Video Tips

Woman recording video with camera

Why include subtitles & captions in video

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You may be forgiven for thinking that with video content if you record someone speaking to the camera then the jobs done. Let’s face it, as a digital marketing agency, we constantly go on about the benefits of imagery especially video as part of your marketing strategy and how it helps improve engagement on your website and reach on social media. In fact, 87% of marketers say that video has increased website traffic.

So, surely recording yourself talking to the camera or interviewing someone is enough as we can all listen to what’s being said? Well…sort of.

This is where you have to think of your target audience.

For starters how do they like to receive their information. Will people be viewing videos on their mobile? In which case, they are likely to be out and about and therefore the sound may be off as they commute to work or sit in a coffee shop. And, you should cater for everyone so those that are hard of hearing can also enjoy the content you are producing.

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Boost your rankings in search

We recently wrote a blog about whether video can help with SEO – and this is another key reason that you should be considering subtitles and captions.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is about helping to improve your website ranking in search engine results pages. We recommend writing scripts before you record so that you can incorporate your keywords which are important for SEO. Even the name of the video file is useful for SEO so think about this when you upload to the video channels as it should contain keywords. 

We also recommend having accounts on channels such as Vidyard, Vimeo and YouTube. This all helps with your rankings in search.

On YouTube you can add an SRT file to enable you to add subtitles and closed captions rather than burn them onto the video file.

Digital marketing agency

We are a Croydon based digital marketing agency offering SEO services including video creation, blog content writing, keyword research, local SEO, Google Ad campaigns to help improve your online presence and visibility online as your SEO experts.

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Using social media for inbound marketing

Stand out on social media

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The pandemic and lockdown have caused more people than ever to turn to social media platforms as a means of staying connected with loved ones, finding new ways to keep busy and to do business. With a global surge of new social media users which grew to 3.96 billion at the start of July 2020, we take a look at some of the latest trends in social media and how new functions could help or hinder your business.

Video and social

A trend, which has certainly been heightened since the popularity of TikTok, is using short and snappy videos to showcase your products or services. With 41% of Tik Tok users between 16 and 24 years old this is quite a specific target audience. It’s not for all businesses, but it’s an indication of the importance of video for reaching out to people.

In fact, 82% of twitter users watch video content. Video stands out in a social feed and can give you the edge of a competitor as more people are drawn to video.

Instagram has introduced a similar segment to Tik Tok called Reels. Think of them as quick insight into your main Instagram feed. This is a great social channel for really showcasing products as it’s totally image led. The stories function also allows you to add video content and this is quite prominently placed when followers scroll through their news feed.

Content marketing

But, video isn’t just about using it on a social media feed. Remember it’s another type of content. All your marketing activity is about generating leads and pushing prospects back to your website. So, when you share content on social media remember to add links back to your website.

Make sure your video content is showing on your website too. Adding them to your blog posts really help to liven up content. It makes for engaging content, builds brand awareness and trust, whilst helping to keep people on your website for longer. Placing a video above the fold towards the top of your page is the best position for it too.

Creating a social media marketing plan as part of your content marketing strategy will help to keep you on track so you don’t miss key dates and you can plan social media posts accordingly.

What social platform should you use for your business?

Unfortunately, the answer to which social media channels you should use for your business is not so easy – how long is a piece of string? Whilst you might think you are extending reach, not all social platforms are right for everyone’s business. Before you create a social account, look at your competitors to understand where they are placed and research what channels your target audience mainly uses.

Only give your time to social platforms which will make a difference to your business. For a professional services firm like an accountancy practice, TikTok isn’t the right channel, this is where LinkedIn, Twitter and even Facebook are much more fitting.

Your website hub

Your website should be the hub of all your activity. It enables you to link all your social platforms and digital marketing activity back to it. Regard it as your digital world. Including a link to your website in social posts is a great form of inbound marketing and perfect for lead generation.

Social media agency London

Get in touch for a free consultation. As a social media marketing company we can discuss social media strategies that could work for you, as well as how social media marketing can fit into an overall digital marketing plan for lead generation for your business.

Smart Cow is a digital marketing agency based in Croydon, South London.

Camera for video

Lights, camera, action! Using video for business

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With lots of people now working from home, many of us are getting to grips with video conferencing to hold our regular update meetings. But not only that, video is a great way to spread the word of your products and services, a tactic often used in digital marketing campaigns. 

Video is great for content marketing and sharing on social media, but don’t just take our word for it, just look at some of these staggering statistics: 

Well, it certainly makes sense to be in the mix when you see how popular video is.  

So, if you’re embarking on creating some short video tips for your clients and prospects or perhaps you’re looking to host a webinar, here’s our top tips for working on video. 

Tips for your delivery on camera  

  • Look at the lens. 
  • Keep hands away from your face. 
  • Don’t fidget – Don’t hold anything (if possible) as you’ll have a tendency to fidget with it. 
  • Avoid looking at notes when you’re talking. It doesn’t need to be word perfect. You want it to come across as natural.  
  • Smile or make sure your face is animated. Be expressive, much more than normal. 
  • Keep the message concise. 
  • Speak slowly. This helps make the piece authoritative, easier to understand and easier to edit. 
  • Practice, practice, practice. 
  • Above all – be natural. 

Tips for video set up 

  • Appearance: Check your appearance, hair, collar, background should be as clear as possible. 
  • Lighting: Nice soft light to the face, also a light to the wall behind works well, if possible. 
  • Sound: Make sure there is as minimal background sound as possible. Reduce the hum of your PC, fans, air conditioning, switch of the ringtone of mobiles, and your messages on PC/Laptop etc.  
  • Check your sound recording is good. 

Relevant content for Search Engine Optimisation  

It’s not about posting any video, it’s important that your video content is also targeted to your audience, with a relevant script, tagline and a clear call to action for increased engagement.   

If you haven’t already, then develop keywords and phrases for your business. This is simply about what key term you would like to be found for when people search online. The more content you produce using keywords the more your website is recognised by search engines and improves your search engine optimisation (SEO). This is relevant to video, not just written content. You can add captions to videos so that people don’t have to switch volume on.  

We’d recommend having accounts on channels such as Vidyard, Vimeo and YouTube. This all helps with your rankings in search. Think about the name of your video file and its title when you upload to the video channels as it should contain keywords.  On YouTube you can add an SRT file to enable you to add subtitles and closed captions rather than burn them onto the video file. This can help with SEO within the YouTube channel. Don’t forget this is another search engine.  

Video for your website  

It’s not just about sharing your videos on social media and adding to video channels such as YouTube. Remember that you should be adding the video to your website. Ideally you want to push social media posts back to your website to view the video. Remember that placing the video higher up the page is much better for engagement with website visitors.  

Smart Cow is a digital marketing agency in Croydon. If you’d like a free website review to look at how your website is performing in search to find out how an SEO campaign can help local search results, complete our form and we’ll take a look for you.  

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