Top Tips to Catch Your Viewers' Attention in Video Marketing

If your video doesn't get viewed, then you're not going to "reel" in those customers. So, you need to make sure it catches their attention, and holds it until the video is over. There are fourteen basic steps that will help you in making a video that does just that:

Find a great keyword:

Websites like YouTube and Daily motion allow people to search via keywords. So, you want your video to have a unique keyword associated with it; something that your competition won't use, but also isn't so obscure that no one will use it in a search. Yes, that can be challenging, but it you're successful; you'll greatly increase your chances of getting lots of hits.

Edit your files:

Now, don't get all nervous about that word - "editing." You're not expected to be the next George Lucas. This just means editing a few, small files for your website. In fact, you can use something as simple as Notepad to replace the site's AdSense ID with yours. You can also edit/add a banner, and edit/insert text along the side edge of the site. There is software like iMovies or Windows Movie Maker that doesn�t cost much and will allow you to add titles and special effects to your video. Sometimes it's the little touches that make all the difference.

Keep it brief:

The video on your website can be longer; after all, that's when you want to give you clients as much detail as possible. But a video on something like YouTube should be no more than two minutes long. The site will accept a video as long as ten minutes, but that's pushing it. Remember the old saying: "Brevity is the soul of wit." Something too long will turn off viewers. So, shoot for something between thirty seconds and two minutes.

Clarity:

Make your descriptions short, concise and clear. Be specific and accurate. You want to create interest in your product, but you also want to be truthful about it. Internet viewers will go to your website, check out your product and report what they find to others. So, if your video is the least bit deceptive, they'll nail you for it! Then you are talking about bad word of mouth, and that's the last thing you want floating around the Internet.

Don't fake it:

Here again, this is all about honesty. If you put up a company-made video and try to pass it off as some sort of customer testimonial, the viewers will see through it, and (once again) nail you on it. This is where you get real customers to really tell what they have to say about your product. Sometimes, this can be difficult, getting people to take the time to videotape what they have to say about your product. The answer to that problem is simple: stage a contest. Tell clients they'll get a prize for the best video telling the world what's so great about your product. It's up to you to come up with the prize. Then, you post the winner's video on the various sites. Done right, it can be very effective.

Get the word out:

One problem with posting a video is that everyone is doing it. There's the issue of getting people to see it. Well, create links to the video site. Also, use your e-mail to its maximum extent. When you send an e-mail to a client or business associate, mention the video and tell them which site(s) it's on.

Get the bloggers in on it:

Today, blogging is practically an industry unto itself. So, get the message out to the blogs and the people who post to them. The more lists you can get your video mentioned on, the greater the chances are that people will take a look.