The right video can really hit home and send a powerful, informative message to your audience. Whether you create explainer videos or even do some live streaming, you can pull in quite an audience with the right video marketing strategy. But you don’t want to spend time and money creating brilliant videos only to have them sit out there all alone without anyone to watch. This is why it’s important for marketers to present the video the right way.
Choosing the right platform makes a huge difference in your inbound video marketing. How easy the platform is to work with, how easy it is for its viewers, whether it’s searchable, and other factors must be considered to find the best home for your videos. Here’s a list of 10 things inbound marketers need in a video platform.
YouTube. Vimeo. Wistia. Vidyard. The online video arena is a crowded one these days. What should a complex B2B inbound marketer look for when considering one of the many choices out there? Here’s a rundown of what we’ll explore:
As a marketer, do you want to be able to upload the production team’s latest video files yourself before lunch, or do you want to have to contact the web team and catch them in between tasks and have them do it for you when they can find the time? I’m guessing you’d want to be able to easily get it done yourself. When evaluating each option, read up on how user friendly they are.
The entire marketing process should be as streamlined as possible, rather than a many-headed disorganized monstrosity. Integration is key, and that includes the ability to grab leads from viewers who want to start a conversation and learn more. A platform that integrates with your marketing automation and CRM can create leads from your video views using turnstile forms or lead conversion forms from your marketing automation platform.
YouTube vs. Vimeo vs. Wistia: What’s Best for Video Content Marketing?
Will people be able to find your video once it’s up? You’ll want search engine optimization for search baked in. Titles and captions — so search engines can crawl the transcript — make videos stand out to search engines in all the right ways. A good video platform will make this process easy or even automated.
Don’t frustrate your viewers with videos that won’t load. That can cost you a potential customer and reflect negatively on your site when search engines notice slow load times and high bounce rates of people not getting what they want on your site. The right video platform will play your videos immediately and smoothly.
It’s important that videos be accessible, too. Not only do search engines look for that and rate you accordingly, but it’s vital to be inclusive and make sure everyone can experience your video content with ease. See that your chosen platform can make videos accessible. Wistia offers this useful accessibility checklist for guidance:1
Scrolling through movies of any genre on Netflix is a convenient and familiar way to find something you’re looking for, or even discover something new. Organizing your video content in a similar manner can give users an experience where they can binge watch your content and stay engaged — which gives you an SEO boost, since that SEO is embedded in your own site.
Here’s an example of what we mean with our own library of Learn Inbound videos.
Can a viewer subscribe to your videos after they see something they like? Anyone can make a channel on YouTube that’s easy to subscribe to, but that still lives on YouTube. Maybe that works for you, but you can still consider what other platforms allow there. Wistia’s Channels feature, for example, lets marketers group content together in one easy place for subscribers.
How are your videos performing? Are users watching the videos in their entirety? Are viewers sharing them on social media? You’re putting in all this effort to produce and publish engaging videos, so you’ll want to go with a platform that includes video analytics so you can see what’s working and what’s not. Even better: it integrates with your marketing automation and CRM for 360-degree customer attribution.
Do you create more than traditional videos? Do you have a podcast you also want to feature? Find a platform that’s able to host all your content media so you can embed them on your site and repurpose videos into podcasts, or vice versa.
These are your videos on your website, right? Make sure your platform keeps you in control of the creativity that goes into your work. It’s fine if people know where these videos are hosted, but don’t let the platform’s branding overshadow your own. See if you can find a platform that makes room for ample customization, like Wistia.
Whichever platform you choose, you’ll still need to bring your A-game and create compelling, informative video content that will attract, engage, and delight your audience. Click the link below to access our vast Video Marketing Resources, which include blogs and videos with tips and best practices you can implement today.
SOURCES
1Wistia, Make your videos more accessible for everyone, Undated
Topics: Video Marketing, Marketing Technology
