Worth a Million Words: How to Boost Your Blog with Great Video Content

So your company blog is perking right along. You’ve nailed the voice, tapped into a steady stream of ideas and inspiration and settled into a good rhythm of posting and extending your content through your various social media networks.

From here out, maintaining your momentum is as easy as lather, rinse, repeat, right? Au contraire. Now that you’ve mastered the basics, it’s time to shake things up and take on a new challenge: video content.

Why video? In today’s digital age, your followers’ brains are programmed to crave constant excitement and stimulation. Video content can engage them in different ways and offer a much more interactive experience that your standard text-based post.

Not convinced? Check out Wine Library TV, the video blog that helped Fame Foundry friend Gary Vaynerchuk skyrocket to success. On this vlog, Gary reviews wines:

It’s a straightforward concept, and he could just as easily write up his reviews as deliver them via video. But you can get stuffy, formal, written wine reviews just about anywhere. That wouldn’t be special. What makes Wine Library TV a destination point for his many thousands of loyal fans is seeing Gary V on camera in all his larger-than-life, in-your-face, uncorked, ad-lib glory.

Because video by its very nature is a more engaging medium, video-based content is also much more likely to be shared by your readers via social media. Furthermore, multimedia content gets huge points with Google. In fact, keyword searches on Google often include video posts in at least one of the top five results, making your keyword-enriched video much more visible to Web surfers.

If you’ve never made a video before, the process can seem intimidating in its unfamiliarity. However, if you can master just three key elements – content, production and optimization – in no time, you’ll be publishing great video content that will take your blog to the next level.

Conquering video content

Content is king, so there’s no reason to tackle the technical aspects of producing a video for your blog until you’ve ironed out your video content strategy.

Don’t just produce a video for video’s sake. Your videos should be a natural evolution of your blog’s content that are highly relevant to your target audience.

As with any type of content that you’d publish to your blog, the number one rule is to provide value. Whether it comes in the form of information, entertainment or both, value is the one and only reason why someone will invest their time in watching your video and pass it along to others as well.

That being said, the medium opens the door to all types of fun, engaging, creative content that simply wouldn’t pack the same punch in written format. While the possibilities are nearly limitless, here are a just few basic ideas to get you started:

Reviews

As you can see from the Gary Vaynerchuk example, video is a great medium for delivering product reviews because your words seem more authentic when your audience can watch you manipulate the item and can witness your natural reactions.

Let’s say you own an athletic goods store. The next time Nike releases the latest version of one of its running shoes, give us a video review that demonstrates what’s new about that model and how it performs in action.

Tutorials

What’s a more effective way to teach your customers how to use your products: by explaining it through words in painstaking detail or by capturing your demonstration on camera?

On their blog, Brooklyn Kitchen publishes instructional videos that run the gamut from shucking oysters to cleaning a blade grinder to sabering a bottle of champagne.

These are the types of unique how-tos you can only get from a passionate group of foodies, and their readers place a high value on this level expertise.

Ask the expert

Speaking of expertise, get your customers in on the act by having them submit questions (whether by video, social media or good old-fashioned email) that you can answer on-camera as a voice of authority on the subject.

Series

When it comes to any kind of blog content, series are great because they automatically create anticipation for the next entry and give your followers incentive to come back time after time.

Let’s say you run a yoga studio. You could produce a series of video posts, each of which takes a specific pose and breaks it down in detail, demonstrating the proper form and the muscle groups that should be engaged when executed correctly.

Crowdsourced content

Are you camera shy? Then why not leave the work of creating your video posts up to your customers? YouTube is nothing if not a testament to how much we love to see ourselves on camera.

Challenge your customers to send in a video showing the creative ways they use your products. Or ask them to submit their own video reviews, which carry the added benefit of being great word-of-mouth marketing for your company.

Polishing the production

While it’s important for your videos to look professional, you don’t need the resources of a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster to produce great content for your blog. With a little practice, you can master the fundamentals of shooting, editing and publishing high-quality video content that will engage your followers.

Recording

There’s no need to break the bank, but do shoot in HD if you can. These days, the price difference between HD and non-HD cameras is minimal, and the improvement in quality is substantial.

The most important factor in recording, however, is stability. Use a tripod – whether real or improvised – to avoid the dreaded, motion-sickness-inducing Blair-Witch-Project shaky camera effect.

To avoid jarring transitions, don’t try to pan the camera to follow the action. Instead, film in one spot, move the camera, then film in that spot, and weave these scenes together later during the editing process.

If your video involves demonstrating something on your computer, use screen capture software such as HyperCam or CamStudio to yield the best quality end result.

Lighting and blocking

Natural lighting is always best, but even if you need to use artificial light, make sure that you’re not under- or over-lit.

If you wear glasses, remove them during the shoot, as reflection on the lenses will be distracting.

Before you dive in to filming, do a couple of quick test shots to make sure you’ve got it right before you waste a great take only to discover that your face is obscured in shadow or the top of your head is cut off.

Sound

The quality of sound in your video can make or break the viewer experience. If your voice is muffled or there’s too much background noise, your viewer will quickly get frustrated and move on.

A microphone is the easiest way to make sure that you can be heard clearly and distinctly. You don't have to use the latest greatest, but get something that will allow you to keep the mic close to you. Some people use a lapel mic, while others prefer shotgun mics and others use inexpensive mics that can be purchased at just about any department store. It's really up to you and your budget, but any mic is better than none at all.

Setting

Find somewhere to record your video that’s quiet and offers minimal background noise. And don’t forget to silence all of your various devices. A ringing phone or an email alert will ruin a great shot.

If possible, film your video against a solid backdrop to minimize visual distractions. You don’t want viewers to miss out on great information because they’re checking out all the knick-knacks on your desk and your walls.

Intro

Don’t risk tripping your viewers’ itchy browser-closing finger with a long, rambling introduction. Just tell us who you are and what your website is, then dive right into the substance of your video.

Editing

Your computer probably came with some basic editing software, so use that until your level of production savvy demands more sophisticated tools.

Keep in mind that it’s okay to leave good stuff on the cutting room floor. Inevitably, you’ll record more video than you use. You focus should be on capturing the essence of your story in about two to four minutes – the time-tested sweet spot for web video.

Publishing

To save bandwidth on your website, it’s best to upload your video to a sharing site like YouTube or Vimeo and then simply embed the video in your blog post from there.

This approach also has the added benefit of making your videos available to anyone who might be specifically searching one of these channels for content related to that subject matter.

For more great production tips, here a video from a blog owner who shares a few of the lessons he’s learned along the way:

Optimizing your videos

Just as with textual content, videos can be optimized for search engines through the use of keywords.

Choose a either a single keyword or keyword phrase to focus on, and incorporate this keyword in the title of your video, the URL, the tags and the text of the post where your video will live.

Google gives even more weight to text/video combos, so be sure to include your target keyword in text both before and after the video. For instance, start your post with a brief paragraph introducing your video, then embed the video and include a full transcript below, which coincidentally is also tremendously helpful for those who may have found your post but cannot view your video due to issues such as office firewalls.

Make sure as well to create a dedicated YouTube account for your blog that is linked to your website, and when you upload your video, use the same keywords in the title, description and tags that you used on your blog post.

Once you’ve published your video post, link to it and share it with your social media followers just as you would with your written posts.

By boldly venturing into the world of video content, you can help your blog rise above the competition and create a deeper level of engagement with your fans and followers. Over time, you’ll see the results of greater exposure and know that your learning curve and hard work have paid off.

The Ultimate Business Growth Resolution for 2017: Make the Most of Marketing Attribution

As we enter into a new year filled with limitless opportunities and prospects, why not resolve to build a smarter, more profitable business? But in a world where there are so many outlets through which you interact with your customers – from radio and TV to direct mail and email to your website and social media and beyond, how can you know for sure which of your efforts are really working and which are not? That’s where marketing attribution comes in. Marketing attribution is the practice of determining which channels are most effective in attracting and converting customers – both online and off – in order to:

• Measure how many marketing dollars should be allocated to each channel.
• Optimize content to drive more traffic and conversions.
• Attract new customers and win back former customers.
• Sync up offline programs with online campaigns.
• Accurately forecast your marketing budget.

Marketing attribution goes beyond simply counting clicks or following customers’ paths to making their purchases; it uses complex algorithms to determine which channels are driving the most revenue. Naturally, you’ll want to invest more dollars in higher-performing channels. If marketing attribution is such a powerful business growth tool, isn’t everyone taking advantage of it? Actually, no. According to Forrester, only 24 percent of marketers currently measure campaigns across multiple channels, which means that there is a huge opportunity for you to gain a competitive edge by taking the plunge into marketing attribution this year. Here are eight steps you should take right now to get started:

1. Clarify your objectives.

With information coming at us from all directions and devices, it can seem next to impossible to measure the ROI on any given campaign. So what’s the best way to narrow down all the possible factors to determine what’s actually influencing your customers’ behavior? Before embarking down the attribution road, you must establish clear direction. To get the results you seek, start by making a list of questions to help you clarify your objectives: Which channels produce visible results, and which can’t be seen?

• Which metrics will you track in order to gain the insight you seek? Revenue, lead volume, etc.?
• How many conversion points will the attribution system track?
• How do you currently capture and report on metrics? What are some areas where you’d like to see improvement? How do stakeholders receive data reports? Is there a better way to keep them informed?
• What mechanisms will be used to collect the data, such as specialized software or online forms?
• Does your company have in-house expertise on implementing an attribution model, or do you need to leverage an external resource?

Take the time to determine clear objectives before embarking down the marketing attribution path, so you can choose a solution that provides the end results you desire.

2. Start small.

In the digital age, there’s almost no limit to the amount of data you can collect and analyze about your customers and your marketing efforts. However, if you’re new to attribution, keep it simple in the beginning by focusing higher-level data, such as revenue and marketing spend, to avoid becoming overwhelmed with numbers. Save the more granular customer data for future iterations when you’ve got more experience under your belt.

3. Leverage technology.

If interpreting data feels like trying to read foreign language, the first step is to acknowledge what you don’t know and seek external resources to make the job easier. It’s not necessary to hire an expensive in-house expert; there are plenty of effective and affordable solutions available to help you analyze complex data and generate actionable insights. Whatever tool you choose, just be sure that you’re getting clean, accurate and trustworthy results.

4. Match up your metrics.

You probably already have discrete metrics and measurement tools in place for each marketing channel that you currently employ, from email to pay-per-click to social media campaigns. In order to make effective use of marketing attribution, however, you’ll need to establish a set of common metrics that you can use across all channels in your attribution analysis.

5. Work together.

Building a successful marketing attribution program depends on getting buy-in across your organization. Involve all of your key players – from managers to marketers to developers – when choosing a platform and planning its implementation. Collaborate to ensure the right questions are being asked and the relevant data is being collected.

6. Don’t expect perfection.

Rarely is any data set 100 percent clear and comprehensive. There will inevitably be some data that can’t be captured, leaving blind spots in your analysis. Without a crystal ball, there will always be invisible factors – both online and off – that influence your customers’ purchasing decisions. Despite these inherent limitations, even a partial set of attribution data will create a strong foundation for planning successful campaigns across multiple channels. As long as you’re looking at reliable sources, that information can be used to optimize your existing marketing campaigns and plan for future testing and analysis.

7. Compare attribution models.

Under the broad umbrella of marketing attribution, there are a number of models to consider, each with its own strengths and limitations: First and/or Last Interaction: Either the first or last point of contact is given full credit for the conversion.

• Pro: Interaction-based attribution uses previous purchasing behaviors to assign different levels of importance to various touch points.
• Con: This type of attribution can sometimes be subjective.

Last Non-Direct Click: All credit for the sale is attributed to the last indirect point of contact, such as an email link.

• Pro: This model enables marketers to gauge the effectiveness of their external marketing campaigns.
• Con: The Last Non-Direct Click method runs the risk of discounting a myriad of factors that come into play after the customer has clicked through the email.

Last Adwords Click: In this model, the most recent paid search click gets full credit for the conversion.

• Pro: This model enables marketers to gauge the effectiveness of their search spend.
• Con: The Last AdWords method runs the risk of discounting any influences that came after the click.

Linear: In this balanced attribution model, the credit is equally weighted among all points of contact in the path to conversion.

• Pro: This model is simple and straightforward, making it a great entry point for getting starting with attribution.
• Con: The linear method could attribute more credit to a touch point than it actually merits.

Time Decay: Whichever touch point occurred in the closest time proximity to the conversion receives the most credit.

• Pro: It seems logical that the later touch points ultimately prompted the conversion.
• Con: This model disregards initial points of contact, which may have helped to build brand loyalty.

Position-Based: In this type of attribution model, the first and last touch point each receive 40 percent credit, while the other 20 percent is distributed equally across all other interactions.

• Pro: The Position-Based model is a good choice for marketers who want to highlight how leads are generated and then how they ultimately convert while still accounting for the points of contact in between.
• Con: This model runs the risk of giving mid-funnel touch points less credit than they deserve.

8. Consider building your own model.

Every company’s attribution needs are unique. To ensure that everyone in your organization gets the relevant, accurate information they need to make informed marketing decisions, consider building your own attribution model. By partnering with a firm experienced in developing customized, cloud-based business management software, you can work together to design a solution that is tailored to your specific needs and objectives. Here’s to helping you build a more effective marketing and business growth engine in 2017!