According to a study conducted by Cisco, videos will be responsible for 69% of all consumer traffic by 2017. And according to Nielsen, 64% of the marketers believe that video will dominate their strategies very soon. These are just two reports saying that, yes, you should add videos to your blog as they are what your visitors might be looking for when they go online.
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And yet, if you are more of a writer than a video person, you might be struggling with how you are going to do it in a way that will bring more traffic to your blog. So here are 7 ways for you to improve your blog by adding video content – so that you won’t have any more excuses.
Tip #1 – Demonstrate your product
Are you selling products so that you can monetize your blog? Then create a video demonstrating it to your audience. It is much more engaging to let people see you with your product in your hands, as it provides a more hands on experience, closer to real life – it will give them an idea of size, weight and more.
Show them how to use it and what they need to do so they can enjoy all its benefits. Remember to let them know everything from the very beginning of the story, when your product is still in the package until how to store it. Filming it from different angles is always a great idea, as well.
Tip #2 – Link to authoritative sources
This is a great tip for those who are just starting to blog. If you aren’t an expert in your industry, you might be concerned with whether people will believe what you are saying or not. So the best way to add this kind of value to your content is to embed a public video from an authoritative source.
It can be a TV/newspaper or a TED Talk. What matters here is that it validates what you have just said and upgrades your content in a very direct way – meaning that when you write your post, you should say that your “ideas are confirmed by…”, tell a bit about your source biography, and then link the video below your own words.
Tip #3 – Play some music
You know the way that music brings memories and can connect you emotionally to what is happening at that very moment? Adding some videos with music on your blog can bring more traffic to you. Just make sure that the song that you pick is related to what you just wrote – no point adding a love song if you just finished talking about all the advantages of being single, for example.
Tip #4 – Create an “About Me”
If you really want people to get to know you and come back to your blog more often, you should consider creating an “about me” video. Write down a bit about yourself and your blog, a couple of fun stories to tell, and everything else that you find interesting (as long it is related to your content), then film yourself saying these things in a conversational manner. The only thing here is that you should make it short, as online users seem to be more interested in videos no more than 4 minutes long.
Tip #5 – Do interviews
Another way to attract more people to your blog is by adding video interviews to your posts. Here again, you will write as usual, and include expert interviews that speak to your points of view, about your topics. It isn’t a problem if some of them even disagree with you, you can just explain your point of view, as well. It will make your argument more reliable and shareable.
Tip #6 – Create a tutorial
People love anything that will make their lives easier. So, if you are good at writing how-tos, hacks or any kind of useful information, you should consider adding a video to your posts.
It doesn’t mean that you will substitute the info you write down, of course. What you will do is add a step-by-step video to it, so your visitors can have it as an alternative – as you know, some people prefer to watch instructions while other are happier reading them. This strategy will help attract both types of visitors to your blog.
Tip #7 – Get it right
If you want to get the tips above right, it is crucial that you do a few things every time you add a video to your blog post:
- Mention that there is a video in your post within your post title. This way people know this ahead of time – if you don’t know how, do some research on how to write catchy titles.
- Be careful with copyright issues. Always ask for written permission when sharing someone else’s content on your blog. Let them know that this partnership can increase traffic to their blog as well, just to make things easier.
- Always add some content before and after the video, so people will get a bit of context and know that you have something to say about it. Also, add a call-to-action at the end of the post.
- Customize the width of the video, according to your blog specifications. It will vary depending on the number and size of columns.
In Conclusion
For starters, adding videos to your blog posts is a proven way to increase traffic and engage visitors – they will spend more time on your blog and share your content more often.
Test some of the ideas above to see how they work for you. If you don’t like to see your face on video, you can always go for animations and whiteboards. But try to add video content to your blog so that you can find out how much it can improve your traffic and help you achieve your goals.
Have you tried experimenting with videos on your blog? If so, what tips do you have for publishing videos on your blog?
Share in the comments below!
Diana Beyer is experienced and self-driven media expert who is passionate about writing. Her purpose is to share values amid those interested. She is always seeking to discover new ways for personal and professional growth. Connect with Diana though Twitter.
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