Five brand-building digital video content strategies
Producing a well-crafted video only covers half the job. The more challenging part comes in getting more eyes on the end product. Here are some ways to drive traffic to Vimeo videos within the platform, and beyond.
Strive to be featured as a “Staff Pick” video
Since 2008, the Vimeo Curation team has been handpicking uploaded works that they believe are deserving to be seen by the rest of the world. These videos are meticulously curated in a channel aptly called “Staff Picks”. Selected videos earn a badge for any of these categories:
• Recently added
• Staff Pick Premieres
• Best of the Month
• Best of the Year
In a way, Staff Pick serves as the highest honor that can be given to a video presentation. The good news is, Vimeo now allows creators to submit their creative work to be considered in one of the four Staff Pick categories.
Getting the most-coveted badge guarantees an increase in views of around 100,000 per video. Greater exposure sometimes even leads to career-making opportunities for some standout content creators. A good example would be the directing duo DANIELS (Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan), who went on to create commercially-successful music videos (most notable of which would be “Turn Down For What” by DJ Snake and Lil John) and a Hollywood feature film (Swiss Army Man).
Connect with the community
Vimeo is a niche community of supportive artists. This makes for a good opportunity for sharing and creative discussion. Do not pass on any chance to interact with other creators who visit Portfolios or leave comments. This may potentially lead to wider viewership and more video shares, and even collaborations with other artists.
Also, most creators are professionals who can provide realistic and critical feedback on creative works. Unlike other video-sharing platforms with a free-for-all nature, the forums and comments sections of Vimeo are more professional and constructive.
Try email marketing
Recently, Vimeo shared a marketing strategy that even their own brand swears by – email marketing. What makes email a highly feasible marketing tool is that it reaches consumers directly. Although the lack of email clients that support embedded videos poses a challenge, the trick lies in optimizing the email contents.
• The power of the play button
When including the actual video may do more damage than good, the symbol for the play button should suffice. This is a simple yet effective way to communicate the purpose of sending the email. That is, to promote the video and persuade the receiver into viewing or playing it.
• Call to action
Writing a gripping email body and ending it with a clickable “Watch Now” or “See the Video” button, for example, is another effective strategy to drive video engagement.
Self-promote
Perhaps it can be argued that videos have the most appeal on social networking sites. The viral potential of a video with good content increases exponentially when coupled with smart usage of online tools. Tap into the potential of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and other sites, while keeping these important factors in mind
. • Choose the best platform
Deciding on where to place a video is a crucial part of promotion – and it all depends on where the content is most relevant and where the target audience is most active.
• Figure out the best time to post and share
Maximize engagement by reaching as much people online as possible. Make use of available studies and infographics that discuss the best time of the day to post on different social media platforms.
• Share and re-share
Do not be afraid to repost content. Sharing the same content multiple times over a period of time increases the possibility of it reaching the target market.
Online marketing of Vimeo video productions can be done effectively both on-site and off-site. Make use of these promotional options and build a solid strategy that works best. In online marketing, the possibilities are endless.