YouTube marketing Archives

Brands Should Rethink Their Video Ad Strategy

Recently Digiday reported that an incredible 85% of Facebook videos are watched with the sound muted. That seems astonishingly high, right? Keep in mind that Facebook reports a video ad view after only three seconds of play. That means, if you are sitting on the train ride home and accidentally tap the play arrow to start a video, then three seconds later, bam!; You are counted as having watched a video.

Does 85% seems crazy high to you? Yeah, me too. As an advertiser, I am more interested in viewers who stayed to watch a little longer. Someone who watched for at least 30 seconds has shown more interest and intent then those accidental three-second views.

Either way, content creators must keep in mind that a video viewer may be watching a video with the sound muted or in a setting where it is hard to hear. Videos must convey their message with the sound off as well as on. Few can get everything across to a muted watcher, but at least the main points should get through.

How does a video ad creator accomplish this? One very important feature for both the sound-on and sound-off experience is to capture the audience’s attention immediately. Tell them what they are going to see next. Tell them, and tell them quickly!

Tips for the sound-off video experience:

Capture viewers’ attention within the first 8 – 10 seconds. Tell the viewers exactly what they are going to see in just a few words
Add captions – Word-for-word caption can be added to the upload. Another option is to add text right on the screen. You do not have to add everything, just the main points
Show them – Try to show viewers with graphics or post-production editing, the main points of the content. Don’t overdo it by making it complicated
Be mindful of your average watch times – Both Facebook and YouTube analytics give channel admins average watch times. What is the average amount of time a user stays on a video? It is probably under three minutes

Anything above that is a great number! Unless you are creating step-by-step tutorials or teaching complex topics, it is best to keep videos short and sweet. If your watch time is short or your videos are not attracting your ideal audience, then it is time to rethink your scripts and audience targeting.

Sources:
http://digiday.com/platforms/silent-world-facebook-video/

Seven Ways to Instantly Make Your YouTube Videos Better!

You should be on YouTube! It is a good addition to your search engine optimization strategy as well as your social media marketing effort. Videos are an engaging way to reach your audience. There is something for everyone on YouTube. The social channel appeals to all age ranges. YouTube has over a YouTube has over one billion users — almost one-third of all people on the Internet.

YouTube overall, and even YouTube on mobile alone, reaches more 18-34 and 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the U.S.

If you are working on your YouTube channel, be patient. Remember how it was when you first built your website? It takes effort, consistency and patience as your start to build your website content. It is important to pay attention to viewers’ watch times, so you can where your users are dripping off, what is popular, and what appeals to them. This will help your channel gain popularity and build a following.

There are, however, some easy additions you use to enhance your videos to make them instantly more appealing to users. Below are Seven Ways to Instantly Make Your YouTube Videos Better. These are tasks you can start using right away!

Branding

is the channel icon or messaging in the lower right corner of the screen. Viewers can click on it to go to the channel to see all of your videos. It is a good way to encourage users to subscribe.

Annotations

– YouTube annotations make YouTube videos video clickable. Viewers can click on the annotation and go to the associated website, a YouTube channel, fundraising platform, or other. The downside to annotations is only desktop users see them. So check you analytics and see what your viewership uses to watch your channel.

YouTube Cards

– YouTube Cards are the replacement for YouTube Annotations. For now, both annotations and cards function. YouTube Cards work for mobile viewers and have the same functions but only appear as an “information available” icon in the upper right corner of the screen. Many have reported increased click-thrus with Cards. Cards look much nicer than Annotations. Admins are able to choose their own artwork for each Card.

Featured Video

– A YouTube Featured Video is the one at the top of the channel, just below the cover art. A Featured Video can be used to announce a promotion, or better yet, to inform viewers what a channel is about. Featured videos are changed as often as desired. Subscriber and non-subscribers can be shown the same or different videos, depending on their status.

Playlists

– YouTube playlists are a good way to organize a YouTube channel. As you add more videos, it can become harder to find older videos should a viewer wish to refer back to older content. Playlists organize videos by topic, date, or however you wish to name them.

Cover photo / cover art

– Cover art, banner image, cover photo, however you want to name it is the large image at the top of a YouTube channel. Like a Featured Video, it conveys messaging. Don’t let your messaging be “I didn’t bother to customize any channel art!” Create an image that supports your branding message. There are no restrictions on text coverage, so be sure to include other ways for viewers to find you online!

Intro clip

– An introductory video clip at the beginning of each video is a way to grab viewers’ attention. Like the title screen, an intro clip tells the user in under ten seconds (preferably five seconds) what the video is about. With an intro clip, the user does not have to wait to see if your video is what they were looking for. It can grab attention and keep viewers engaged.

My YouTube metrony YouTube video on Seven Ways to Instantly Make Your YouTube Videos Better is available on YouTube.