Blogging? Using Video? Why Not?

If you haven't yet considered using video content to drive traffic to your blog, now is the time. Video content is engaging and compelling. It's also widely viewed on many online platforms and devices. Here are some tips that I found that do work. Some of them kind of bug me as a consumer myself but they do work and you can pick and choose what you think might work for your blog.
Using video is a creative way to drive more traffic to your blog. There are many video platforms and marketing strategies that can help you meet your business goals and make your blog grow. What's more, video content can lead to greater engagement with your brand. In a recent study on video, 53 percent of consumers overall and 66 percent of millennials engaged with a brand by visiting their site or doing more research after viewing the brand's video. 
Use video platforms
While your blog should be the focus of your content creation efforts, it's essential to create content on other platforms, too. Reach a wide audience by creating videos on popular platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo, which make it easy to upload and share content.
You can also directly upload videos to your business's social media pages. These videos can help you drive traffic by directing viewers to your website for supplemental or bonus content. For example, a food blogger can create dessert tutorials on their video channel and divert traffic to their blog for the full recipe. Connecting information from a video to a blog is an inventive way to save time recording and to increase blog traffic.
Add video content to your blog
Written content is the most common form of content found on blogs. But adding a visual aspect, such as videos, can boost engagement and keep people on your site longer. In fact, the aforementioned study found that 29 percent of millennials find video content more memorable than any other content type. Images, movement and sounds come together to make videos highly engaging, thus creating more recall than other forms of content.

Make video creation a part of your content strategy with these ideas:

• Online courses and tutorials: People frequently search for videos to answer how-to questions and build skills. They are willing to spend time and even purchase access to such content. You can then send viewers to your blog to view supplementary resources and other materials.
• Live webinars: Webinars are appealing because they give people a chance to directly connect with a brand and ask questions in real time. This creates a deeper connection by showing that there's a real person behind the brand. You can gain more subscribers to your blog by offering attendees additional content or specials when they sign up for your blog or services.
• Vlogs: Vlogs, or video blogs, are personal and nonpromotional. They offer a glimpse into the "real" life of an individual or business. You can use this to build an online audience that's invested in your content.
• Interviews: Interviews with experts are exciting and informative. Invite experts in your field, and ask questions that interest your audience.
• Product reviews: People depend on reviews as part of their research before buying a product. Creating product and brand reviews can help draw people to your blog.
• Event live streaming: Another great idea is to livestream an industry-related event. This needs a video setup, but once done, it's an easy way to create valuable content. 
Using different forms of video can help you boost your blog’s subscription rate. You can also create email marketing blasts inviting your email list to an exclusive video seminar. Find creative ways to leverage videos to draw in more people to your blog. 
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Take advantage of social media stories
Stories are present on virtually all social media platforms today. They are a popular way to share video content, consisting of short videos that last for a few seconds and disappear after 24 hours.
Create short video content on these platforms and use hashtags, stickers, polls and text to make people aware of your blog. Humor is a universal feeling, so try creating short stories that entertain and make people laugh. You can also create limited-time offers that create the fear of missing out (FOMO) and drive people to your blog. I personally as a consumer find this method kind of irritating and tacky, but it does work.
What's more, Instagram allows accounts with 10,000 followers to create a link to their stories. It's also possible to add a link to a description when using Instagram TV (IGTV). Lastly, don't forget to link to your blog in your profile description.
In Conclusion
Video content is widely consumed, and is easier than ever to make. It's an effective way to add a face and personality to your blog, making it more engaging to people. Help your blog grow by making video content a part of your marketing strategy. Have questions? Reach out us here at FDMC Digital Media. We will be happy to help!
-Roy

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Tags: #video, #blogging, #vlogging, #contentmarketing, #socialmedia