How to Increase Video Viewership and Engagement: Part Two
In part one, you obtained your first objective of getting your audience to play your video. Now, how do you keep them tuned in? Here are five things to consider when creating your video:
Make It Personal
When presenting information to consumers, consider how you can deliver it with a personal touch. People are drawn to other peoples’ stories, so instead of just setting forth the bare facts about your product, service, or company, share the human impact. For a video with a narrative structure, consider a client or employee testimonial. For something more strictly informational, try interviewing your subject-matter expert to add authenticity. Alternatively, have your subject address the viewer directly to make the video feel more personal to them.
2. Optimize Length and Timing
As we mentioned before, videos five minutes in length or shorter tend to see the highest engagement rates, so keep it short and sweet. Ask yourself, “What does my audience really want or need to know?” The more concise you can be with your information, the better.
If your message is more involved, put the most important portion at the beginning of your video, as this is the part your audience is most likely to watch.
3. Add Visual Variety
Regardless of the subject matter of an interview or action shot, your audience is bound to get bored if they are staring at the same image continuously for a long period.
Demonstrating a product? Alternate between a wide shot and close-ups. Sharing a client testimonial? Break that interview up with b-roll shots or images that contextualize what they are saying. Is your narrator discussing numbers or something highly technical? Incorporate a graphic or animation to help illustrate those complex ideas. Whatever you do, don’t linger on one visual longer than it can hold your viewers’ attention.
4. Ensure High Video Quality
In the age of the internet, video content is practically in endless supply. Viewers are picky, and as good as the substance of your video may be, your audience is likely to click on to the next video if yours is not up to their technical standards. Therefore, it is important to differentiate yourself by providing video content that is pleasant to the eyes and ears. If video production is not your niche, partner with a team of video production professionals to ensure that your video looks and sounds great.
5. Be Consistent
Once you’ve created your first successful video, keep the momentum going by creating more content. Posting consistently demonstrates your reliability as a source of information, and the surest way to boost video engagement is to build an audience that keeps coming back for more. One way to do this is to create a video series––piggybacking one video off another helps build anticipation among your viewers for what comes next.
Make sure you incorporate your logo into your videos so that it is easily recognizable as yours. Aim for consistency with elements such as music and graphics as you develop a style that is cohesive with your unique brand.
Ultimately, video is a storytelling medium, and every company has a story to tell. By taking the time to understand your audience and their viewing habits, you can create video content that gets your message across loud and clear.
