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#ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Create Amazing Online Video Content for Your Brand

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It’s was our monthly Community Chat during this week’s #ContentWritingChat!

That means we gave our audience the chance to vote on which topic they were most interested in dicussing.

And the one that came out on top?

Video creation tips!

It’s no surprise this was the chosen topic, considering video continues to be the HOT content format for brands across the web. So, if you want to step-up your YouTube and live streaming game, this recap is for you!

#ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Create Amazing Online Video Content for Your Brand

Our chat discussed video platforms to focus on, how to create captivating videos people want to watch, and more. Now, let’s dive into this recap!

Q1: Do you currently create video content for your brand? If not, do you plan to start using video in 2018?

To kick off the chat, we decided to gauge just how many people were currently using some form of video and how many were ready to get in on the game. Here are some of the responses we received:

Here at Express Writers, our CEO is working to build her presence on YouTube. She recognizes it’s a valuable platform to be on, as video content provides an amazing way to connect with your audience.

Eddie focuses on both edited and live video, which is a great way to reach your audience. Plus, live video adds that element of real-time engagement, which is always nice.

Jade is all about video content, which is pretty awesome!

For Cheval, he records his podcast every week when he has a guest live streaming on Facebook. It’s a great way to repurpose your live stream.

Zachary stepped up his video presence by uploading one video a week to his YouTube channel last year. Very impressive!

Zala knows video is where it’s at! She’s created short videos, long videos, and even live videos. This is a great way to make sure you’re creating content that resonates with your audience.

Ankitaa creates videos for her clients, but she hasn’t branched out to do it for herself yet. Hopefully 2018 is the year she makes it happen!

Paul has only done one promo video so far, but he’d love to create more this year.

Iain hasn’t gotten started with video either, but he’s planning to later in 2018.

Q2: What types of video are you most focused on this year? (YouTube, Facebook Live, etc.)

With so many platforms where you can utilize video, it can be difficult to determine where to direct your attention. These are the types of video some of our chat participants will be focused on:

As Narmadhaa said, YouTube is a search engine itself. It’s a worthwhile platform to be on if you want your content to be discovered.

For Julia, it’s mostly about YouTube because she knows it’s beneficial to get videos ranking there. However, she also recognizes the power of Facebook Live. Being able to do those and connect with your audience in the moment is very special.

Eddie also loves Facebook Live because it’s a great way to humanize your brand. Your audience truly gets to see your personality through each live broadcast.

Putting more effort into Facebook Live this year is definitely a good idea if your audience is tuning in. It’s one way to ensure you’re standing out with their tricky algorithm.

Ray is planning to primarily do webinars in the year ahead, which are an amazing way to provide tremendous value to your audience.

Just keep in mind that it’s important to focus on the platforms your audience is actively using! That’s how you’re going to find the most success.

Maria agrees that it all depends where your audience is spending their time. Figure out where they’re most active and where they engage and try it out for yourself.

Q3: To get started with video, how do you determine which topics you should talk about?

You’re ready to film some video, but what on earth should you talk about?! To help you come up with some great ideas, check out these tips:

Ray knows that a great video addresses the needs and wants of your audience. They wouldn’t bother watching otherwise! You need to deliver what they want in order to hold their interest.

Julia focuses on finding the biggest pain points for her audience and she addresses them through videos. It’s the best way to leave them wanting more.

Sarah suggests seeing what your audience is already engaging with. It’s a good sign that they’ll be likely to tune into a video on the same topic.

Eddie agrees that it’s worthwhile to check out your analytics. You can easily see what people are interested in through engagement rates.

If you still aren’t sure what your audience wants to see, ASK THEM! As Elise suggested, a simple survey will get you all the answers you need.

Doris like to turn to Facebook groups, which allows her to directly ask people in her audience what their biggest concerns are. It’s just like conducting a survey, but done through social media.

You can also see which topics are trending in your industry. That’s a great way to get people to tune in since it’s relevant and timely.

Paul is looking into repackaging old content that’s been successful in the past. If it’s evergreen, it’s a good sign it might perform well as a video too.

You can always dig through your blog’s archives to find popular posts that would make fantastic videos. It’s an opportunity to expand on them even more.

Q4: How do you get people to tune into your video and make sure they continue to watch?

You’ve got the topic, but now you need to get the viewers. Is there a secret to getting people to tune into your video and watch all the way through? Here’s what you need to know:

Make sure you’re sharing your videos on the platforms your audience is actively using. Otherwise, you risk them not seeing it at all. Sarah also suggests offering a teaser or a promise of a solution, which will intrigue them enough to keep watching.

Don’t forget to be smart about your title and video description. That’s the first thing people will see and it’ll likely be the deciding factor in whether or not they watch.

Paul shared some great advice from knowing your hook and wrapping everything up with a call to action.

Your screen presence makes a huge difference as well. If you’re boring to watch, people won’t tune into your videos.

Always be yourself!

Warwick suggests cross-posting, mentioning influencers, creating custom thumbnails, and more. These are all amazing tips to get more views.

Having a consistent schedule allows your audience to anticipate when your next live broadcast will be. It’s also great for YouTube channel as well since viewers will know your upload schedule.

Julia agrees that consistency is key. She suggests creating a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly schedule to stay in front of your audience.

Eddie’s advice is to promote your video beforehand. It’s a great way to build excitement and get people to tune in.

Jeff agrees that promoting your videos ahead of time is key!

Make sure your videos have a purpose. If they don’t, why would anyone bother watching?

Q5: When it comes to video creation, what does your process look like to plan, record, and publish your work?

Now, let’s dive into your video creation process! These are the steps some of our chat participants take to create amazing videos:

Who, why, when, and where. These are all great things to consider when creating video content.

Zachary’s process includes brainstorming ideas and then deciding how to film. Sometimes you might create a video script to help with the filming process. From there, it’s time to edit and upload.

Terry focuses on writing out ideas first. It’s important to see which topics are going to be the most valuable to your target audience.

Chloe tends to condense her content into short talking points to guide her during the filming process.

Writing out video scripts beforehand is very beneficial because it gives your team time to review it.

Batching is a major help since you’ll be able to knock out filming in a short window of time.

Q6: Which metrics will help you determine the success of your video?

Your video is live, but now you need to measure its success. Which metrics should you pay close attention to? These are great ones to track:

You’ll want to pay attention to metrics such as watch time, link clicks, and audience engagement. And hey, if your viewers get bummed when you cancel a video, it’s a good sign they love you!

On Facebook, you’ll want to see if people turned the sound on and when they dropped off. This will provide good insight into the success of your video.

Cheval pays attention to the number of comments and minutes watched on the video.

It’s smart to see where people stopped watching because it allows you to see if there’s something you can change.

Are people funneling to your website or engaging with the video in some way? That’s important to look out for!

The meaningful discussions that spark as a result of your video are definitely the best.

Maria focuses on view time and the number of comments.

You can even compare one video’s performance to another video. It’ll allow you to see how you’re improving over time.

Q7: Are there any tools you rely on to create amazing video content?

Which tools help you be a video superstar? These are worth checking out:

Terry relies on iMovie to edit videos, which is a great tool to use.

Cass is a fan of Lumen5.

The Franco team loves Lumen5 as well for creating social media video content.

Lumen5 and Adobe Spark are two of Ankitaa’s favorites.

Cheval uses Blue Jeans Network to record his Facebook Live shows.

When he goes live, Eddie uses BeLive for optimal functionality.

Don’t forget to take advantage of YouTube’s free music library!

Q8: Which brands really shine with their video content? What can we learn from them?

For some major video inspiration, you’ll want to check out what these brands are doing!

Doris loves video content from Gary Vaynerchuk and Neil Patel

Mashable and Allen are favorites of Ankitaa.

Julia enjoys watching videos from Ai, Brian Fanzo, and Madalyn Sklar.

And if you’re a food lover, you can’t resist watching Tasty’s videos whenever you see them!

Cheddar is really making the most of live streaming to reach their audience.

How would you like to join us for #ContentWritingChat? Follow @ExpWriters and @writingchat for all the latest and be sure to join us every Tuesday at 10 AM Central Time!
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The post #ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Create Amazing Online Video Content for Your Brand appeared first on Express Writers.

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