Weâre a couple of months into the new year and itâs safe to say that everyone has thrown predictions out into the ring about what the year holds for content marketing. By all accounts, this year is shaping up to be the year of visual marketing. Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, video. . .great. Bring it on.
However, I feel the need to voice one concern:Â Donât overdo it.
Investors diversify their portfolios and content marketers need to adopt that strategy, too. As video continues to explode and every other companyâs CEO points to the mediumâs omnipotence, itâs important to remember one wordâ"moderation.
Where Video Gets Dicey
Donât get me wrong, I love video. In fact, our company just created a custom animated video to use in our sales funnel. Youâll see videos embedded in a number of the posts there. While this is great, itâs important to keep a level head in dealing with this medium.
Video can get dicey, so please:
Donât Ask for Too Much
Hereâs the thing, folks - nobody has to read your blog. Nobody has to tweet it. Nobody has to comment. When you make a video a core piece of a blog post, your audience either has to watch it or bow out. You canât really get much from a blog post that continues to refer to a video when you havenât actually watched the video, right
Respect your audience. Donât post a video unless youâre confident that your audience will appreciate the share.
Donât Bore or Over-Stimulate
You wouldnât sit your kids down in front of â2001: A Space Odyssey,â would you I guess if you wanted them to take a long nap, you might. At the same time, if you have a lot on your plate, you canât afford the distraction of an action-packed movie playing on the T.V. Think of your video content in the same way.
Donât bore and donât over-stimulate.
Donât Overdo It
Too much blogging can hurt engagement. So can too much video. If you develop a reputation as the âvideo blog,â people are going to be less inclined to engage with your blog. (Unless you happen to post incredible videos on a regular basis that are universally loved. . . good luck.)
Finding the Artful Balance
Thereâs no magic formula. But I do have three tips to help you make the most of video on your blog. Follow these 3 video tips for a successful, balanced approach:
Experiment
Experiment with different frequencies of video posts to find whatâs working best for you. Then, take your data and create an editorial calendar that repeats this ideal frequency.
Be Creative
Be creative with your video. Having your bloggers read their posts in front of a webcam is not being creative. Offer more than the competition.
Have a Reason
Last, choose video for a reason. Failure to use video does not mean youâll lose the race. If video doesnât make sense for you, then disregard it. Itâs better to have no video content (or very little) than to create content that doesnât have a clear reason for existing.
How will you be using video and what balancing tips do you have
Video Photo via Shutterstock