Tips on creating video content for Search Engine Optimization

One of the challenge a lot of businesses have to face is building video marketing content for their products. They are sometimes amazed at how much content their competition generates in a short span of time without too much external help.

Essential components for professional video production for SEO

Let me start by saying that building video content requires a lot discipline, planning and hard work (which can be fun). Some of essential components that are needed to create video marketing content are

• Write down the goal of creating the video content
• Message that the video should give to the viewers
• A script - with all the possible details. The more detailed your script the easier it would be to generate the content.
• Arranging the props required for the content including
• background music
• background of the video
• Visuals (including titles and one thirds (subtitles or names that need to be shown)
• equipment including a decent camera, tripod and green screen or any other background that you might need.
• Software that you would use for production of the video content like Windows Movie Maker,  Sony Vegas or Adobe After Effects. There are other software available that you can use provided you or someone else in your team should know how to use the software.

Steps to follow to create professional video for SEO

The basic steps that should be followed while creating video content are

1. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) One of the basics of video production is to keep the script relevant and should have a duration of sixty to ninety seconds. After ninety seconds it is tough to hold the attention of the viewer unless you have a very compelling content.  Further use simple language with short sentences. The language choice should be depend upon the intended audience. As more video content is generated online in local languages the industry is going to see a spurt in online video production glimpses of which can be found at some places.
2. Set the tone early In case of video content you do not have the luxury to take your time to get to the point. Video content by nature, sets the tone in the first few seconds of the video. How many Hollywood movies do you see which has the details of the star cast and production team at the start? Not very many and those who do ensure that the details are shown while the action is on the screen. The tone of the video should be set in the first five to ten seconds. The most important aspect of setting the tone is the ensure that it is engaging for the intended audience for if it is not then you should be ready for a high abandon rate.
3. Include or start with elevator pitch In most of the cases, as is the case with other interactions 
between a customer and the business, start with an elevator pitch. A good elevator pitch sums up the unique aspects of a product or a service in a way that excites the customers. The idea of having the elevator pitch in the video content is to convey the core message behind the product or the service. Also make sure that the elevator pitch is constantly evolving and fresh in the video content, If the same elevator pitch is repeated in in the video content it will get boring and the abandon rate of your video content would increase dramatically.
4. Tell a story. Everyone likes a good story and therefore why should it be any different for video content. To ensure that the video content has a story which means that there should be beginning, then some action and in the end a conclusion.
   An example that is constantly given in the marketing industry is that of identifying a pain, offering solutions and concluding with the best solution. For example if you create a video demo of a product you have to offer identify the problems the customers might be having using it and show them in the video and then present a solution by using the product to bring about the desired results. If the video demo of the product brings about the desire among the customers to act your video content is a successful marketing strategy.
5. What is there for the customer Never forget the viewer of the video when creating video content. The viewer is constantly asking "what is in it for me?" and keep the content around that question to ensure that the viewer does not loose interest. Ensuring this will show huge difference in results. Ensure that nearly all the videos should end with a call to action meaning the customer should be expected to take some action after viewing the video. The action can be as simple as clicking on a link, filling a form, commenting on the video, etc. Make sure that the action that the customer needs to take is trackable via a analytic program.

Ensuring that you follow these rules will ensure that you get the benefits of creating a video and more importantly more conversions.

Generating video blog post or content in 40 minutes.

The biggest mental block people have about creating video content whether for their website or the video blog is that it is tough to generate content. Contrary to popular belief video content generation does not take long time if you have the right approach. As with other tasks, when creating video content the goal should be clearly defined and the approach should be systematic. Here are the full details on how to create a high quality video in under an hour. 

Equipment needed for publishing a online video

1. Audio-Technica ATR2500-USB Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone - $48.56
2. Logitech B910 HD Webcam - $59.99
3. Camtasia Studio or Microsoft Movie Maker

30 minute process for generating video content and post.

1. Identify the topic - 10 minutes 
   
   
   The first step in identifying the topic is to do keyword research. For keyword research the most popular tool is the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. Look for keywords relating to your business which have some search volumes. Any keyword that has more than 100 searches is good keyword to focus on. Once you have identified the keyword identify the topic of the video. For topic ideas you can always refer to my post here. Make the content outline for the video. Try to keep the video between 2-3 minutes as you start to loose attention of the viewer after that.
2. Rehearsal - 5 minutes
   Rehearse the video. Ensure that the content is short, crisp and to the point. It is best to have two or three main points that you discuss on the video and then move on. 
3. Record the video - 5 minutes
   Record the video using the equipment mentioned above. If you do make an error while speaking ensure that you re-record the same part immediately than shooting another video as we will make the edits in post-production. The goal is to record the video in one shot and later edit to make the video look good. 
4. Post-production - 10 minutes
   Use a video editing tool like Camtasia Studio to edit the video and add your own branding. If you have a branded intro that is great otherwise you can easily add a water mark. If you do not have Camtasia Studio and do not want to invest in it you can always use Microsoft Movie Maker. Though Movie Maker has its limitations it does a decent job and you can look for some addins which allow you to add some bling to your videos. When you are ready with your video either host it on YouTube or Vimeo. If you have the budget, you can use a video hosting service like wistia which allows you more control and add personal branding to your videos for a price. If you have created a transcript for the share it in the description of the video.
5. Create a post and share it on social media - 10 minutes
   Finally create a post on your blog and add the video to it. After publishing the post share it on Social media by adding scheduled updates.

As you can see if you have a plan all it takes is 40 minutes to create and post a video online. Therefore no more excuses and add video marketing to your online marketing strategies. 

Video content ideas for your business

One of the complaint customers come up with for not creating video content is that they do not have any ideas around which video content can be generated. Therefore I decided to share a post about ideas for content of video updates that you might post on your blog or your YouTube channel.

Ideas for creating videos for your business

1. Educate customers and potential customers about your business or service

This a no brainier actually. Create videos about the products or services that you offer. You can create videos by using Microsoft Powerpoint. Though I'm not a huge fan of creating videos of image slideshow but if you do not have the skills to create video content creating slideshows is an option you can use to ensure that the costs of generating video content is not too high. I would highly recommend using a tool like Animoto  (they have a free plan which is good for starters) which you can use to create some excellent looking videos. Ensure that the video content is professional looking and interesting.

2. Answer Questions

I have not come across a business whose customers do not have any questions and usually the customers are searching for the answers to their questions. Providing the answers to the questions to the customers in a video post or by uploading a video to the video sharing website like YouTube helps you build engaging content and also says a lot about your business. Google Webmasters Channel on YouTube provides answers to questions about Google Search posed by Online Marketing Professionals (who are the customers of Google Search) and one such video is provided below. 

3. Do a product review

Study you customer base to understand a product or service they are likely to use and review it. Highlight the benefits and features of the product and also if possible, compare it to its competitors. The video below does a great job of reviewing Samsung TV.

4. Provide information and industry research

To market your product and build a brand posting videso about case studies of related products or services helps a lot. These days providing industry details and product or service popularity amongst consumers take an infographic and use MS PowerPoint to create a compelling video like the one below.

5. Tell a story

Businesses that know how to tell a story usually have a cutting edge over its competitors. Video content can tell a story and some businesses do a great job of telling stories like the 4 businesses mashable has mentioned in a post. The reason stories in content shared is favorable is because such content connects with the user on an emotional level which all businesses strive for. Check out the video below which helped Malaysian Airlines to bring a project back on track when they decided to share their story by generating video content.

6. Counter false propaganda and debunk myths

At times false information gets propagated about a business or a product. Video content is the best way to counter false propaganda and debunk myths since video interaction is perceived as personal communication when compared to other forms communication like blog posts or news releases.

Showcase your business and take viewers behind the scenes

Videos showing how businesses work is a great way of introducing a business on a personal level to the customers. Once customers see people who make the company working hard to satisfy them research has shown that the customers start relating to the business better and that is one of the goals of the marketing. For if a business is interacting with a customer at the personal level then in very rare circumstances customers turn their back on the business. See the video of behind the scenes of making of the the last Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises" and you will see that you start relating not only to the actors but to others as well whom you never see on the screen!

I'm sure there are other ideas that can be used to create engaging video content around your business or service. If you have any ideas I would love to hear about them. In the future I will be sharing more video content ideas as and when they come to mind. 

Tips for video marketing

Video does have SEO benefits for sure specially if you are looking to generate leads or sales from the content. In fact video is one of the best ways to market and statistics of video consumption show that.

Tips for Video Marketing

Regular updates

Contrary to common belief video content generation is one of the toughest tasks and therefore it takes a lot to be regular with your updates. As is the case with other content, if you are not regular why should the viewer or user invest time in seeing your videos. It is very essential to have a plan and a schedule for the video updates which you should adhere to. If you are consistent and patient you will see growth in the views and conversions as well. One caveat is that content of the videos should be relevant to your business and add value for the customer.

Do not waste too much time on edits

If you have a strong script and a plan before you create a video you would not waste too much time in here by Channel 1.
editing the videos which is one of the area where most amount of time is spent when creating video content. There are other advantages of having scripts for your video which include that you are more confident about the content you are creating, the content is meaningful and tight and a script ensures that you keep the attention of the viewer. A more detailed post about the importance of a script for video content is posted

Pay attention to Audio

Audio is the most important component of the video. Try seeing a video without the audio and you would
realize the importance of audio in a video. Make an investment if you have to - buy a good microphone. In the future I would be posting recommendations for a microphone for building video content and I will try to recommend the best in every price range.

Make the video actionable - call to action

An online video should have a call to action. In fact you should never miss a chance to add a call to action to a video. Some examples of call to actions for videos are

• asking the user to sign up for a newsletter
• providing a link which the user can visit
• asking the user to like the video
• inviting comments on the video
• sharing the video on social media or via email
• subscribing to your video feed or video channel

Share your video on different platforms

Share your video content on all platforms available. Some of the best video content websites are

• YouTube
• Netflix
• Hulu
• Daily Motion
• Meatcafe
• Vimeo

There are other video hosting sites in fact some video sharing websites are theme based for example Vevo and Break TV.

If you follow the tips in this post you can make good start in creating video content that is worthy of consumption. Your comments and ideas on the tips would be appreciated.