If you happened to watch the Grammys this week, you probably noticed that among the many singer celebrities were Justin Bieber and Tori Kelly, two musical stars with something in common.
And it’s not just recording stars such as Bieber and Kelly who have ridden the video wave to celebrity, says Brittany Vaill, a social media strategist here at EMSI. Makeup artists, comedians and a host of others have made themselves popular and successful through online videos.
Perhaps you can, too.
Regardless of your area of expertise – whether you’re an entrepreneur, author, or a financial professional – you should think about taking advantage of video as a great marketing tool.
I know I am. Sometime in the next few weeks I plan to start making short video versions of the PR Insider – essentially a video synopsis that serves as an introduction to this print version.
First, let’s get one thing clear. Video marketing is nothing new. My team reminded me about the Buggles hit, “Video Killed The Radio Star,” which was popular more than three decades ago!
But Jay York, our senior social media strategist, tells me that what’s happened in the last few years – and continues to happen at seemingly breakneck speed – is that changing technology makes it easier and cheaper for nearly anyone to create a quality video. And social media gives that video a place to land.
“The better the hardware gets, the better the software can be,” Jay says. “Without the technology, it wouldn’t be happening.”
For example, GoPro is a small, inexpensive camera that allows the most amateurish among us to create quality video. It was a game changer and the game just keeps changing.
Heck, most of us carry video cameras with us all the time in our cell phones. We pull them out to record celebrity sightings, road-rage incidents or a 10-year-old smashing a Little League home run. Then we share these Spielbergian masterpieces with the world.
As a writer for the New Yorker put it: “Life is footage.”
Marketing can be footage, too, but you need to do it the right way. I asked Jay and Brittany to share a few tips on how to get the most out of video marketing and they had this to say:
- Find the right platform. YouTube, of course, is the go-to site for hosting your video. Google Hangouts is the place to be for live video events. Also, it’s worth noting that videos you want to share on Facebook get an extra boost if you upload them directly to Facebook. Other platforms to consider are Instagram and Snapchat.
- Promote it. You can’t just hope people stumble upon your video. You need to do everything you can to increase the amount of traffic. After all, if no one shows up for your Google Hangout session, then there ain’t no one hanging with you! One way to increase viewership, when you put a video on YouTube use SEO-optimized titles and descriptions to increase the odds of it ranking high in keyword searches. Of course, you would also share links to your video on all your social media sites.
- As you plan your video, don’t sit in a corner and try to figure this out by yourself. Gather ideas from your team or others you work with. They know your mission and message, and may be able to offer intriguing insights on how to align the video with those.
Finally, make sure your finished product represents the positive image you want to convey. If you’re worried you’re headed in a less-than-stellar direction, reach out to marketing professionals who can provide the proper guidance and get you back on track.
The last thing you want to do is create an unprofessional video that leaves viewers with the impression you don’t know what you’re doing. Instead, you want to capture some of that Bieber-like magic!
Cut! Print it!
Marsha
P.S. Once you’re ready to promote that captivating video, we can get you in front of the right media whose audiences would benefit from your message! Give us a call at 727-443-7115 ext. 215 or get your Free Media Analysis here!
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