Over the last few months I’ve been talking a lot about online video marketing, and the traffic-driving and business-building possibilities that it offers to entrepreneurs of all levels of experience.
In this post, for instance, I discussed the logistics of how to create videos for your web site.
In this one, I introduced the strategy of converting your popular articles into videos, and finally, in this one, I outlined the process I developed for creating effective videos quickly.
However, one thing I have not discussed is how well my videos have fared at pulling in eyeballs, and more importantly, converting those viewers into visitors to my web sites. Well, I’ve finally got a bit of data to draw from, so let’s do that now (incidentally, I’m going to report YouTube numbers only. I have submitted to other video sites, but the vast majority of views come from YouTube)…
Video #1: Nutrex Lipo 6 Hardcore Fat Burner Review
Date Submitted to YouTube: November 24, 2009, 10:10 AM
Views to date (Jan 20, 2010): 360
Video #2: Kim Kardashian / Quick Trim Fat Burner Diet Pill
Date Submitted to YouTube: November 22, 2009, 09:02 AM
Views to date (Jan 20, 2010): 1,883
Video #3: hCG For Weight Loss – Does It Really Work?
Date Submitted to YouTube: November 13, 2009, 12:37 PM
Views to date (Jan 20, 2010): 101
Video #4: The 5-7 Day Fat Burner & Diet Pill Free Trial Scam!
Date Submitted to YouTube: March 13, 2008, 10:23 AM
Views to date (Jan 20, 2010): 19,096
Video #5: Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Fat Burner
Date Submitted to YouTube: December 01, 2009, 08:30 AM
Views to date (Jan 20, 2010): 272
Video #6: UltimateFatBurner.com
Date Submitted to YouTube: November 26, 2009, 11:40 AM
Views to date (Jan 20, 2010): 30
Video #7: The Ab System from Isatori
Date Submitted to YouTube: January 15, 2010, 11:05 AM
Views to date (Jan 20, 2010): 30
One thing that is immediately evident by viewing this data is the vast range in the number of views; we’ve got everything from a few dozen to a couple of thousand views depending on the video. One video has generated almost 20,000 views in just under a two year period.
To put this data into slightly better perspective, consider…
Videos 1, 2, and 5 were all created following the process I outline here, and probably took me around an hour each to create (so roughly 2,500 views in a two-month period for 3 hours of investment. Not too bad).
Videos 5 and 6 were created for placement on UltimateFatBurner.com, and aren’t intended to drive traffic from YouTube and other online video resources. So their performance is not a concern.
Videos 3 and 4 took a LOT longer to create, and as you can see, only one has experienced any significant success.
And how effective are these videos at driving traffic to my site? According to Google’s Analytics, YouTube now ranks in the top 20 “non-search engine” referrers. That sounds more impressive than it is, of course. I figure about 5% of viewers actually click through and visit the site.
So what are the take home lessons here?
1. If you’re going to invest in creating videos, get a system down (or follow mine) so you can create them quickly and efficiently. While the success of your videos will ultimately depend on the popularity of your targeted keywords, and how well your business / niche / theme translates into interest from video surfers, to make this a worthwhile venture, you need to be able to create videos fairly quickly.
2. You need to create LOTS of videos, targeting different keywords within your theme. As you can see from my data, some material fares better, and generates more interest from the YouTube community.
And remember…
Using online video marketing is about more than simply generating traffic…
- It brands your business.
- Some online video sites do not use the “no follow” attribute, so posting your video and accompanying links builds link popularity.
- It builds your credibility in the mind of your visitor / potential customer.
- When used on your web site, it adds a whole new dynamic. My girlfriend Marilyn and I were amazed how using introductory videos on my UltimateFatBurner.com and her Flowers-By-Marilyn.com web sites added a new (and very cool) “vibe”.
- It may add credibility to your site in the “eyes” of the Search Engines. Google, for example, is comfortable featuring video results from YouTube prominently on its results pages. Will a considerable presence in YouTube bode well for such sites that maintain such a presence? Who knows how Google (or any Search Engine for that matter) will manage its ranking algorithyms over the coming years.
Bottom line?
In my opinion, video marketing remains a worthwhile venture (and I don’t exactly have the greatest niche for attracting “eyeballs). There’s a big IF here though; IF you can create videos quickly and efficiently. Check out the process I developed, if you don’t think you can come up with one yourself.
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