Blogs and internet videos have been around for years, yet so many of our clients hate it when they’re told they need to maintain a blog or produce videos for their internet marketing.
Why?
Because they hate to write, they don’t have time for it or they aren’t sure what to write about. And, when we explain the importance of creating high-quality short videos, it’s like we’ve said that a full-length award-winning film needs to be produced weekly.
Clients think video production is complex and unaffordable, plus “everyone at the office is camera shy” and what topics would their videos cover even if they could find someone to speak on camera?
If you aren’t a good writer or you dislike writing then the idea of having to create several blog posts per week is really annoying. And, yes, video production can be expensive. Plus, if you are already completely slammed with the responsibilities associated with running a business then taking the time to produce written and video content does sound impossible.
Conclusion: videos and blogs are great for other companies who can afford to create them, but they just aren’t a good fit for your business, right?
Wrong!
Just like with any other obstacle you face in business, you need to find a way to overcome where you’re stuck. In this blog post, we’ll go over some of the reasons why you need to include blog posts and videos in your internet marketing along with some suggestions how you can work around some of the resistance and obstacles that are stopping you from generating these important aspects of a successful online marketing strategy.
SPOILER ALERT: Since this article is about videos and blog posts, we’re going to provide you with a simple and effective strategy for implementing video in conjunction with your blog posts.
Why Do You Need Blog Posts?
If you have never heard the phrase, “Content Is King” then you are extremely late to this party we call “digital marketing.”
Content is and has been King. Why? Because Google LOVES content and we want Google to LOVE our website. And, it’s not just about Google, either. Our audience also loves content. Our potential buyers and future customers love content.
Let’s take a step back and think about how and why people use the internet.
- Looking for something they want or need (product, service, directions, etc.)
- Researching a topic of interest; looking for ideas
- Entertainment
- Connecting with others
There may be other reasons and we could define each of the ones above further, but these are the main reasons people hop on their laptop or iPhone and fire up a web browser.
Why does it matter?
Because, content is what caters to each of the needs listed above.
Content is truly the core and foundation of the internet and what drives people to utilize it. A blog post about how much social media should cost, a video about how to swap the battery on your Jeep Cherokee, a funny show that’s streaming on Netflix or the social profile of a friend from high school are all content.
Since we know that content is why people use the internet, if we want our businesses to be found online then we must create content for our businesses. Get it?
And, you don’t just need content for the sake of adding content, either.
Think of the Internet as a book store and your website is a book on a shelf in that store. Having a website with content or, in this analogy, a book got you into the bookstore, right? What happens when someone walking through the bookstore sees your book on the shelf and decides to take a peek inside? If your book sucks then he or she is going to put it right back on the shelf.
In the same way, your website and its pages need to be filled with unique, informative and useful content so that when visitors land on your web pages they read, share and interact with what’s there. You might be able to get search engines to rank your pages even if visitors don’t really like your content, but pages that users don’t like or engage with are ultimately pretty useless.
In summary, you need blog posts because content is the core of the internet (you can’t have a bookstore without books), and it’s also loved by search engines and your potentials and existing customers.
A blog is your opportunity to gain visibility in search results, which will drive traffic to your site and traffic turns into revenue.
For specific information about how often you need to post to your blog, check out this post. We’ve included some research that’s been performed by HubSpot that will solidify the importance of keeping a well-maintained blog.
Hopefully, you realize the importance of blogging now.
Next, let’s discuss the main objections we hear from clients who want to start a blog, but feel they can’t:
“I hate writing, so there’s no way I am going to dedicate time to blogging.”
More than 50% of our clients hate to write. They feel they aren’t good at it or just don’t enjoy doing it. That’s understandable. But let me ask you this … if you hate accounting then does that stop you from owning a successful business? Of course not. You find an accountant or your hire someone to manage your books. If you don’t have someone on staff who you can rely on to create a few blog posts each week then outsource it.
“I don’t have time to write blog posts.”
We all have the same 24 hours per day and there’s someone else with less time than you who is finding time to generate content for their website. However, if you truly cannot find the time in your schedule and you cannot delegate it to someone else on your staff, then hire a blog writing service.
“I don’t know what to write about.”
No one knows your business better than you, right? You are an expert in your field. And, don’t customers ask you the same questions over and over again? Listening to your customers is one of the best ways you can generate ideas for blog topics. Also, there are some more advanced SEO strategies for finding blog topics, so consider outsourcing topic creation if you need help.
One last thing we hear frequently is that clients are concerned about outsourcing blog creation because they don’t think anyone will know enough about their products or services to write about them. Actually, in this case, outsourcing is perfect for you because it’s likely your potential clients don’t know nearly as much as you either.
It’s very common for us to create topic suggestions with very short blog posts for our clients
Stop making excuses and start doing what needs to be done to make your internet marketing a success!
A Few Pointers About Creating Good Blog Posts
- We mentioned this already, but it’s really important – your blog posts need to be unique (meaning you aren’t cutting and pasting from somewhere else) and they need to be high-quality. What’s a quality blog post? It’s simply a blog post that someone would want to read. Quality blogs are informative and speak to their audiences effectively.
- Blog posts need to at least 1500 words and closer to 2500 or more is better. Yah, no one likes to hear that, but it’s true. There have been numerous studies done about the ideal length of blog articles, so feel free to Google this topic or you can read more about it here.
- Presentation matters! By adding relevant graphics and video clips throughout your posts, you provide a more rich and interactive experience for your readers. Embed relevant social content, include charts and graphics that support your writing or add videos that summarize key points. Also, using header tags is a great way to make your blog articles easier to read, while also implementing great on page SEO.
- Links are money. Link to relevant content on your site and link to relevant content on other sites. Link building is an important part of SEO and you can read more about that here.
Alright, so you know you need a blog with awesome consistent posts, but let’s talk about videos.
Why Do You Need Videos?
There are so many more reasons than we can even list to include video production in your internet marketing strategy, but just to name a few:
- YouTube is one of the largest search engines. What does that mean? When people are looking for information, products and services they search YouTube. If you don’t have any videos then you can’t show up in those search results.
- Social media platforms (like Facebook) “favor” or prioritize video content. Have you noticed that if a page you like or a friend you follow “goes live” on Facebook that you are notified and that video becomes dominant in your newsfeed?
- It’s believed that by 2020 (yikes that’s not far away), more than 80% of consumer internet traffic will be video.
- Content is King!! Remember how we covered the importance of content? It applies to videos, too.
Next, let’s discuss the main objections we hear from clients who want to produce videos, but feel they can’t:
“Video production is complex and expensive.”
Ten or fifteen years ago, we would’ve agreed with this statement, but it’s just simply not true anymore. There are so many options for affordable video production and, if you’re lost then a quick Google search will point you in the right direction. If you look at the reasons why you need video in our internet marketing strategy then you’ll realize you really can’t afford NOT to produce videos.
“I’m camera shy.”
Yes, you and 80% of the population! If you don’t want to appear in your own videos then you have a few options:
- Get over it and do it anyway. Many of our clients who think they look awful on camera actually look amazing and do an excellent job in front of the lens. However, if your lack of ability to present truly affects the quality of your videos, there are other options.
- Find someone else to do it. If there isn’t an extrovert rockstar presenter at your office who wants to be the face of your company, then there are many other options including utilizing whiteboard videos or outsourcing to a professional spokesperson.
“I don’t know what topics to cover in my marketing videos.”
If this is your largest objection to creating awesome digital marketing videos, we’ve got great news for you! Remember the importance of creating unique and useful blog posts? Well, since you’re already going to implement a plan to maintain a blog, you’ve already got topics for blog posts … therefore, you’ve also got great topics for videos!
Yep, it’s that simple.
Creating short 1-2 minute videos that summarize your blog posts is an extremely effective content strategy. Place these summary videos at the top of your blog post like we’ve done here. By providing a summarized version of the your blog post in a video, you are giving your audience the opportunity to digest your awesome content in the manner they choose.
Also, traffic landing on your blog post and watching the video before reading the post will “dwell” on your blog post longer. Dwell time tells search engines that your content is engaging. It’s an important aspect of search engine algorithms and has a profound effect on your website’s position in search results.
A Few Pointers About Creating Good Videos
Quality marketing videos aren’t hard to produce. Here are a few tips to help you:
- Shorter is usually better and that’s good news. Videos that are 1-4 minutes should give you enough time to cover your topic. Long videos tend to seem like they’re dragging and, unless your content dictates that you need a longer video (like a TED talk or a software walkthrough) then you need to focus on getting your message across efficiently.
- Post to YouTube and/or Vimeo first and then share from there. We already mentioned that YouTube is one of the largest search engines so post your videos there first. Another great reason is that YouTube and Vimeo are both already configured to stream your videos with no issues – and they both make it easy for users to share your videos. Don’t try to figure out hosting your own videos; put existing video platforms to work for you.
- Include a call to action and contact information. Your video could be shared anywhere and with anyone. And, if a viewer can’t figure out how to reach you or what steps to take to buy that awesome product you’re selling, then you’re losing potential sales and connections.
Alright, time to start writing amazing blog posts! And, don’t forget to pair those blog articles with awesome marketing videos!
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