Would you agree besides Google, Youtube is the next popular platform that we go to whenever we need information and/ or to learn something new? It is the internet’s second largest search engine and everyone’s favourite online video sharing platform.
Youtube allows users to view, upload, share, rate, add to playlists, report, comment on videos and subscribe to other users. With the current mobile phone technology, we can even use our mobile phones to shoot videos and upload them onto Youtube. Creating videos is that easy!
So what does this mean for individuals and more importantly, for business owners? Similar to social media, you not only can use Youtube to share about your personal hobbies but also about your business especially if it depends heavily on any category or mixture of visual, auditory and kinesthetic senses like fitness workouts or travel vlogging. The video genres are vast and unlimited on Youtube.
Youtube has over 1.9 billion monthly active users and they watch a billion hours of videos every day. That equals 114,000 years of videos being consumed every day! Crazy high, isn’t it? You might have tried to play around with video making before but are still fuzzy about how to make good ones to upload onto Youtube for branding so here you are.
These are the top 4 tips for making awesome Youtube videos.
1. Plan your video content
Before you start working on your first script or storyboard, think about your target audience. About what their problems and/ or issues are, what they need to know and how they benefit from your videos. If you are not sure, you can do some research and see how your competitors are using video content in their marketing strategies.
At the same time, you can also do keyword research so you can put highly ranked search keywords into your content and meta description to leverage on the search engine optimization (SEO) to dramatically increase the number of views.
Use a cohesive tone for your video content, making sure how the overall mood and video elements such as music, lighting and colour composition are well-pieced together and thus being able to reflect your branding in a clear and eye-catching manner.
2. Use the equipment you already have
You might think you need to buy very expensive equipment to shoot good videos. Well, not totally true. With the current smartphone models and their high quality cameras, you can even use your mobile phones to shoot videos and this is suitable for Youtube amateurs or for businesses who are working on a tight budget.
Prior to shooting, be sure to run an audio test. Nothing turns people off more than poor quality audio so having clear audio is crucial to making your target audience feel that you are an expert and professional in your niche. Choose a quiet environment to test how close you need to be to the camera. Alternatively, you may want to invest in an external microphone to ensure effortless, clear and high quality audio.
3. Attention-grabbing intro and outro
How many times did you start watching a video but chose to close it within 5 seconds? Today’s video viewers are very fussy about content and quality so you gotta grab their attention in the first 5 seconds if not they will be gone in a jiffy!
A good attention grabbing intro is a 2 liner, telling viewers what you are sharing and how they are going to benefit from watching. Eg. If you are in the fitness industry, you can say “In just 15 minutes, I am going to show you simple workout techniques and share some helpful tips to lose 5kg in 1 month!
Assuming you got your target audience hooked from the intro to the end of your video, you can use the outro video to “push” them to take action. It should include a call to action like subscribing to your channel, visiting your website or contacting your team to find out more. Either way, it is good to provide clear and concise calls to action (CTA) so they know what to do next.
4. Video editing and optimization
There are many free resources available on the web to edit your videos on various operating systems. Just like blog articles, it is good to make longer videos as they rank better than shorter videos. Backlinko analyzed 1.3 Million YouTube Videos and found that the average length of a video on the first page of YouTube is 14 minutes, 50 seconds.
Therefore you will want to make sure when you upload your videos, they are optimized. Youtube transcribes your video content so make sure the main keyword is spoken at least 2 to 3 times in the script. Put the keyword in the title and description, preferably at the front and make sure it is click-worthy by adding an attractive thumbnail. Choose a thumbnail with bright and engaging colours and put some text in too so that it will instantly grab people’s attention!
Finally, use tags to ensure maximum impact. You can use multiple variations of the same idea. Eg. “How to lose 5kg in 1 month” or “Use 1 month to lose 5kg”. Combined with keyword research, you can be sure that there is significant leverage on making your video noticeable and clickbaitable during search results.
Making videos can be easy even when you are just starting out and with just a little tweak in content, audio and lighting; it can make a huge difference between good and bad quality videos. We hope these tips will help you and give you the confidence to get started on your video making journey!
