By Ryan Wilson
CEO, Team Trust
Don’t create, outsource or invest in video if it doesn’t make you money.
Period.
Too many organizations create video content that generates no views, zero engagement and not a penny.
You deserve more from your time and money.
I want to make it easier and more clear about how exactly you can monetize your videos, even the ones you’ve already done.
These tips may sound overwhelming, and that’s OK.
We could offer guidance, or you could gradually tackle more and more.
Social Media Is Your Friend
Your audience is very likely on social media, following your updates, events and programs.
Social media was designed for people to connect and build relationships, and you should leverage it as much as you can.
Upload videos directly onto each platform (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.). We get way more views on videos embedded directly onto social media than when we share a YouTube link or, worse yet sharing a DropBox link.
The file may take a few minutes to upload, but it’s worth it.
If your video file is too long or large for Twitter or Instagram, ask your editor to cut snippets of the video for you to share.
You can then include a link to the full video in your social media post.
Also, share videos multiple times on each platform.
All of your followers will not see your video in your first post. Schedule the post, using Facebook Meta Suite, TweetDeck or LinkedIn’s scheduling tool, at different times on different days.
Spread out the posts across several months. That way, you aren’t overwhelming your audience with the same clip.
Be A Scientist Or Fail Trying
When you post across your social media, you need to know exactly what is working and what is not.
You can use the platform’s analytics and / or your website’s, and you should test each variable one a time.
You would want to test and measure each of the below variables, and you can track which works best (generates more views, leads, donations, etc):
– time of post
– day of post
– post text
– call to action
– which thumbnail is better
Test only one variable at a time to identify the largest leverage point.
This is the exact process I follow for my personal YouTube channel, and I have seen increases in video views up to 700 percent by just changing the headline.
Businesses have grown significantly by testing.
There’s More Than Facebook
You should include the video on your website.
If you create blog posts / articles like this, create a post about a “new” video, and link to the video.
You could also embed the video in your newsletters to show, or remind, your audience what you’re doing and how you can help them.
Go Old School
You need to strategically distribute your videos across as many touch points as possible.
Here is a list of other distribution channels:
– fundraising events (very succesful for our clients)
– sales proposals
– sales presentations
You can reuse and repurpose old videos across each of these mediums.
Give Me A ‘Lil Direction
You need to include a “Call To Action” in your videos.
A call to action could be anything from a message to visit your website, make a donation, get involved, etc.
If people like your video or organization, then they will want to know how to get more involved.
Our call to action in this video was an ask for a donation.
I hope these tips give you a “lil direction.” They will work, but only if you commit to success.
Video should work for you.
Don’t let them fail.
If you’d like to learn more, you are welcome to give me a call or send me an email.