeps editing your video pretty straightforward and simple. Or if you’re more experienced or want more options, you can invest in Final Cut or Avid, software that is designed for the professional editing community. And if “edit” is just another four letter word to you, hiring someone else to do this for you is also an option. Professional production companies may have an in house editor and there are also many freelancers available who can help you out.
5. Upload and Share Your Video
Once your video looks and sounds the way you want it to, it is time to upload it! Whether it’s using a free service like YouTube or Vimeo or a paid Online Video Platform like Oculu, you’ll want to make sure you video is in an approved file format. Then post to your site, YouTube channel, or via one of your social media accounts.  Many OVP’s also have sharing tools so you can easily add your video to your social media channels like Facebook and Pinterest. You can even create a customized video sitemap when using an online video platform like Oculu that will help video SEO so your videos get ranked on search engines like Google and Bing.
6. Results?
Is your video doing its job?  One way to tell, if you’ve added your video to your site, is by seeing a bump in traffic. If you use an online video platform, they also should provide you with detailed statistics on how your video is performing. By using Oculu, you can view reporting data in real time for a first hand look at your videos’ performance.
If you’ve added video to YouTube, Facebook or other social sites, you can check for shares, followers, and “likes” to see if your video is resonating with your audience. Comments are also another great way to get feedback on your video content, whether this is through a social site or your blog.
Finally, with your results in hand, you’ll be able to conclude whether or not your video content has been effective or not. This also can help you learn what works, and what doesn’t, for your video projects. So whether it’s your video style, subject matter, length, or other variables, testing to see what works best for your business needs is a great idea.
 
Although online video marketing is HUGE now, it’s still in its infancy. Figuring out a plan for your company and sticking to it will help you use this medium to your advantage so you can see an increase in awareness and conversions.