Annotations on YouTube are a fantastic feature to add to your videos. You can use them for anything from highlighting sales to getting viewers to subscribe to your channel. This episode – This is part 2 of 2 parts – takes you thru the What, Where, and How of using YouTube annotations.
If you’re new here, I create videos as web content for small business in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky. And I help both my clients, and non-clients understand video’s powerful impact. A lot of that is knowing what to do after the video is created. Where do you put it? How do you put it there? What else can you do to make sure folks see it? This video series was born from that. I’m going to give you the tips you need to make your videos work for you. Don’t have any videos yet? Call me. I’d love to talk with you.
Watch Time (4:38) Link to transcript
Tag Archives: videos as content
Annotations – Pop-Ups In Your Video
Annotations on YouTube are a fantastic feature to add to your videos. You can use them for anything from highlighting sales to getting viewers to subscribe to your channel. This episode – split into two parts – takes you thru the What, Where, and How of using YouTube annotations.
If you’re new here, I create videos as web content for small business in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky. And I help both my clients, and non-clients understand video’s powerful impact. A lot of that is knowing what to do after the video is created. Where do you put it? How do you put it there? What else can you do to make sure folks see it? This video series was born from that. I’m going to give you the tips you need to make your videos work for you. Don’t have any videos yet? Call me. I’d love to talk with you.
Watch Time (4:38) Link to transcript
Host Videos On Your Own Website
Don’t get me wrong – I love YouTube – but you can (and should) host videos on your own site, too. Here’s the first part you need to know. More to come in future episodes.
If you’re new here, I create videos as web content for small business in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky. And I help both my clients, and non-clients understand video’s powerful impact. A lot of that is knowing what to do after the video is created. Where do you put it? How do you put it there? What else can you do to make sure folks see it? This video series was born from that. I’m going to give you the tips you need to make your videos work for you. Don’t have any videos yet? Call me. I’d love to talk with you.
Here is Episode 6. I upload a new one about twice a month. I’m really interested in your comments, so leave one, or connect with me.
Watch Time (3:05) Link to transcript
Help With Video In Your Email
If you’re new here, I create videos as web content for small business in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky. And I help both my clients, and non-clients understand video’s powerful impact. A lot of that is knowing what to do after the video is created. Where do you put it? How do you put it there? What else can you do to make sure folks see it? This video series was born from that. I’m going to give you the tips you need to make your videos work for you. Don’t have any videos yet? Call me. I’d love to talk with you.
Here is Episode 3. I upload a new one about twice a month. I’m really interested in your comments, so leave one, or connect with me.
Watch time (4:18) Link to transcript
5 Ways To Get More Sales With Business Videos
Everyone is watching. Have you noticed? Everyone is watching more videos online. So if you’re in business – whether it’s B2B or B2C, you need to inside video in your marketing strategy.
1. Do you need “face time” with your prospects to turn them into customers? Start with video. No matter who you are, when someone is referred to you, 8 times out of ten they go online to check you out. Videos give you that face to face meeting you need, and it works 24/7.
2. Before my wife buys and, she researches like crazy. When you make that easy by showing demonstrations or enhancing your expertise, you also make it easier to buy. You make it easy for a customer to become comfortable doing business with you. 65% of folks watch a video before deciding to buy.
3. Tell your customers what they need to know. Most folks would rather watch than read. We remember more of what we see and hear. Engaging business videos can entertain and educate. Last year, I did a series of videos for a product that could eliminate odors. There were so many uses, we had an endless supply of ideas. We highlighted it in a smelly refrigerator and a baby’s bottom.
4. Build trust. Answer questions. Give value so customers understand more about your product sooner. In radio and television it takes a message 3 to 5 repeating plays before its gist sinks in. That’s the frequency in “reach and frequency.” But website videos for business help convert prospects to customers. Unlike broadcast, you don’t pay each time the message is played. And if there’s anything the viewer doesn’t understand, they can playback just that section.
5. Videos last and last. Your strategy for writing and producing videos for your business should be long term as well. Not only that, but older videos can be repositioned with new titles and tags or new body copy on the page. The use of YouTube’s annotations is a cool way of adding information or a new call to action.
Remember, the use of video on business websites grows every day. Be an early adopter in your category if possible. When you have videos on your website, and your competition doesn’t…you win.
— that’s a wrap.
Client Spotlight – Bed Bug Shield
Product demos are one of the most effective uses of online video. Customers can see the product in action, learn best practices, and see effective uses while they seamlessly slip from discovery mode to buying mode.
I have been fortunate to have worked with a number of inventors and innovators with Videos On Your Website to produce targeted and compelling demos that work. Bed Bug Shield is one of my favorites.
This area has long been on the top of the list nationally for bed bug problems. There are scores of exterminators who deal not only with primary infestations, but also with folks who inadvertently bring the little critters home from a trip. Bed Bug Shield deals with both of those problems.
When they first contacted me, one of the issues we had to solve was location – since they wanted to show the product using LIVE bed bugs. Of course, there would be absolutely no risk, since bed bugs cannot fly, and we would have a little “corral” in which to shoot them and the product at work. As it turned out, that was the least of my worries. The morning of the shoot, I developed an abscessed tooth, and made the drive to the location in more than a little pain.
After a quick set up, we started shooting footage. We got great shots of the product, closeups of the bed bugs, and easy to follow demonstrations of how it keeps bed bugs from hitching a ride on clothes, or in a suitcase during a trip.
They recently contacted me with an update on their progress:
We have picked up a contract for 8 surrounding counties with the Area on Aging not to mention a few large name exterminators refer to us on a regular basis, so things are going well. We would always like to be busier but we have tripled our volume just in the last 6 months. The video is on our website and people love it!!! We have had a good response to it
It’s always nice to hear things like that. Videos DO work, whether it’s product demonstrations, customer testimonials, or answering customer’s questions.
Here’s the Bed Bug Shield video.Bed Bug Products – Business Video
–that’s a wrap.
Why I Don’t Do Commercials
On the very very first project I did after opening Videos On Your Website, the owner of the company introduced me to her staff: “This is Ron, and he’s going to record our commercial today.”
I still remember the twinge I felt at the time, but I opted not to say anything since I wanted to focus on getting the shoot right. I told myself that the idea of doing video web content was so new that most folks didn’t have a reference point. Hence, to them it was a commercial.
Broadcast TV, Cable TV, radio is still a major factor in communicating sales and brand messages to consumers. Commercials and Infomercials are part of the landscape. Broadcasting terms still abound which is why I am asked about creating “60 second videos” when maybe the right length to tell the story is 110 seconds.
I produced broadcast commercials for over 20 years. The hardest thing in the world is to put your message, features and benefits inside a 30 or 60 second window AND make it entertaining knowing that your audience is conditioned to focus their attention elsewhere while that message airs.
But putting videos on your website, your blog, or a social media profile page means your audience has to click to engage. They WANT to hear what you have to say. It’s much more fun to talk with someone who is actively listening than with someone whose attention you may lose after five seconds.
Who’s listening to YOU?
–That’s a wrap.
How To
I’m really amazed at the number of videos out there that are not taking advantage of the words and phrases folks are searching for. If you want your video, and ultimately your website, to be found by people who are searching for what you do, then use one of the most powerful phrases in search engines: “How To…”
Whether you are creating new products and services, or updating existing ones, make it easy for your customers by showing them How To… select the proper (fill in the blank), How To Use… (your product) Correctly, How To Troubleshoot….(what they currently have). The list is endless, literally. Then, be sure you have that magic phrase in your title, in your tags, and (if you’re embedding the video on a separate page) in your page title.
If people buy from people they trust, you can turn yourself into a ally with compelling and credible “How To” videos. Just remember to keep it simple, use numbered steps when possible, and aim for a recap at the end of your video that wraps everything up neatly. Studies have shown that it takes just three videos for a website to raise their credibility score to Expert by their viewers.
— That’s a wrap.
Friends With Content
Ok, now you’ve got a video on your website. And maybe you’ve even put out the link on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and all those other social media sites. You’re patting yourself on the back for being such a savvy marketer.
As they say in those infomercials, “But Wait There’s More!”
You have another venue open to you: Blogs That Are Not Yours. When someone you’d like to reach is searching for what you provide, what other sources of information can they find? Tap into those content networks, and you’ve struck a potential goldmine of marketing power.
That is a primary reason not to produce a video that is a commercial. People don’t search for commercials, and they certainly don’t share them either. When you’re offering content that answers a question or addresses a need, your videos are more likely to be watched, shared, AND published on Someone Else’s Blog. It’s ok to ask the Blog owner to post or write about your video. Just remember to do your homework and only contact those blogs that legitimately relate to the info in your video.
Find new customers. Make new friends. Open new channels of distribution for your videos. That will put you a step ahead of your competition.
That’s a wrap
Seven Steps To Writing For Reading On Camera
My friend Rick Dearborn had some great tips on his MARKETVIDPOST blog. I asked his permission to share them with you, and he graciously accepted. Here is Rick’s post:
Most marketers are already good writers. They’re involved in carefully choosing words and crafting marketing messages all day long. But writing a script to be read on camera is a whole different experience that requires a few new skills. Here are a few useful tips that will help you create scripts that area easier to read aloud:
1. READ IT ALOUD. No matter what you’ve written, read it out loud to yourself. See how it flows and feels, and make changes accordingly. Then put it down for a while, and do it again. You will be surprised at the edits that will be needed.
2. CONTRACTIONS. When writing we rarely use contractions, but they’re commonplace in our speach. When writing to be read aloud, contractions are essential. After you write your script, read it over an look for places where contractions make sense. Here is an example that shows what a difference contractionscan make:
Before: “Now you are ready to get started. We are sure you aready know there is a best way to begin. But, if you do not, here is how you can start. You will need to write a draft first and you will need to read it aloud. It is always a good idea to start that way.”
After: “Now you’re ready to get started. We’re sure you already know there’s a best way to begin. But, if you don’t, here’s how you can start. You’ll need to write a draft first, and you’ll need to read it aloud. It’s always a good idea to start that way.”
3. COMMAS. Commas make good gramatical sense, but in most cases they don’t work well when reading aloud. The reason is, when we read aloud we feel we need to pause when we see a comma. The gramatical use of a comma does not necessarily result in the best phrasing when reading aloud. After you write your script, take all the commas out and read it aloud. Where it feels natural to pause, put dashes in instead of commas. Then read aloud again and adjust as necessary.
4. UNDERLINING. If there are particular words you need to emphasis when reading aloud, underline them. But, don’t go crazy with it. Use underlining sparingly, only on the words that are really important. Some techniques recommend single, double, and triple underlining of words all through your script to ensure different levels of emphasis. If you go crazy with underlining, your reading can sound mechanical. It should be natural and real. I recommend using underlining only for the words that really matter.
5. PARAGRAPH PHRASING. Don’t hesitate to break your script up into smaller, shorter paragraphs – it will help you phrase the concepts when reading aloud. I’ts ok to even make a paragraph out of a single sentence.
6. FONT SIZE AND LINE SPACING. It really helps to write the script in a larger than usual font, one that is easy to read aloud. I also recommend greater than normal line spacing. I like 24 point Arial font, with 1.5 to 2.0 line spacing. That gives you a little space to enter hand written underlining or other small changes. (But, don’t get too carried away with hand written edits on your script. They can get hard to read. It’s always better to make them in the computer and print out a new copy, if you can).
7. ALL CAPS. When you write a script in ALL CAPS, you can focus more on the emphasis of the meaning, rather than on the structural, making it easier to read.
That last tip is controversial to some, but I have to say that when I write scripts for myself, I write in all caps. Maybe it has something to do with the teletype copy I used to read. Those machines only had caps, and everyone in radio learnedly to read copy that way. I hope this helps.
— that’s a wrap