Did you just make a video and now it’s up to you to release it to the world? If so, you know it’s difficult to decide what to do next. Many people have found success by using a checklist. The items on this checklist were born out of demand from someone just like you (new to sharing video).
Storytime: Not long ago in a galaxy just like ours, I delivered several videos to a client and I received an email response regarding her video release strategy.
Thanks for following up Chris!
I am trying to figure out how to get the most mileage from the videos you helped us make. Do you have any suggestions? How can I send them in an email? They are large files.
Thanks for your help.
So, here you go. A proven solution in the form of a checklist that will immediately help your video release strategy. This post will tell you what you can do right now to get the most out of your video investment. Click here to download the checklist.
1. Optimize for SEO
If your goal is to reach people with your video via search, then this should be the first thing you do! In other words, if you want people to find your videos using Google and YouTube (the two largest search engines in the world) then start here.
Let’s start with what SEO means. Moz, a product authority in the SEO industry states: SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results.
Beyond the definition, I like how Moz makes SEO about people instead of behind the scenes development. Their approach involves, “understanding what people are searching for online, the answers they are seeking, the words they’re using, and the type of content they wish to consume. Knowing the answers to these questions will allow you to connect to the people who are searching online for the solutions you offer” (What is SEO).
Take Action: Start with Keyword research, find the word you want to rank for, and then optimize for that word. The best video SEO resource I’ve found is by Brian Dean of Backlinko, Video SEO: The Definitive Guide.
2. Post to Vimeo & YouTube
Vimeo is a great hosting platform that allows you to share links without ads. Plans are free to begin and then start at less than $10 a month, which is worth it if you want to avoid losing your customers’ attention to YouTube or deal with forced ads. YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world. If your goal is to reach the most people with your video, you need to have a YouTube presence.
Take Action: I recommend posting to Vimeo first and use the link on your own website. Then, post your video to YouTube. Check out the quickstart guide from YouTube to get started. Make sure the cards at the end of your video re-direct people to your website and other videos. YouTube will suggest other videos to the viewer, you want to have enough content to keep them on your channel.
3. Transcribe
Transcription is a written copy of the video. If your video is short, you can do it yourself. If you have a script from your video production vendor, then you have an accurate transcription already. Either way, the value comes in SEO, as it will help your videos rank higher. Turning your video into writing also extends its reach to readers, which doubles the content of your video release.
Take Action: Turn your video into a written document using a service like rev.comrev.com if you can’t afford the time it will take to manually transcribe the video. Rev is fast and inexpensive. Once you have the transcription, you can post it in your description on Vimeo and YouTube, or even your own website. This will help with SEO especially if you optimized your video from the beginning. You can also use the transcription in a blog post.
4. Blog about it
The blog is central to a content marketing effort. A fundamental principle of content marketing is repurposing content. In this case, you’ve spent the time and money on a video now it’s time to repurpose. Remember to include an image of your video, a screenshot can work just fine. Also, use links to your socials, website, and additional videos if you have them.
Take Action: For suggestions on how to shape your blog post, Check out Optinmonster’s 73 AWESOME Types of Blog Posts You Can Write Today. If all of this blogging/audience/repurposing talk is foreign to you, then please check out the book Content Inc. by Joe Pulizzi or watch the Book trailer.
5. Share: LinkedIn-Twitter-Facebook
LinkedIn is where a lot of people check-in for work and knowledge. Twitter favors video and attracts 10x more engagements than other types of posts. With 8 billion video views a day and 62% of people saying they found greater interest in a product after watching a story video on Facebook, please keep Facebook in mind as you post (Video Marketing Statistics).
Take Action: Write an article or series of articles on LinkedIn or compose a series of posts. The focus should be on how you solve your customer’s problems or answer your customer’s questions. Be sure to include the link to your video in your article or post. You can also share news of the video release as a post. Create a series of tweets with a call-to-action. Post on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Check out Twitter’s video checklist.
Post your video to your Facebook business page. Share it as a post. If you have the budget, it can be a worthwhile venture to consider using your video in a Facebook Ad campaign. Create a regular schedule to post on social and commit to it. Then do it for several months. This is a long game, play strategically, authentically, and be consistent.
6. Create an Interview
People love to read, listen, and watch interviews. By crafting written interviews, you can capitalize on this desire and deliver high-value information to your audience. I suggest tackling topics that your customers wrestle with every day. Interview your executives or industry leaders by asking them the questions asked by your customers. Use the video content as visual support for the content.
Take action: List all of the questions your customers ask about your business or product. List the people in your company that answers those questions for your customers. Using a cell phone (audio or video) to interview the people with the answers and turn the content into shareable media.
7. Email
Email should be a part of your video release strategy. As much as we all hate spam and unsolicited messages, email still performs very well when compared to other conversion tactics. People check their email every day and 58% of us check it before we look at socials, news, or search engines.
Take action: Create an email marketing campaign if you do not have one. Check out Neil Patel’s Beginner’s Guide to Successful Email Marketing to get started. If you have an email campaign already and are looking to flex it a bit, check out Campaign Monitor’s suggestions or the examples list from HubSpot.
8. Solicit testimonials
The release of a new video is a great time to solicit testimonials from your current customers. These can be written, spoken, or video. Of course, I suggest trying to make video testimonials because then you can re-purpose it into an audio or written testimonial. According to WireBuzz, Testimonials build trust, credibility, and persuade with emotion via storytelling.
Take action: Call your best customers and discuss why you are looking for testimonials. Create a sense of urgency, explain why, and provide examples. Here is a good reference article: How To Ask For A Testimonial: My Simple, Repeatable Process
9. Measure success
Like a good lesson plan or project, you should always begin with the end in mind. A solid video release includes several Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for your video’s effectiveness. Common examples of video KPIs are engagement, rate of play, view count, click-through, comments/feedback, bounce rate, social shares, and conversion rate.
Take action: Choose your KPIs and create a plan that will measure their effectiveness. If you are new to video measurement, check out How to Measure Success in Your Video Marketing Campaign or even the tips from Marketo: 5 Video Metrics to Measure Success
10. Plan for obsolescence
The video you just worked so hard to create is now aging. It will eventually be outdated. So, plan for that time and date now. I suggest having action steps in place for regular intervals to guarantee it doesn’t just get posted and fade away silently.
Take action: Regularly optimize the data that surrounds your video release, i.e update your title, descriptions, and hashtags so they reflect the changing marketplace. Make your blog posts feature the video over the course of months/years. Set a milestone to evaluate the video’s effectiveness and determine: Should I make another video?
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