This week we launched a new daily online TV show called The Siesta Show for our website. I have spent a huge amount of time getting my head around this whole video thing and what it can do for traffic and conversions. It's early days for us but here are some tips I've gathered so far.
1. Keep them short
People definitely prefer shorter videos. It seems the 5 minute mark is about right, although longer videos can work if the content is very good and useful.
2. Distribute them
There is a free service called TubeMogul which allows you to distribute your videos to many of the top video sites. This is very useful in getting your video content out to a wide variety of people.
3. Use keywords
Search engines aren't yet able to index video content, so make sure you include your keywords in the title of the video and in the tags....very important.
4. Submit a video sitemap
Always put the videos on their own pages on your site and submit a Google Video sitemap to make sure that Google sees the videos on your own site.
5 Prepare for iTunes
If you're producing regular video then make sure you can produce an iTunes compatible RSS feed to target iTunes users, which run into the millions! Submit your feed to iTunes.
6. Make them entertaining
Try and make your videos entertaining. It's easier to say than do but it will help to spread the word.
7. Encourage other sites to embed it
If you are producing videos about say, your local area, contact some other websites that may be interested in embedding your videos into their site. Most video sites have an embed function for their players.
8. Ask for feedback
It's always great to receive comments so try and ask your viewers to leave a comment. It will make your videos seem popular and encourage more views.
9. Add your details
Try and make your web address either appear throughout the video or definitely at the beginning or at the end. Some sites like Viddler let you actually put your own logo in the play which links back to your site...very handy.
10. Have fun
I personally find it very difficult to be in front of a camera but I find I get better just relaxing, being myself and enjoying it. It can be fun.
Hope this helps some of you thinking of using video on your sites. I've still got a lot to learn and I'll let you know how it goes.
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