It can be easy to want to stop and give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done after uploading a video to YouTube but it is so important to have a strategy to make your videos more social!
When it comes to you engaging you audience, uploading your video to YouTube is just the first step! In order for your YouTube video to be successful and help your business, it needs to engage your audience and cause them to interact socially.
You definitely need a Social Strategy for your videos!
Check out the 7 Tips below to build your video social strategy:
1. EDIT YOUR VIDEO ON YOUTUBE!
When you upload your video to YouTube, you can further edit your video. Do it! To further edit your video, click on "Video Manager" in the dropdown next to your name. See picture below.
Then, click on "edit" next to the specific video that you want to socialize. See picture below.
Now you need to edit the overall video for socialization. To do this you will need to:
a. First, pick an engaging thumbnail. YouTube provides you with 3 options. Pick the one that best represents the video and makes your audience curious.
b. Second, make sure your title is attention grabbing. Your title also needs to include the best-related keyword phrase.
c. Third, put the best related website link first in the description section. This way it is sure to show up and viewers can easily engage by finding more information on your website. Additionally, in the description section, you must include an attention-grabbing introduction. This introduction needs to include your keyword phrases.
d. Fourth, be sure that your video has been tagged with the correct keyword phrases. YouTube will try to automatically tag your video. Sometimes it gets the tags correct, however, often they are wrong. Be sure to visit the tags section to have your video tagged correctly.
2. HAVE CALLS TO ACTION
You need to include calls to action at the beginning and end of your video. My suggestion is to try and hit your viewers in all ways possible. This means that the call to action is said in the video, and that it is shown across the screen and that it is included in the description below the video.
If you don't know how to add a call to action or an active link into your video prior to uploading, you can do this in video editor section of youtube as well. Click on captions and add it into the section of the video you want.
3. ASK
Often times, we get so caught up in doing the video or providing the information we wanted to provide in the video that we forget to ask for comments.
At the beginning and end of the video, as a part of the call to action, ask your viewers to share their thoughts below. Or, even better, get specific! Ask them a specific opinion question.
The more specific you are with your questions, the easier it is for people to share and the more engaged the viewers become with each other.
4. REPLY
Be sure to reply to any comments that were written about your video. YouTube notifies all commenter's and commenter's like to be acknowledged. It is positive reinforcement of the behavior. Moreover, it gets them to come back and respond again.
Be specific in your response and ask another question. If you just say, "great point!" Then the conversation dies. But, if you say, "great point! What do you think that means for _____?" Then you 've kept the conversation alive!
5. SHARE YOUR VIDEO
After you've uploaded and edited your video, be sure to share it on all of your social media sites and on your website.
Another great place to share it is in your newsletter.
Below the link or embedded video, ask people to like the video or click through to YouTube and leave their comment. Remember, the more you ask and the more specific your question, the better engagement you will receive.
6. CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECT
Instead of just posting "how to" videos, also get in the habit of posting controversial videos. These are videos that ask your viewers to have an opinion. For example, on the topic of social media you might do a video on how Google+ Whoops Facebook's Butt!
Already, I bet some of you have said, "No way!"
That's the point! It gets your audience engaged and more willing to comment. Also, it causes them to share your video because they want their opinion to be validated.
7. WEAR SOMETHING FUNNY!
Have you ever clicked on a video just because the thumbnail looked funny, bizarre or interesting?? I know I have.
The next time you get in front of the camera, wear a funny hat or have an interesting back drop.
This catches people's attention and is more likely to elicit a comment. You may even mention it in your video and ask people to comment if they like it/dislike it, etc.
How do YOU socialize your videos and create more engagement?
Which tip will you try next time? Why?
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