In a digital world where engagement is vastly important, video content, when used appropriately, can help boost website traffic and audience interactivity
Have you been looking for innovative ways to generate more website traffic?
By now, the use of video to present content is no secret, and it’s used with good reason.
For instance, Roland Hamilton, Managing Director of US Operations for Dailymotion.com points out how mobile devices have played a major role in the growth of video content. “With the launch of our iPhone and Android application we’ve seen triple digit visitor and video view growth, ” Hamilton stated.
Video content is engaging because it is easily consumed; we look, listen and pay attention. It can be done on the go or while we are stationary at our desks. Very little effort needs to be dedicated to video consumption, yet it speaks to our senses as a human being.
Today, there is more video content in our lives than ever before, and more people are consuming that content. According to the recent State of the Media: Consumer Usage Report from Nielsen, 143 million people watch video content online. Although about double (288 million) consume their video content through televisions, it’s worth noting the life spans of the two mediums. Video consumption online has become popular within the last few years. Sites like YouTube and Dailymotion have helped in this evolution, which were both founded in 2005. Televisions have been commercially available since the late 1920s.
Now that it’s 2012, and you’ve decided that connecting with video is appropriate for your audience, you need to know the best ways to incorporate video content into your email marketing efforts. Here are five tips for using video in your emails.
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Five tips for using video content in emails
-Embed video content on your website. A site like YouTube is a great place to put your video content initially, but what your email file and all the other content you provide? You want website visitors to convert to registered, email subscribers and your website is first step in this process.
Additionally, if you have longer full length videos of interest to your audience, you can provide it for free with the exchange of an email address, like the strategy of content marketing dictates.
-Don’t embed the actual video in your emails. The bandwidth for doing so would be massive, and most email service providers don’t allow this anyways. Instead, create an associated video image which is clickable and will drive users back your website, and the video.
-Transcribe video content onto your web pages for SEO purposes. If your video content is focusing on keyword phrases of importance to your brand, you need to write that content out so you can get credit from search engines.
-Create a frequency with your video content. I think of SEOmoz with this tip. Every week they provide the Whiteboard Friday, which includes a video clip with transcription. It’s frequent, and a great way to end the workweek if you are a fan of their content (which I am).
-Incorporate content relevant to the medium of video. Just because someone offers video content, it doesn’t mean it’s good or that it’s worth watching. Make your video content relevant. For instance, if you are promoting a new product, show how it looks, works and can be used. Also, keep your videos at reasonable lengths, make the audio clear and present articulate content.
For some additional tips, check out this white paper from WhatCounts.
Are you using videos in your email campaigns? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.
