Using video marketing and building a content marketing strategy with video has been widely discussed of late. However, one area that hasn’t been given as much attention is the concept of building a video series, and it’s effectiveness in attracting new business and helping you stay top-of-mind with your existing customers.
Most of us by now are familiar with the many YouTubers out there, with their thousands of subscribers. They’ve become celebrities by posting videos on YouTube, with topics as diverse as you can imagine. Initially, we may think that the YouTuber’s primary reward (besides their minor celebrity status) is gained through the monetization of their channel. However, delivering video content on a consistent basis has far reaching benefits. Even if you and your business are not interested in becoming a YouTube phenomenon, it’s important to consider the value of a video series.
First, a few points of reference. The term “video series” describes a collection of related video content that appears online, for example on your website and on your YouTube channel. It’s also been called a video library, and YouTube has playlists, which can sub-divide your video series into smaller topics.
A video series can serve the same purpose as other content that you’re creating on a consistent basis: to reach out to your network (through email and social media) on a regular basis and keep you top of mind. As you gain followers to your series, your viewers begin to look forward to the next episode in the series.
It also increases your chances to get found in the first place. The more videos you have in your series, the more likely it is for potential viewers to stumble upon one or your videos. And once they’ve found one of your videos, they’ll have the opportunity to watch others, rather than moving on to a competitor’s video. On YouTube they’re more likely to subscribe to your channel if you’re building a series, and when they do they’ll be notified when you’ve posted a new video, which keeps you top of mind.
One nice thing about a series is that as long as the content is relevant, the older videos in your series can be just as useful as your new ones. That’s because potential new viewers searching the web will discover your series through your older episodes, which remain on your channel. This is how your older videos can continue to gain you new viewers, and it’s also an important reason to make sure your videos are keyword optimized; so all your videos, including your older ones, can be found easier.
Now you may be asking: I’m already blogging, why do I need video? Well, there are a number of ways in which video can outperform blogging. Video has a number of distinct advantages over text alone, which you can read about in detail in our blog entitled “The Video Advantage”. Some of the highlights include:
- Video is 53 TIMES more likely than text to appear on the first page of Google. (Forrester Research)
- Videos in universal search results have a 41% higher click-through rate than plain-text results.(Econsultancy)
- Including video in an email increases the click-through rate by 96%.
There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that video is the preferred method for consuming information, including:
- 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video.
- 59% of executives would rather watch video than read text. (Forbes)
- 65% of senior executives have visited a company’s website after watching a video. (Forbes)
Also consider the fact that YouTube is now the #2 search engine in the world (behind only Google). You cannot have a presence on YouTube unless you have, you guessed it, VIDEO!
Another unique benefit of video is how you can build a personal connection with your audience. Because you have a face and a voice attached to your message, using video to build a relationship with your audience is easier than if you were just communicating with text. By finding one or more spokespersons who can connect authentically on camera, it’s more likely your viewers will relate to them personally and want to come back to watch more. Reconnecting with your audience again and again through your video series will only strengthen and reinforce this connection, building trust and a deeper connection with your brand.
There’s a lot of data out there to suggest that search engines like Google will rank websites higher in search results if those sites have content that is regularly updated, viewed and commented upon. Google places increased significance on sites that are consistently changing and being added to. If your site isn’t changing, Google will see your site as getting stale and won’t give it priority in search results. Video gives your visitors another way to interact on your site, and studies have shown that video increases “dwell time” on your site. In fact, Mist Media reports that the average user spends 88% more time on a website with video. Also don’t forget to allow your visitors to leave comments on your videos and blog posts; that’ll help your search ranking as well.
When you’re planning your video series, be mindful of creating content that’s appropriate for different parts of the sales funnel. You can guide your viewers through the sales funnel by teasing them to watch the next video further down the funnel. Remember too, when you’re creating your video series, produce them in small batches. It’s a much more efficient use of your time to do 3, 6 or even more episodes at one time.
If you make your video series entertaining and informative, you’ll be sure to get folks coming back for more.
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