Reprinted from my blog post for The American Tapestry Alliance, March 22nd, 2019
We all know the saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words,” now imagine the value of a video? Videos are very popular. People like the visual appeal of photos but they like videos even more. In fact, YouTube is the second largest search engine and third most visited site in the world. You have probably watched a few videos there yourself. But why should you make a video? All that work, what is the payback? More than you may realize:
Connect with your audience and build customer rapport.
Increase traffic to your website or other social media sites.
Increase sales.
Document your process (builds value).
Create an archive.
Online teaching +/or augment your in-person teaching.
Build name recognition (see Branding).
Increase your ‘ranking’ on search engines like Google and Yahoo with likes and shares.
Promote customer testimonials.
Live-stream events like an open studio or art opening.
Show interviews of you +/or your customers.
What do you want to say? What is the purpose of the video?
Before you begin, decide what the purpose of the video is. Are you documenting your process, introducing people to your medium, highlighting specific work, or your work in general? How will you portray your intention?
How to Make Video Marketing Work for You: Make Videos Geared Toward Your Audience:
Target your niche. I have learned that in general, my audience is women over 40. They like to see my process and follow along as a project progresses. Some, if not many, work with their hands too. They appreciate quality and know it when they see it. I created a series of short videos to document my process while creating my Little Devil Corset. I am always surprised and pleased when I speak with people who have seen them. In making the videos I not only documented my process, but I also clarified for myself what my intentions were in the process.
Most importantly, making a great video is about creativity, planning and execution. You don’t need expensive equipment to achieve this.
Where do you put your video:
Your website
YouTube
Vimeo
Instagram (60 seconds or less)
FB
Newsletter
Blog
In the next chapter of Video Marketing I will give you some basics on how to make a video along with some sights to help you.
