Words and pictures can only get you so far in the blogging world; the new trend is to add videos to blog posts. Communicating via video is not only a great way to communicate, but it can also increase the number of visitors to your page.
This sounds great, right? After all, the purpose of starting a blog is to share information, promote a product, raise awareness, etc., and the only way you can fulfill this purpose is to get as many (quality) visitors to your blog as possible.
So, you added a few videos to your blog, and that is great. But what you really want to look at is ways in which you can use video on your blog that will get people talking (and more people visiting and engaging with your content).
Read on to learn how you can do just this.
#1. Using Video and Text Together is More Powerful
In the context of blogging, a video works better when it’s used as a compliment to your textual content. So, a good thing to keep in mind when wanting to add video to your blog is to understand how it fits in with the overall content of your blog post. You most definitely do not just want to add a video for the sake of adding one.
The video that you choose to add should, therefore, provide extra information and promote higher engagement. For instance, in an era where it’s easy to succumb to fake news, you can use video to back up your quotes or statements. This will add credibility to your post.
Must See – How Video Advertising Trends Can Help Boost Your Blog Traffic
One thing to keep in mind is this: the purpose of a video is and should not be used to replace the text content. In fact, your biggest concern should be how the video can help your visitors have a visual connection to your written content.
What many may not be aware of is that pairing your textual content with the right visual content creates an effective marketing force that results in more interaction. Have a look at this example; it marries both the video and text content in a way that is cohesive and impactful.
#2. Making Your Video Concise Gets You More Engagement
This infographic states that 83% of people prefer a video that is less than 5 minutes long. Another study done by IAB together with other firms found that brands that ran 10-second mobile video did possess the incredible potential to persuade and appeal to the younger audience. And those aged between 35 and 54 responded better to 30-second videos.
The great lesson from the all these studies is that most shorter videos resonate with more people. The fact they are likely to watch it also means they are more likely to share the video with their friends.
One disturbing fact, however, is that before someone clicks on a video, most prospects will look at the length of the video first. The majority of people are a little impatient online. So, if your video is not brief, chances are high they will pass it up.
The bottom line is, if you develop your own videos for your blog, you don’t need to produce long videos in order to have a successful blog; i.e. one that people talk about. Giving your readers content that is concise and engaging is good enough.
#3. Using Video to Tell a Story Creates a Connection to Your Brand
Video is visual in a way that lends itself well to storytelling, and this engaging potential can easily provoke emotion (if done correctly). Remember, consumer connections always lead to success in business and sales.
If you are marketing or selling a product or service, begin by identifying things that get your consumers emotional about them. Thereafter, come up with content that effectively conveys their feelings. To be more specific, try to pair phrases you’ve identified with the visual content that reinforce both the customer’s sentiment and your product or service.
If your customers can deeply relate to what you have in the video, they definitely will respond to it. Such a video is the type that no one wishes would end and so they keep watching it over and over again. In creating such videos, your goal should be to make the video intrigue your prospect and leave them begging for more.
Put simply, use video to remind your readers of a desire or need if you are selling or promoting a product, or just teach them something new. A funny video can do the trick, too. This will not only get them talking more, but become brand ambassadors that will share their experience with their friends.
#4. Using Video in Non-Traditional Ways Will Make People Take Notice
By using video in a different way on your blog, you can get people talking; everyone posts or embeds videos on blog posts, but have a look at the other pages on your website. See how you can incorporate video on different pages to add a little something extra or make your page more unique.
If people are reading your page, you have every reason to work in a way that will capture and hold their attention for a longer time. For example, a video on your ‘about us’ page will keep visitors on this page for longer. Not to mention that it is a perfect way to build a rapport and for your readers to get to know you better.
Let such a video sum up the character and feeling of your business or company in its short run time. Do you have a nice story to tell about how the company started? Why not come up with a video that shows it all.
Keep in mind that a compelling visual story that easily connects with your visitors is a sure way to get them to listen to you, and not only act, but share their experience as well.
#5. Creating a Clear Call-To-Action Will Ensure More People Will do What You Want
After posting a well-written post with a nice video included, never miss the opportunity to give your readers a call to action. After reading your post and viewing your video, a reader will certainly want to know why you had their attention for all that long. If you don’t tell them, you cannot assume they will know the next step.
A call-to-action will ask the readers to do something. It could be subscribing to your newsletter, liking your video, or sharing it.
When creating your own video content, include a clear call-to-action in the video itself. If you are embedding a video from another source, you can include text near the video letting your reader know what you would like them to do.
You might think, “Why should I ask them to share my video? I am sure they will share it after watching because it is such a great video!” Well, not always. Here’s the hard truth: No matter how good your video is, there’s still a great majority who won’t bother to share it until you implore them to. Adding a good reason for them to do so, will get more shares as well.
Infographics deliver more engagement compared to text-only posts. Digital experts actually put the figures at 120%-180%. Better still, creatively designed infographics can help to effectively simplify the most complex of problems that the written word or spoken language won’t.
I haven’t yet met a person who doesn’t love a good infographic. People also love to share them, especially if the content used touches on issues that they deeply relate with.
But why stop at infographics? Why not take all that data and images and repackage it into a video infographic? Apart from simplifying the complicated issues, the video will make them memorable while highlighting specific points explicitly. More importantly, it will really get people talking!
You can use this blog to help you make video infographics.
#7. Make Sure You are Creating the Right Video for Your Needs
Just as there are different types of content, so too are there different types of videos. A video should be selected based on the purpose you have for it and your content (and this also goes back to our first point). Your content or blog might call for different types of video, some including:
These are just a few of the types of videos you could create.
Each of these videos serves a specific purpose and failure to serve your readers and prospects with the right video will be the beginning of your failure. Keep in mind that the right video for your blog is the type that increases awareness, builds lead generation, and helps to establish trust with your readers or prospects.
Alternatively, you might need to get more subscribers for your newsletter or increase engagement and retention. Use video to achieve these goals.
Conclusion
You already know the benefits of using video in tandem with your content, but just blindly embedding or adding videos onto your blog is not going to help you achieve your goal of getting people to talk about and share your content.
In order to achieve that objective, you need to make sure that your video content complements your text content, it has clear call-to-actions, and draws your readers in. In addition, consider making video infographics and making videos with a purpose to grab your reader’s attention and compel them to share.
Author Bio: Robyn Howard is a video enthusiast and content manager over at VideoRemix.io. She works with a team of techies to help people create, edit, personalize, and publish production-quality video campaigns to engage their audience. These personalized videos can be featured on websites, landing pages, video-sharing sites, and Facebook.
