In the digital age, video content has become an invaluable tool for businesses and individuals looking to reach a wider audience and engage with their viewers. However, creating a video is just the first step; effective video promotion is crucial to ensuring your content reaches its intended audience. In this blog, we will explore the strategies and tips for successful video promotion, drawing insights from the practices at AZoNetwork.
Preproduction Planning with Promotion in Mind
Before hitting the record button, it's essential to have a well-thought-out plan that considers your video's promotion from the outset. AZoNetwork's approach begins with a thorough understanding of the target audience. Identifying whether the audience is technical or broad, and defining the video's purpose, helps shape the content.
Audience Identification:
Start by having a conversation to determine the target audience. Is it a technical audience seeking in-depth knowledge, or is it a broader audience looking for general education? By understanding this, you can tailor the video content accordingly.
Content Type:
Based on the audience, plan the type of video that would work best. Whether it's an educational tutorial, a product demonstration, or an interview, the content should align with the audience's preferences and expectations.
Broad Recording:
During filming, it's wise to capture as much footage as possible. More footage allows for greater flexibility in post-production and content repurposing. This versatility can be particularly useful for creating videos that cater to different stages of the buyer's journey.
On this shoot, we just left the cameras recording whilst our speakers had a conversation about webinar recording and we let the chat flow:
Interview Strategies:
When conducting interviews, we advise starting with broad topics and gradually delving into technical and specific details. This approach allows for the creation of multiple videos, each catering to a different level of audience expertise.
Video Promotion Beyond Your Website
While hosting a video on your website is a fundamental step, there are numerous additional strategies to ensure your video reaches a broader audience.
Content Repurposing:
Extend the life of your videos by repurposing them. Transform video content into written interviews, transcripts, or articles that can be shared on various platforms and third parties. This diversification helps you reach different segments of your audience. To illustrate this, here is a video we created from an interview with our CEO Ian Birkby, which we transformed into a series of blogs, like this one.
Video Series:
If you have ample footage or content, consider creating a series of videos. This not only keeps your audience engaged but also provides opportunities for promotion across blogs, YouTube, or third-party platforms. Here is an example from our client Radleys Chemistry and CatSci, where we created two different videos with different purposes out of one shooting day:
Tips for Building and Maintaining a Successful YouTube Channel
YouTube is a powerhouse platform for hosting and promoting your videos. To make the most of it, here are some tips to keep in mind:
Listen to the platform:
YouTube offers valuable insights and suggestions to enhance your channel's performance. Be sure to implement these recommendations to boost your channel's visibility and exposure.
Optimize Video Details:
When uploading a video, fill in every description box meticulously. The more information you provide, the easier it is for your target audience to discover your video through searches.
.jpg)
Leverage Shorts:
Short-form videos are currently favored on YouTube. Create brief, engaging "shorts" that can attract extra views. Once viewers are intrigued, you can guide them to explore your longer-format videos on your main channel.
Design Eye-catching Thumbnails:
Invest time in creating and uploading customized thumbnails for your videos. Appealing thumbnails not only make your channel homepage look more professional but also convey that you've put thought into crafting your content.
YouTube vs. Vimeo: Choosing the Right Platform
When deciding between YouTube and Vimeo as your video hosting platform, your choice should align with your specific goals and needs.
YouTube:
If your primary goal is to leverage video content for SEO and organic discoverability, YouTube is an excellent choice. Given that Google owns YouTube, videos hosted on this platform are more likely to appear in Google search results when relevant.
Vimeo:
Vimeo is a better fit if you primarily need a platform to host videos for embedding on blogs or your website. Vimeo provides more extensive and cleaner-looking embedding options, making it a preferred choice for those seeking a polished presentation.
If you would like to dive deeper into the differences between the two major video platforms, we created a blog comparing them. You can read it here.
In conclusion, effective video promotion is essential for ensuring your content reaches its intended audience. Beginning with preproduction planning that considers your target audience and content type sets the foundation for success.
If you are interested in our video and video distribution/promotion services, you can get in touch and we will discuss your project and ensure you get the most out of your videos.
