Video Marketing: How To
Weird title don’t you think? But, here’s the thing – I have to confess that I don’t fit into the demographic of a TV viewer nor that of a video viewer. Perhaps it’s because I grew up in Africa where we received TV in 1976 and then we could only watch the test pattern for 21 hours out of 24. The content was so dull and I was not accustomed to sitting for long periods of time that I constantly found myself falling asleep. I still don’t watch TV, nor do I watch videos unless someone has curated the content for me – although I do enjoy watching the old movie in the theatres. So, when asked to write a blog on video marketing, I felt that maybe there are others like me who feel overwhelmed by the sheer mass of video content out there.
So, how do you appeal to a non-visual consumer like myself – while still using video?
Curate the Content
I’m not sure how many people are out there that are like me, but consider curating the content you want your prospects to watch, especially if you have numerous videos available. A broad search on YouTube for Microsoft Dynamics yielded 65,600 results. That is a LOT of video for anyone to scroll through, after the first few I would surely be fast asleep.
Create Playlists
In YouTube you have the ability to create playlists. Consider compartmentalizing your story so a prospect only views the video they are interested in and easily find the ones you want them to see. You have a better chance of your prospect viewing all the videos you have on offer vs abandoning the exercise altogether.
Once you have developed your playlists, ensure you write a keyword rich description that will tell the prospect exactly what to expect from watching those videos. Keep the videos short so your playlist doesn’t become extremely long.
Channels
There are a couple of reasons why YouTube is a big hit. Visual content is very appealing and you can really show your personality through them in a way that is not always available to us in written form. Another reason is to drive inbound links to your company website – and developing a well-rounded web presence. By incorporating the Microsoft Dynamics channels, you will be increasing your relevance as a Microsoft partner as it relates to Google and searches on ERP/CRM and Microsoft Dynamics in general. The Microsoft channels you should include in your YouTube channel are:
And a couple more video marketing tips …
Here are a few additional tips to stretch your video marketing strategy even further.
- Having good video to cross reference in your blogging activity is a great way to promote and drive likes and sharing of that content. Take the time to write a blog referencing each of those videos and place those blogs on your website.
- Add interesting videos to your auto-signature. Change up your auto-signature on a regular basis with a brief description about the video. This makes it more accessible to prospects so they don’t have to search for them on YouTube.
- Create a page on your website to cross reference your videos and drive traffic to them.
- Ask everyone in your organization to like and share the videos. The more likes and shares you secure, the higher your rankings on YouTube will be.
- Make sure your videos are not dry – unless of course you’re doing a parody! They should be short, to the point and consider using humor where relevant.
And finally, don’t forget to talk about your delighted customers! We may never be movie stars, but YouTube is a place where the little people can shine. Put your customers to work and have them speak on your behalf. Glowing recommendations, provided they are honest, will go a long way in securing that next prospective customer.
For additional marketing tips, visit www.ThePartnerMarketingGroup.com, or opt into our monthly newsletter by texting the letters TPMG to 22828.
By Cheryl Salazar, Virtual Marketing Director at The Partner Marketing Group
