Building a Video Content Strategy for Your Small Business

If text based content is the king of SEO, YouTube video content could perhaps be an emperor when it comes to conversion and engagement. People will find and read your helpful content, but they will absolutely eat up your helpful videos. So will Google.

YouTube as a platform is very effective and efficient. There is so much easy leverage with video content, you can post it on YouTube (the 2nd biggest search engine online), on your website, and your social media channels like Facebook. You can use it in educational “sales” funnels or transcribe it into blog posts with both text and video content… It’s like having your own TV studio syndicated direct to the internet.

Even a few authentic videos that tell your story and let people get to know you quickly can have a huge impact on your online conversions.

Although most folks are a little shy at first on video, the truth is its just you exactly like you appear everywhere else you go, just doing your thing. Don’t try and script it, but maybe do a few bullets and high level organization, then other than that just let it roll. If this sounds “unprofessional” stop and think about it a minute. Sure a high production value video is cool and all, but is it worth the time and money? Or is it just a way for you to put it off another week or month?

Maybe you should just document what’s going on.

You don’t have to be all fancy, even your biggest headache can be interesting to your audience… so they can see what you go through when serving them.

No budget, no time, no excuse

There really aren’t any excuses any more when it comes to video content. It doesn’t matter what type of business you are. You can be a global law firm or a plumbing supply store. Either way you can be a leader and provide your customers with a story that naturally shares valuable information. And the beauty of it is, all you need to have is a phone and maybe a $50 lapel mic and you are off to the races. Your investment is only a little time, the technology is simple now, and if you’re documenting your da, you shouldn’t even be stopping what you’re doing!

So for basically zero money and a little time you can get into the most incredible medium out there. If you have a little passion and the right perspective then you are good to go.

Take it from Google BrandLab: “Mary Meeker is predicting that, by 2017, 74% of all internet traffic will be video, and with mobile watch time on YouTube already surpassing desktop in 2015,¹ the time for businesses to make sense of what mobile means for their video content strategy is now.”

Google recommends thinking about:

• “What’s truly unique and different about our business?”
• “What’s truly “ownable” about your brand and business?”
• “What right does our business have to play (and win) in this space versus your competition?”

So yes, its about having your unique perspective, but you should already be living that. But if you need to clarify it or give it some much needed tweaks, then you just identified a valuable problem to solve in your business.

How do I go about video for YouTube and Social?

A phone, a good light and some simple story telling skills is all that’s really required to get your business out there with video. Show a day in the life, your way of doing things, what you’re thinking, or just simply just what you are doing. It doesn’t need to be over-thought really.

Now from an SEO perspective and online amplification perspective, getting some help building out an effective system based on the keyword themes that your prospects are out there searching on is important. A couple videos on your site will help you convert customers, but a keyword based content strategy will grow your online footprint.

Like your blog, you build it out with solid headlines and target keywords naturally baked into the video, then share that content on your platforms. So the video helps your SEO strategy and your SEO strategy informs your video.

Now you’re driving traffic as well as showing the right signals to Google that you’re working at it with your SEO. They like that. They honestly want you to roll up your sleeves and promote your business both offline and online. Video is probably the easiest and fastest way to start producing plenty of content that Google wants to see instead of the occasional or non-existent blog you have now. All this stuff works together like a car engine, and once you get it humming with the right gas, you’ll start catapulting down the road to growing your business like a digital maven.

YouTube by the numbers

Video is all a part of an overall framework that builds your online presence and footprint the right way. Let’s look at some stats, shall we.

According to Wyzowl, 2017 will be the biggest year yet for video.

According to a survey conducted by Wyzowl, the key findings included:

• 83% of businesses believe that video gives them a good ROI.
• 97% of businesses said that their explainer video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service.
• 91% of consumers have watched an explainer video to learn about a product or service.
• 78% of businesses that have used Facebook Live, said it was an effective marketing tool.
• 95% of consumers believe that a video should be less than 2 minutes long.
• 84% of consumers have been convinced to make a purchase after watching a brand’s video.

Woah! Those numbers are powerful. If a little video with the right strategy behind it can blow up your marketing, then don’t you owe it to yourself to do it in a way that’s not a waste of time?

The key is this. If you “sell” even for a second, you probably hosed your chances of success. People are plain old sick and tired of advertising messages and tune them out like a tv channel. You have to get past it. You have to teach, help, educate and answer the kinds of questions people ask you every day.

Just show them what you know and even what you don’t. Help them, don’t sell them, and you’ll be amazed at what a little directed effort can do.