These days, firms of all sizes and budgets are increasingly coming to rely on video as a primary marketing channel to explain what they do and the benefits they can bring to their clients. However, with the huge glut of video content that exists online already, it’s becoming harder and harder for firms to first gain the attention of viewers then hold them for the duration of their marketing message.
If you find your YouTube channel stats aren’t as high as you’d like them to be or your videos simply aren’t being found or watched online, below are a few tried-and-tested tips that could help you improve.
Always make your own thumbnails
While YouTube (and other social platforms) do a relatively good job of capturing a thumbnail of your video productions, it’s unlikely it will do much in terms of summing up the content particularly well. Given users are bombarded with huge amounts of video content already online, the thumbnail is your chance to accurately encapsulate the point of your media file and give sufficient temptation for the user to click play.
At a minimum, you should ensure you give your video an interesting or intriguing title but you should also go one step further and take a screenshot with the title included to make your video thumbnail more appealing. See video intro maker here to give your video a quality look with a professional and appealing intro.
Use subtitles
It’s often tempting for content creators to fall into the trap of thinking their potential audience has been sitting anxiously waiting for their latest release, however the reality is frequently the complete opposite. Often your potential viewers will be browsing content on their commute to work, at their desk or over lunch – in places where they simply can’t turn up the audio. To be sure your video has the maximum impact on the greatest number of people you should think about including closed captioning so that your message is maintained – no matter when or where the person is viewing it.
Remember, time is short (particularly when it comes to video)
Recent research shows the average attention span of internet users is around eight seconds – little wonder when you consider just how much media is online already. If you’re to hold the attention of viewers, it’s essential you quickly get into the action and keep explanations short. Once you’ve generated a hook, you can expand on your content but those first few seconds are crucial to gain and hold interest.
Even novelists have been hit by the downward trend in attention span length with books consistently becoming shorter over the last 10 or so years – so, think wisely before you launch into a long and expansive introduction to your videos. Likely, your viewers will already have clicked away before they’ve even reached the main content.
Tell a story rather than going for the hard sell
Speak to any marketing expert and they’ll tend you – it’s the benefits of a product or service that sells it, not the features. Concentrating on the benefits of a product creates an emotional connection between the viewer and the item – and one of the best ways to do that is by telling a story.
