Video content was a great hit in 2018, and it’s bound to be a mainstay this year too, particularly with emerging technologies like augmented reality bringing new opportunities to the frontier. In fact, a 2018 report compiled by the Interactive Advertising Bureau shows that video will make up 85% of all online traffic by 2021.
With these insanely high numbers, video as an approach to content marketing is something no savvy content professional can afford to ignore.
No, we’re not suggesting you replace your blog posts with videos entirely. The point is that continued success in content marketing can only be achieved by adopting the latest content and SEO trends and strategies to your approach. And in this case, we’re talking about leveraging the power of video for your blog.
Before we get into “how,” here’s a more concrete idea as to “why.” For starters, putting a video up on YouTube gains you access to a portion of the 1.9 billion monthly active users that populate the platform.
Essentially, by integrating video into your blog posts, your content will not only rank on SERPs for the written portion but on YouTube’s native search function for your video content too. And it gets even better. Google has made it possible to rank with video content, with featured clips showing relevant snippets of video in search results.
RELATED: Video Marketing: Can It Honestly Help Your Brand? (Infographic + 4 Tips)
Source: Hubspot
So that’s a total of three ways the reach of your content can be expanded. Now, without further ado, here’s a quick start list of ways you can introduce video to your blog.
6 Video Integration Ideas
An “About Us” Video
One strategic place you can consider making use of video is on your “About Us” page. Giving yourself and your company some screen time is a great way to engage with your audience, possible business partners, and any influencers you might be looking to work with.
A Video for Your Landing Page
Having issues getting visitors to stay on your landing page? Here’s another perfect opportunity for video to lend a hand. Check out Wistia’s findings in their time-on-page comparisons between websites with video versus ones without:
Source: Wistia
How-To Videos
As it turns out, users love how-to videos. Just think about how often you go to Google to figure out how to do things. Now, instead of text results, how much easier is it to watch someone do a frame-by-frame, step-by-step demonstration of how to do something?
Product Reviews
Okay, let’s be honest here. Anytime we’re shopping, one of the first things we tend to do is check out product reviews. And why not? Nobody wants to waste their money on something that looks sophisticated and ultra useful only to be let down once the item is delivered.
Returns are a pain. Enter product review videos. Why read reviews online when you can see how well a blender or a phone works on video?
Video Summaries
According to Animoto, a staggering 400% of users prefer video content over text content. And that’s not surprising given that it’s so easy to watch videos on-the-go nowadays or listen to one playing in the background while you work.
Make your content more accessible to users by augmenting long posts with compact video summaries.
Live Streaming
Users love authentic, immersive content. What’s more authentic than going live on video? There are several ways you can do this — webinars, Q&A events that feature subject matter experts on a topic, going behind-the-scenes at your office, and so on.
Again, it’s engaging, personal, and it doesn’t hurt that the fact it’s live and ongoing for a limited time plays on the audience’s fear of missing out.
Which Will You Do First?
Now that you’ve got a springboard of video ideas to kick off of, I can imagine you’re quite eager to get recording. Before you do so, just keep in mind that quality content is king. You might need to look into equipment and software for video editing first, but you know the end result will be worth it.
Happy creating and feel free to share your ideas and experiences in the comments section below!
About the Author: This post was written by Oleh Koropenko.