By Chris Christoff, co-founder of MonsterInsights, a leading WordPress plug-in for Google Analytics.
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Video marketing is a powerful way to connect with existing customers, improve brand awareness with new prospects and improve sales. You can also use video to grow your email list, build social proof and much more. Here are a few video-related statistics worth considering:
• 55% (download required) of adults in the U.S. between 18-34 watch online videos daily.
• 80% of small business owners say that YouTube helped them grow their customer base.
• 54% of consumers want to see more videos from brands they love
It’s easy to see that video marketing is here to stay. If you want to learn how to boost the ROI of your content, keep reading. Today, I’m going to share four ways you can get started.
Create content with your audience in mind.
The key to boosting video conversions is to make sure your content resonates with your target audience. It doesn’t matter how many videos you upload; if your subscribers don’t care about the content, you will lose out on a lot of potential traffic and sales.
I recommend using your customer personas to create high-quality content that touches on your subscribers’ goals, interests and pain points. You can also learn more about the people watching your videos through feedback forms.
Social media, email and your website are all excellent ways to connect with your audience and learn more about what types of content they would like to see. As you develop more relevant videos, you’ll see more users engage with your content and your online store.
Optimize for search.
Another way to see better results from your videos is to optimize your content for searchability. If users can’t find your content organically, you’re going to have a difficult time seeing noticeable results.
The good news is there are a few quick ways to easily improve the odds of appearing for your chosen keywords on YouTube or through Google search.
First, choose long-tail keywords and use them strategically throughout your video. Not only should you say it a few times, but make sure it’s included in the description and title.
You’ll also want to transcribe your videos manually. Captions can help the hearing impaired understand your video, which is crucial for building a welcoming and accessible platform. The keywords you picked for your videos will also appear in the transcript, which will make it easier for Google and YouTube to rank your video accurately.
If you’re adding videos to your website, don’t forget to include them in your sitemap. Google uses your sitemap to rank and determine the intent of your content. Adding videos with relevant copy can help draw more traffic to your site, which is a surefire way to boost your ROI.
Use a clear call to action.
Each video you create should have a clear purpose. Your goal is to direct visitors to take action in one way or another after watching your video. For example, you may want to ask your audience to join your email list. Alternatively, you might upload a product demonstration video and include a coupon code at the end.
Whatever your marketing goals are, make sure it’s clear to the viewer at the end of your video. A compelling call to action can help you clarify your message and drive people to take the next step.
Before you ask users to take action, explain the benefits in a way that makes sense to them. So, if you want to talk people into joining your email list, tell them how it will benefit them and add value to their lives. You have to sell the idea of your call to action if you want to maximize your conversions.
Harness the power of user-generated content.
Finally, let’s talk about user-generated content. UGC is any content created by a customer in an attempt to engage with your brand. This type of content can vary across different industries, but the benefits are usually the same.
UGC is an excellent way to build social proof for your business. Social proof in marketing is the idea that people are more likely to trust your company if they see that other people also trust you.
Despite UGC being video content not created in-house, I still consider it a factor in terms of ROI. Social proof, such as video reviews, can be incredibly compelling for new visitors who have never heard of your brand. Research shows that 70% of people check one to six reviews before buying something online. Visitors who see positive video reviews on your website and social media from real customers are more likely to engage with your brand.
As you can see, video is a great way to grow your audience and improve sales. But it takes some time to truly unlock the potential of your campaigns. The tips I outlined today can give you the framework you need to add to your existing video marketing strategy and increase your ROI.
