Any good business knows that online marketing can make all the difference in how you grow and how fast it happens. This is especially true if you've got a product or service to market.
One important aspect of online marketing is using videos to reach your target audience and up your website traffic. Videos are a fun and innovative way to quickly grab someone's attention and give them an idea of who you are and what you do.
You might think that this requires special skills or technical knowledge, but we now live in a technological age in which anyone can produce a great video with less cost and effort than you might think.
Unsure where to begin? Here are 10 great ideas for creating video content that increases online traffic for your product or services.
Use PowerPoint or KeyNote
Believe it or not, you don't need to know Final Cut or Adobe in order to create high-quality video. There are much simpler options out there!
If you're new to making videos, you might want to start with something a little simpler. Try making a PowerPoint (Windows) or KeyNote (Mac) Presentation to get your video marketing campaign going. Just be sure to make it interesting and keep it moving! No one wants to sit through an awful PowerPoint presentation!
These programs are fairly easy to use but will add a little something special to your website or marketing campaign. If you need help creating great presentations, HubSpot has a helpful blogpost.
Create A Fun Tutorial
Many people think of tutorials as dull. However, even basic instructions can create buzz if they are funny and interesting enough.
Certain airlines have their flight attendants joke around while giving instructions on flight safety. This lightens the mood and gives an entirely different experience.
In the same way, you can draw attention to what you're marketing by creating a unique tutorial that differs from those rote, boring ones people are used to.
Look at what's out there and then think about how you can improve upon it with humor and creativity.
Make a Lecture or Class Available Online
If you already give classes or lectures to promote aspects of your business, why not record them and make them available online?
Not only will this inform your intended audience, but it will also give them a relational connection when they put the name of your company with an actual human face.
You'll want to make sure you have decent quality recording equipment for this, but that's about all you have to do and voila! You have an added component of your marketing campaign.
Udemy and Teachable are great options if you're looking to build out a full class online.
Be Trendy
These days all you have to do to stay in the loop is to know what's trending online. Videos can take a person or business from anonymity to fame if they become a trend.
Find out videos are trending using social media platforms or Google Trends. You'll notice that certain styles of video, gifs, or memes become popular and then are repeated by others.
This is something you can take advantage of as well. If you are using a trending video style to market your product, it is more likely that people will want to see it.
Make a Parody
Creating a parody of an already popular video might be a great way to market your brand. Saturday Night Live often parodies current popular ads or videos. You can do something similar to promote your business.
Simply look to an already popular video and ask yourself how you could mimic it. You'll want the format to be recognizable so that your audience recognizes the inspiration.
Demonstrate Your Product
Steve Jobs very famously promoted each new Apple product by delivering an impassioned product demonstration before it's release. If Steve Jobs did it, it's definitely worth considering.
If the goal of your video is to sell a product, demonstrate your product. Don't forget to convey your excitement for the potential impact of this product. You want people to walk away needing that product because of how you've promoted it.
Use the Power of Emotion
One thing you learn from watching popular online videos is that when you tug on the heartstrings of your audience you've got their ear.
Think of how you can use a video to make people feel something about your brand or product. If they are moved by it, they will be more likely to embrace it and tell others about it.
You might accomplish this with a motivational speech that personalizes your brand. You might also use a silent montage that communicates through clips. Either way, be thinking of how you might make your audience feel strongly about your brand.
Use Art and Music
Two important aspects of a video are it's artistic aesthetic and it's music.
If you create something beautiful, people will want to look at it. Once they are looking, you've got their attention so you can sell them on your brand.
A great way to accomplish this is through animation. If animation isn't a skill you possess, you can easily hire a freelance artist to create artistic animation for your video.
If you create a video that contains a catchy tune, people will want to listen. Again, once you hook them with a song, you've got their attention.
There are many freelance musicians who could easily write a song for your video that would make it stand out in a sea of competitors.
Be Provocative
Depending on what you are trying to accomplish, you may want to use a hot-button issue to grab the attention of your intended audience.
In almost every industry there is something that the consumer or audience finds frustrating or confusing. You can use this to your advantage by talking about it in your video. Don't be afraid to stand out in this way.
Respond to Your Audience
Have you received feedback on your brand or product via your website? You can use this information as a jumping off point for a video.
Offer your take on this feedback and make the people feel as though their opinion and involvement is important.
CONCLUSION
Video is absolutely exploding. Every company is different and so you'll want to think about which of these ideas best suits your goals and ideas. Whatever the case, videos are a great way to increase your online traffic and broaden your audience.
And the good news is that video isn't just for professionals. With just a little bit of effort you could be well on your way to having a great promotional video that works perfectly for your needs.
Images via Shutterstock