Video is undoubtedly an excellent way to disseminate information and boost customer engagement.  The increase in video as a communication medium serves as proof.  YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world (with Google holding the top spot).  People can engage with rich video media in a way not possible through text, and Nate Elliot of Forrester asserts that videos are 50 times more likely to show up on Google’s first page of search results.  Video seems, and is, an attractive option to reach out to and interact with your target audience.  But a key component is often overlooked – relevancy.  Upwards of 48 hours of new video uploads occur via YouTube every minute.  Some of these have misleading headings, and many can be useless or unrelated to the searcher’s true needs.

How will your video stand out?  Relevancy.  People must personally identify with your video message to be engaged and watch the entire clip.  Users want to find video that solves their problems, suggests solutions, or features content with which they can truly identify.  Relevant content is vital to ensuring engagement.

Looking at SundaySky’s 2012 State of Video in E-Commerce report, shorter video ads that lack personalization capture a 50% rate of consumer completion.  On the flip side, longer, consumer-personalized video ads had viewing durations 2.5 times longer than that of their shorter counterparts lacking personal relevancy.

It is apparent that increased relevancy results in a more engaged audience, one that is willing to and wants to watch your video in its entirety.  Video advertising is finding increased usage among Internet retailers.  More resources are being devoted to creating videos and video campaigns that capture and retain the interest of consumers.  SundaySky found that, among the top 50 online retailers, over 45 percent feature more than 1,000 videos on their individual sites.  This was a marked increase from about 22 percent the previous year.  A move toward personalization accompanies this increase in video content.  For instance, the majority of top U.S. cable and telecommunication companies are exploring the possibility of using video to send bills to their customer base.  It will be interesting to see how else companies leverage video to connect with their customers in the future.

Beyond relevant videos, making sure your video can and will be found is important.  If videos are not optimized with an eye to what people search, they are likely not reaching your target audience.  Not reaching the intended audience renders video useless.  Video SEO, video search engine optimization, can drastically improve video rankings to ensure your company’s messages are received.  Successful video SEO stems from a deep understanding of your target audience – their language, needs, and wants.  In other words, relevancy.

Common video search engine optimization strategies include: ensuring video has relevant, high quality content; using key-word rich titles and descriptions; tagging videos with words that the target audience is likely to use; submitting video sitemaps to search engines; providing transcripts of video content; and including embedding and sharing options.  Landing pages should also utilize relevant keywords to take full advantage of video.

To gain the full benefits of video and boost consumer engagement, strive for relevant content backed by sound video SEO practices.Check out our free ebook, “Go Big on the Small Screen: Learn How to Use Video to Crush the Competition”.

About Small Screen Producer

Small Screen Producer is a full service, marketing firm located in Houston, Texas that specializes in online digital media marketing through a 4-step process. Step 1: WE PLAN a custom web presence strategy for your business through website design and development, mobile development, social media account creation and branding. STEP 2: We then POSITION your brand thr