Video is a driving force in content marketing. One only has to look on YouTube to see that video content is a thriving entity all on its own.
You can create a thriving business using mostly video as your main type of content, but if you normally use text content, the thought of using video can be daunting.
The thing is you don’t have to worry about being perfect. Take a look at popular videos in your niche. Many are not, yet they get the message across. There may be a few exceptions, of course, but more than likely the really popular ones are less than perfect.
As long as you’re producing and sharing interesting and valuable information, people will overlook imperfections and you’ll see success using video as one of your content marketing tools.
Here are some tips to get you started if you want to branch out into the video world.
Tools
You really don’t have to spend tons of money on tools to create entertaining and engaging videos for your content marketing needs. And though such things as adequate lighting and sound is important, you can start out using your iPhone or iPad to create relatively good quality videos.
Avoid One Hit Wonders
Experts recommend that you create a video series as part of your blog, as it will encourage more viewers, rather that if you only produce one. At the outset, you may feel as if no one is watching, but stick with it, record solid and valuable content and you’ll gain viewers, some of which will become customers/clients.
Keep it Short
Avoid making long videos. More than three to five minutes and you’re pushing it, unless you have really high quality images and sound to match the length of your video. If what you have to say exceeds the three to five minute mark, create a series highlighting one point for each. Of course, this is not set in stone, but use the time frame as a bench mark.
Repurpose
The most daunting thing you may encounter at first is finding content. However, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel; instead, use content you already have. For instance, If you wrote a ‘how to’ article, record a quick video demonstrating how to do whatever the topic matter is. The same goes for if you have a blog post teaching seven tips on how to do something better, simply record seven videos about each tip and mix it up with visuals to make it interesting.
Leverage Events
Events such as an in-person interview, conference, or an online webinar are great to record. You can then break them up, edit accordingly, add visuals and you’ll have a series of videos that you can use on various mediums.
If you’re unsure about how to edit the videos or create them in a format that is usable by most browsers, including mobile devices, consider outsourcing the editing process. Give the raw video to an outsourcer, who will cut it down, edit it and recreate a professional production.
You can actually hire people to record videos for you, as well. Naturally, this will incur a cost, but if you shop around, you’ll find that it costs a lot less than you think to produce professional looking videos for your content marketing needs.
Give it a go and share your experience in the comment box below. I’d love to know.
© Cherry-Ann Carew
Cherry-Ann Carew is an Online Business Coach, who supports emerging business owners simplify their start-up journey and helps existing businesses scale, so that they can earn uncapped income and live life on their terms.