Launching a video ad campaign can be a big deal. From approving the script, to scheduling the videographer, to actually appearing in front of the camera yourself, a successful video ad campaign can take time and effort to do right. But are you skipping a step? Can your blog support a video ad campaign and make your dollar go even further?
Make the Most of Your
Video Ads with These
Blogging Tips
Social media marketers and advertising gurus have been making a big deal about video in recent years. Facebook has pushed its video marketing — even making it so videos play (with sound!) whenever they show up in a user’s feed. From virtual tours to explainer videos, everyone seems to be emphasizing the format as a necessary part of your online marketing strategy.
Video advertising can be expensive and time consuming. If you’re going to commit to a video ad campaign you want to be sure you’re doing everything you can to get a return on that investment. That includes your blog.
One of my blogging clients is great at using video ad campaigns. Their company has tutorials and explainer videos, as well as marketing materials uploaded to YouTube. But they also know that to make the most of those videos, they need the support of a good blogger.
Search Engines Still Need Words
Say what you want in (and about) your latest video ad campaign. Whether you’re announcing a new product launch or providing a series of tutorial videos, none of them get anywhere online with out words.
Google and other search engines have come a long way in recent years. But with the exception of the still very rough image-based searches, the search algorithms still need words to index. No matter how good your video is, it won’t show up in anyone’s search without some form of description that registers on Google.
Most video ad companies provide a short description in the YouTube link to your video. The good ones make sure that description is optimized for search engines. But it’s still not very long. That means all your hard work depends on the viewer typing just the write thing to see your content. That is, unless your blog supports your video ad campaign.
Transcripts, White Papers, and Embedded Video
To make the most of your video ad campaign, you need to surround the video with as many relevant keywords as possible. This is the #1 way your blog can support your video advertising efforts. By providing quality content that links directly back to your video, you can connect strong SEO links to the video you are trying to promote.
To get by cheaply, there are companies out there that will create a transcript of your video for upload to your blog. And that is better than nothing. But to fully support your video ad campaign, why not write a blog series or white paper that takes the video further for those willing to read?
Viewers’ attention spans are pretty short. The ideal times for video ads on social media are measured in seconds:
- Instagram: Under 30 seconds
- Facebook: 60-90 seconds
- Twitter: Under 45 seconds
- Pinterest 15-30 seconds
Even on YouTube the ideal link is only between 5 and 7 minutes. And that includes your authoritative lead in, branding, and sign out. With such short videos, there’s a good chance you’ve got more to say about your video ad campaign’s topic.
That’s where your blog can come in. You can embed each video into a blog post that supports it, giving added detail and building in all those rich long-tail keywords you didn’t have space for in your YouTube description. These blog posts can be on the long side (as long as you use headings and white space to break things up). After all, if readers want a summary, the video is right there to help them out.
By linking between your website and your YouTube channel, you are also increasing traffic flow to your site, and ultimately improving your chances of closed business. YouTube and other social media sites may be great for getting viewers on your video ads, but it can be hard to get those viewers to convert. If you use a blog series to feature your videos, those viewers can be prompted with a call to action or even a live-chat pop-up that will help you turn views into ROI.
A video ad campaign is only as good as it is visible online. Use your blog to support your videos. That way you’ll make the most of the time, energy, and money that goes into making your ads the best they can be.
Lisa Schmidt is a writer for Legal Linguist. She writes blogs and web content for lawyers and small businesses. If you need help making the most of your video ad campaign, contact Legal Linguist to schedule a meeting.