Nothing will organically catapult your business to the first page of Google like video will. Let’s face it, we are in an age where people don’t have the time to read pages and pages of data. However, they will watch (and possibly be influenced), by a 30-90 second video showcasing your business. Here are some quick start steps to jump start your video success.
• Choose an important component of your business and showcase that.
You will want to showcase either a top selling item, or a product or service you want to promote. This is the perfect opportunity to launch holiday or seasonal specials or discounts you may be offering. Use something that will photograph sufficiently.
• Spend a little time researching keywords for your business.
Figure out how people are searching for you. There are free and paid online tools to help you with this. We like to use Google Keyword Planner. It’s very thorough and accurate. However, don’t overthink this and make it too complicated. Think of how you would search for your business products or services and start there. If you are a locksmith, for instance, you may want to start with ‘best locksmith in Baton Rouge’. The location qualifier will help Google know where to look.
• Make your video short, entertaining and informative.
Ideally, about 30-90 seconds. Any longer, and you risk losing your audience. Keep your video focused on what you are trying to showcase. Don’t go off on a tangent about unrelated business, especially if you are speaking without a script. While you don’t want to sound ‘scripted’ (if you are filming a person talking), you do want to rehearse and eliminate those “ummms” that are ever so annoying to listen to.
• Make your title keyword rich. Include your phone number and/or your business name in your title.
When you title your video for YouTube or Vimeo, simply use one of your keywords in your title and insert your phone or business name, etc. Don’t stuff it full of keywords, just make it appear natural and smooth flowing. For instance, use “Best Italian Food In Baton Rouge” instead of “Spaghetti, Linguini, Ravioli, Italian Food, Baton Rouge, 5 Star”, etc.
• Write a brief summary of your video and include your keywords in your summary.
In YouTube, right below your video, you will have a summary space. Write a few simple words about your video and what information viewers will get if they watch it. Slip a couple of your keywords into that summary description. While the naked eye may not recognize or even acknowledge those keywords, the Google bots will.
• Include your full citation in your video description so people will know how to reach you.
A citation is your full business contact information. This would include your business name, exact address (as listed in your Google plus listing), your business phone number, email address and website address (include the http://).
• Load your video to your business YouTube channel and fill out as much detail as you can.
After you upload your video to your business YouTube channel, there will be a variety of tabs you can click on to insert information. Just complete these as thoroughly as you can. A little tip, always fill out the ‘recording date’ field. Some people, like myself, search by the most recently added content when searching on YouTube, because we want to look at fresh, new material, not something that is 2 years old.
• Utilize the annotation section of YouTube to embed important details in your video, such as your website address, phone number and email address.
In the ‘edit’ section, after your video has been uploaded to YouTube, you will have the opportunity to add some annotations. Annotations are little blurbs of information that appear to be ‘floating on top’ of your video. These are viewable to the viewer, but they are also very important to the search engines. Annotations can be your keywords, your phone number, your website address, etc.. You can also create links to those annotations. Don’t neglect this step.
• Share your video with the other social channels on YouTube.
Right below your video, there will be a ‘share’ tab. When you click on that, it will expand that selection and you will see a dozen or show social bookmarking icons. Click on one of those to share your video on that particular channel/website. For instance, when you click on the Blogger icon, it will take you to the Blogger website and post your video there. It will prompt you to set up an account if you have not done so already. My recommendation is to visit those sites ahead of time and get your accounts set up before you even load your video to YouTube. It is not difficult, but it does take time to work your way through. Be sure to make note of all those user names and passwords!
• Be sure to embed your video in your website and share on all your business social channels like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn.
Lastly, embed your video into every place you can. The more viewers you can get to watch your video, the more traffic and exposure your business gets. Put it on all your social channels for best visibility. If you don’t already have all the social networks listed above, get them. Think your business doesn’t need Facebook? Think again. Facebook is the number one most visited website in the world, ahead of Google even. Do it, or hire someone to do it, but get it done and post your videos there.
In summary, video works. Video is a relatively quick and inexpensive way to get web visibility for your business. YouTube is the second most popular search engine, falling in directly behind Google. And, because Google owns YouTube, Google gives preferential treatment to websites who utilize YouTube. To quote the Content Authority Blog by Sadie Baxter, “Teeth are always in style. While content marketing may evolve, there are certain tactics that will always be on trend because they work. Don’t mess around when you find a good thing, or you’ll risk creating cavities in your marketing budget.”
Contact Leslie Jeansonne or Angela Janzen, partners in YOUR AUTHORITY MARKETING TEAM© for help with your video production or speed ranking. Leslie is in the local Baton Rouge area and can be reached at (225) 806-2422 or leslie@authoritymarketing.info. Angela, Production Director, can be reached at (785) 212-1626 or angela@authoritymarketing.info.
Watch for Angela’s book, “Video Speed-Ranking : A Step by Step Guide To Get Your Video on Page One of YouTube” launching on Amazon in January 2015.