What is your business's goal behind posting videos on YouTube? Is it to "get the word out?" To go viral?
Unless you have the magic of Martin Scorsese behind your camera, aim for something more reasonable and quite possibly more profitable: driving viewers to your Website to conduct business with you. Here's a list of six ways to combine your video content with a call to visit your Website or landing page.
1. End of video. If your viewers have made it to the end of the video, they're probably interested in you. So why not conclude their viewing experience with a path for them to get more information?
In this example, HVAC company Maeser gives a directive to call for more information. But most savvy consumers use the Internet to research large purchases like tankless water heaters. It was smart of Maeser to also list its Website URL here.
2. Clickable annotations. YouTube viewers lead busy lives. Only the most compelling (and usually brief) videos keep people engaged for their entirety. (A quick glance at your YouTube Analytics will tell you this sad fact.) So catch people while you still have their attention by using clickable annotations that float on top of your video.
Tech blogger Amit Agarwal created this video on how to see the digits of your blocked out passwords. He also wrote a related post on his Webpage that people can print and reference at their leisure. About 10 seconds into the video, he placed an annotation that gives viewers a chance to get to his site for that additional help in viewing password digits.
3. Video description. YouTube gives you about 65 characters in the first line of the description to talk about the video. Use that real estate to share your Website or landing page with viewers. Be sure to put an "http://" as part of your URL so that the link can be clicked open in a separate tab.
See what I did in the video below? My hope is that if people like my talk and want to hire me to speak at an event about social media best practices, they have an easy way to do so.
4. One Channel banner. The new YouTube One Channel allows businesses to place clickable links in its custom header. Geico used its header as an opportunity to drive channel viewers to customized "get a quote" landing page.
5. Overlays. In fairness to nationwide insurance companies who use animals as mascots, let me explain how Aflac drives Web traffic with its featured videos.
It uses the call-to-action overlay feature. This video follows the rehabilitation of the injured Aflac duck. If viewers want the latest on his recovery, they can click the yellow link in the overlay.
Think about what's compelling enough in your video to make people want to get more information on your Website. Then follow this YouTube tutorial on how to create a call-to-action overlay for your video.
6. Make a video that viewers will love. If your video doesn't resonate with your viewers, no one will feel motivated to click through for more information about your business. Remember: It's not about what you want to say in your videos - it's about what viewers want to hear.
How does your business use videos on YouTube to drive traffic to your Website?