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.