These days almost anyone can produce a video and distribute it online. The accumulation of millions and millions of videos on YouTube and across the internet is testament to what is undoubtedly a modern phenomenon. But all this noise is beginning to have a dampening effect on the higher end content being produced by real film makers who don’t necessarily have the budgets to guarantee mass exposure.
A Balancing Act
Marketing a successful video now involves weaving together several strands of marketing, across multiple channels in a very short space of time in order to maximise the chances of ‘virality’. It’s a delicate balancing act.
SEO is an important part of video marketing and must work, not only alongside, but in unison with social media marketing across established and emerging platforms.
Whilst social media shares still arguably have a negligible effect on traditional webpage search engine rankings, they will undoubtedly play a large part your video’s exposure on YouTube, which is in effect the second largest search engine after Google.
Don’t Forget the SEO
Whilst posting your video content on YouTube and as many other video hosting sites as possible is always recommended as part of any wider marketing strategy, it’s important to host your own video content on your own site. Your aim here is to direct traffic to your site, not your YouTube page or channel. Remember, more site traffic means more conversions and ultimately higher rankings in Google and for the large majority of marketing campaigns this is the end goal.
It could be argued that blogger outreach is arguably as important to your video marketing campaign as getting your content shared on social media and bought media. Getting a single link or an embedded video onto a quality blog may not only direct far more meaningful organic traffic to your site but it will also push your video up the Google rankings.
Using Video Appeal
Rand Fishkin of Moz.com recently discussed in a Whiteboard Friday video the difference between link building and content marketing. He explains that whilst both these approaches have their merits Google is starting to show signs of moving in the direction of a more content focused approach to SEO. The appeal of video in this emergent SEO environment couldn’t be more obvious.
Video has come to dominate the net and whilst it cannot replace the written word in all areas, it is becoming the preferred means of brands and organisations promoting themselves as well as communicate with their existing customer base.
Any independent blogger worth their salt is becoming increasingly wary of posting too many links in guest posts, given the noises coming from the likes of Matt Cutts and Google HQ. But consider this. You’re far more likely to secure a good link from a blog owner as the anchor text of a caption in an embedded video, than you would do placing the link in the middle of the article itself. A brilliant video is always going to go down well.
Perhaps you could even offer exclusive video content to the blog owner, massively increasing your chances of a favourable response and a solid link. A real expert giving real expert advice is immediately more powerful and personable projected in the form of an embedded video as it does as a quote dropped in the middle of an article.
Don’t Forget the PR
Getting your video content onto as many of the key blogs in a given field or industry sector should be a no-brainer in any video marketing campaign. There’s no doubting the powerful way social media can spread viral video content in the blink of an eye, but specialist blogs will attract readerships who are actively engaged in their subject area.
Bristol based video production company, Hurricane Media’s “Who’s Lenny” Documentary Short about Bristol’s See No Evil street art project is a brilliant example of how approaching niche blogs can amplify your hits in a niche area. Hurricane Media plugged the video to graffiti and street art blogs all over the world, gaining thousands more hits on the video from extremely relevant traffic.
Jon
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