“I want to make a video that will go viral!”

Going viral should never be the objective of your video marketing campaign (never ever!). This term itself has seemed to have taken off and misguided most business owners.

Business owners, we’ve been hearing lots of stats like these: 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day, 1200% more shares are generated by social videos than text and images combined, videos on a landing pages increase conversions by 80% and 80% of users recall a video ad they have seen online in the past month.

Well, if that’s the case then you should understand what best practices for ensuring your video marketing campaign will smash your objectives and propel your social media forward. We’ve put together some of our favorite tips to help you create compelling, inspiring and actionable online videos.

1. Focus On The Story, Not The Sale

There is far too many sales clutter on the Internet that is actively annoying and repelling your audience. Don’t let your brand be known for that – instead, your video should be centered around the story and not the sale. Remember: the same rules that apply for written content marketing apply for video marketing – concentrate on the value you’re providing for your customers.

Make the most of the emotional power of video by appealing to your consumers’ needs and hidden desires. Scared you’ll lose leads this way? You can always place a strategic and relevant call to action alongside a tracked URL at the end of your video (just make sure it fits into your overall story).

Take Christian Brothers Automotive’s branding video. Tom Burgess gives a great example of storytelling as he focuses on the origins of the brand, their ethos, culture and people to showcase their Auto shop.  

2. Make your Video Feature the Best 10 Seconds Ever

One fifth of your viewers will click away from a video within 10 seconds or less. Short and to the point – that’s what the video experts are recommending. Our advice? Get right to the grit of the tale and manage expectations from the outset (within the first 5 to 10 seconds).

Try sparking your audience’s curiosity by asking questions and using teasers to hook their attention right away. 

Your video should immediately convey its value and answer that “why should I watch it?” question that will be on your audience’s mind. Should they watch it because it will make them laugh, because it will inspire them to act or because it will teach them something new? Take a look at an AirSonics video we produced below.

3. Optimize Your Video for SEO – Tag, Tag and Tag Some More.

There are plenty of tactics you can use to ensure your videos get found easier in search engines. The first thing you should do to derive the maximum SEO value from your video (before you upload your video to any sharing sites) is to host it on your own domain. 

It’s also important to enable embedding on your video as this will help you increase the likelihood of receiving inbound marketing links. Oh and don’t forget to avail of video sitemaps.

When it comes to video for SEO, descriptions are everything. Why? Well, descriptions allow Google’s search spiders to make sense of your video and understand what the content entails. 

So ensure that your videos are tagged with relevant keywords and fully explained with fleshed out descriptions and unique titles. Keep this rule in mind: if it has a box, it has a purpose. Google needs you to fill it out to help you rank.

Bonus. Educate your Customers with Your Own Video & Prove It For Yourself

Did you know that 65% of your audience are visual learners? One of the most powerful methods you can use for video marketing is to educate your audience. And the great thing is that education comes in many forms. For example, you can teach your customers how to use your product or service and provide useful tips on how to make the most of it. You can create a webinar to showcase your industry knowledge, position your brand as a thought leader, add value to your consumers’ lives and collect leads in the process.

Video can also provide social proof for your product or service. When creating video success stories focus on the story of your customer and the success he/she achieved from using your product/service. Focus on creating awesome and human-focused video testimonials.

Take Roswell Inc’s series of videos that showcases their role in proving that skilled companies of all sizes should locate and establish themselves in the city of Roswell.

Developing a successful video takes time, but by trying out different video formats and testing their performance as you go, you’ll be on your way to making the most of this innovative medium and finding a space for yourself in the lucrative video marketing industry that’s just around the corner.

Your audience craves video. Your business needs video. We’re here to make that decision easier for you. Give us a call, 678-744-3908.