Online video is everywhere… and people are watching. Watching online video has quickly become the new pastime, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.
According to a comScore study, released in February 2011, 82.5% of the U.S. Internet audience viewed a video online. And, according to Internet Retailer, an April 2010 report stated that consumers who watch product videos are 85% more likely to buy products compared to those who do not watch. So not only are people watching more videos, but – double whammy – they’re buying more as a result.
Another huge benefit of adding video to your site is improved Search Engine Optimization (SEO), generating higher rankings for your site on search engines. Higher rankings mean more visitors.
So you know you want to use more video in your content marketing strategy, but it might not always be easy to come up with ideas worthy of a video.
Here are 7 video topic ideas you can use to add more video to your site – improving SEO, driving more visits, and hopefully improving sales!
Video content idea 1: Educate or train.
This is the most obvious one which many screencasters do on a regular basis. Use video to teach people about your product or service. Provide information about the benefits and features you offer. Differentiate yourself from your competition. Add a face or some personality that viewers can identify with. Atlassian has some good examples of educational videos for their Jira product.
Video content idea 2: Present a case study.
Videos are a great way to share how customers are using your product. These can be as simple as explaining the problem the customer had, why they chose you, and how great the customer’s life is now (because of you). If you can get them on camera gushing about you, even better! But you can also do them quite professionally with graphics and voice overs. Here’s a great customer case study we got for our Wirecast product.
Video content idea 3: Present some research.
If you have access to any data, video is a great way to share it. I know realtors who create videos to simply share weekly sell/listing stats. Our friends at Wistia have access to aggregated video stats, and have used that to create some nice video content.
Video content idea 4: Reply to questions.
Use video to answer questions that come in through your support department or forums. Old Spice uses this approach in a hilarious way to interact with their customers. But this can also be used to answer support or service questions. Most businesses can easily identify 5 to 10 questions they’re asked most frequently. Make quick a quick video for each – stating the question, then answering it briefly. Use graphics if necessary to help demonstrate the answer.
Video content idea 5: Do a product review.
Review a 3rd-party product that may be of interest to your target audience. Are there products that your customers would buy to use with your product or service? Contact some of these and offer to do a review in exchange for a demo version of their product. Create honest reviews of these products or services. This is a great way to build trust with your audience. You’ll also open up a dialog about how people are using your product.
Video content idea 6: Take your viewers behind the scenes.
Video is a great way to give people a peek into the real-life workings of your company or business. Shoot some casual interviews with colleagues, or
Video content idea 7: Tell a story.
People love stories! And stories provide a way for your audience to connect with you. You could create a video to tell the history of starting your company, or tell your own personal story, which may illustrate your philosophy, or why you’re doing what you’re doing.
What other types of videos have you added to your site?
These are very good tips Lynn. As a video instructor I find that helping people is the best way to get them to watch a video. All of these tips are great and thank you so much for sharing.
I am all about helping and empowering people to find solutions to their web video questions.
Thanks Chip. And I’ve taken a look at your site, and you’ve got some great tips to help people with their videos.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Lynn