So you went through the trouble of scripting, filming and editing your web video. Yay! The most difficult part is done, but now we’ve come to an equally important component of the process: getting people to view it! Here’s a guide to what needs to happen after production has wrapped on your video.
Host it.
This is the process of getting the video off of your computer and on to the Internet. You can upload to social video sites like YouTube and Vimeo or you can host it on your own servers. Each method has it’s own benefits, but YouTube will probably be your best bet. YouTube has over two billion views daily and comes with a robust set of features like built in commenting and sharing, embed codes and even basic video editing.
Tag it.
Do not skip this step! Be intentional in the way that you title your video and the tags that you use to describe it. Be as literal and descriptive as possible when filling out those sections. Be sure to include your company’s name and what you do. For instance,
“Company ABC Shows How To Use The New XYZ System”
resonates much better than:
“Demonstration of New Services”
You want people to be able to find your video if they are searching for you or for what you do. Make it easy for them!
Share it.
Many people put a video online and just hope that someone will see it. Imagine opening a store in the middle of the busiest mall in America with no promotion or advertising. Sure, you might get one or two visitors who stop by on their way to another store, but no one will come just for you. Use every tool in your toolbox to get your video in front of other people. Post it on your Facebook page, tweet it out or include it in an email blast. If you aren’t gaining traction that way, spend some time community building. Community building is when you visit similar videos, blogs and websites and engage with the creators of that content. The hope is that if you show them that you’re willing to take the time to engage with them, they’ll reciprocate.
Do it again. You’ve done it once and you can do it again. One of the keys to being a successful content creator is to continuously create. A YouTube channel that has one video from 2010 won’t inspire anyone to tune in to your content. Consistency is what will establish you as a thought leader in your field. Every video you post won’t be an automatic homerun, and that’s perfectly fine. By continuing to create content and following the steps listed in this guide, you’ll be able to build a community that responds to what you post.
