Summary: If you’re looking for ways to increase visitor engagement with your blog articles, consider including video marketing.

As you gear up for the new year, now is an excellent time to look at how you can improve your content marketing strategy. If you want to take the blog articles for your business to the next level, consider incorporating video marketing to increase visitor engagement.

There are many ways to use video to promote your content marketing campaigns. Over the last few years, consumers’ demand for video content has significantly increased in almost all industries. For many B2B companies, this is often done by creating product or service videos.  This is especially true if your brand or business operates in a more specialized niche industry. You want to educate new and potential users to increase brand awareness. According to Forbes, viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text. You may also want to consider creating how-to videos that relate to the audiences you are trying to target and reach.

Why Use Video Marketing to Increase Engagement with Your Blog Posts?

As a marketer, you must understand how your consumers or audience sees your content. Do they read it word for word, or do they scan it? What is the average time a visitor spends on your blog post? Understanding the behavior of your consumer and audience behavior is crucial, especially when it comes to creating content and increasing engagement.

Videos Help Break up the Content of Blog Articles

We live in a digital age where attention spans are becoming shorter, and the first 10 seconds are the most crucial part of capturing your reader’s attention. During this time, your visitor will decide whether to continue browsing your website for more information or leave and go elsewhere.

Recent blogging stats compiled by Orbit Media found that 80% of bloggers reported that their blogs deliver “some results” or “strong results” and that the effectiveness of content marketing has remained steady since 2016. The length of blog posts has leveled off during the last two years, and in 2022 the average blog post length was 1376 words. Most bloggers produce articles in the 500-2000 word range. However, a small minority (4%) write long-form posts of 3000 words or more. Another trend with B2B companies is that longer articles are being written that are posted less frequently.

Including visual content such as videos can help break up the text content in your blog posts. Reduce lengthy paragraphs and cut down on the text. Use shorter sentences and be more concise and use visuals. Why? Because videos will stand out and attract readers. When people scan a lot of text, they are likelier to stop at the images. They are also more likely to skim the lines right before and right after the visual to absorb the main points.

Videos will increase the time visitors spend on your blog articles

Recent research shows that 89% of video marketers say video increases ROI, and 87% say it has increased their web traffic. When you include videos in your blog posts, readers will feel more inclined to stop when they reach the video. Readers will typically engage with the content by clicking on the video because it stands out amid all text in the blog post.

Videos and Age Demographics

A lot of online content is consumed by Millennials, who are one of the most tech-savvy generations of our digital age. However, the generation that trumps them all when it comes to both digital fluency and dependency is Gen Z.

Gen Z’s have only known a world with the internet and were born into a world that was already online. This generation sees the web as the starting point and is an intrinsic part of their everyday lives. Given this omnipresent role of connected technology, Gen Z’s expectations for digital content far exceed that of any generation that has come before them. The average Gen Z has an online attention span of about eight seconds, which is four seconds less than millennials. Although the average Gen Z’s attention span for online content is very short, long-form videos that interest them can get their attention. This means they are definitely an audience to keep in mind when creating videos to increase engagement with your blog posts. Videos are a significant driving factor for both Millennials and Gen Z consumer behavior, and their buying decisions are often the result of watching video content.

How Should Videos be Used to Increase Engagement with Your Blog Posts?

Now that we’ve covered the “why,” we will now discuss the “how” of increasing blog post engagement. There are a number of ways video content can be used to increase engagement with your blog posts.

1. Create Original Video Content

Creating original and authentic video content and embedding them into your blog posts will help increase the overall engagement of your posts.

The types of content to consider creating:

• An ‘About Us’ video
• Tutorials and How-To Videos
• Client Reviews and Testimonials
• Video Summaries
• Vlogs

Using original video content in your blog posts will make readers more likely to engage with your posts. Original videos tell a story to your visitors. When you become a master at storytelling for your business and create compelling content, people will be more inclined to like, comment, and share it within their network.

2. Keep Videos to About 2 Minutes Long
   

If you want to use videos to increase engagement with your blog posts, make sure the videos are short and straight to the point. Shorter videos gain the most engagement. According to information from HubSpot, the most engagement is seen when videos are about 2 minutes long. You may think a 2-minute video is too short for all the information I need to include. Don’t worry about needing to explain everything in-depth about the topic surrounding your blog post. Videos in blog posts are meant to complement the information being discussed, not cover the post in its entirety.

3. Host Your Videos on YouTube

There are usually two ways to go about hosting your video content online: directly on your own website or on YouTube. We recommend hosting videos on YouTube and embedding links that reference them on your blog posts. This is because YouTube provides a wide range of SEO and analytics tools that help track visitor engagement.

WordPress and other blogging platforms make it very easy to embed YouTube videos into your blog posts. Log into your website, and when you attach any visual media, you have the option to directly paste the URL of the video you want to attach to your post.

When done correctly, YouTube has the potential to bring many new customers to your business. Embedding YouTube videos into your blog posts can help bolster your overall SEO since Google often shows YouTube video content in relevant search results. This helps your business rank higher when people are searching for related content.

4. Repurpose Existing Video Content

If you already have a YouTube channel or a content hub with existing video content, repurposing videos is another great way to increase engagement with your blog posts. One thing to keep in mind is to ensure that the video you embed is relevant to the topic of your blog post.

Online Video Tools

Many helpful online tools can help you make good videos for your digital content marketing. Some options are:

• free/paid
• simple/complex
• for creation/editing
• designed for video footage/images/animation

Screencasting (Vidyard)

Screencasting is when you narrate a video recording done on your computer. Sometimes this can be audio, or you can see your face in the video as well. One free tool that is especially useful is Vidyard. One of the many advantages of using this tool is that it provides a versatile way of using video to share tutorials as a screencast by narrating digital creations.

Make Your Post into a Video (Promo.com)

Promo.com provides a simple way to make a slideshow-type video. In addition, Promo.com contains a library of Creative Commons Zero images and music, so you do not need to search for content. In order to share the video, you will have to post it on social media or YouTube first and then get the embedded code from there. The other option is downloading the video and uploading it directly to your post.

Offline Video Creation

You can also make videos in the traditional way, and you don’t need any special equipment. A cellphone, tablet, or webcam works just fine! Here are some additional ideas that can work with your blog posts:

Piece-To-Camera

Getting in front of a camera can be daunting, and most people prefer to avoid it entirely. However, this provides a great way to connect with potential customers. You could even create an occasional piece to camera for special occasions like welcoming new customers or thanking them for their support at the end of the year.

10 Suggested Filming Tips

You can do several things to enhance the quality of your piece-to-camera.

• Lighting: Sit near a window or set up lights if you can
• Audio: Add an external mic
• Location: Find a quiet spot with a simple background
• Camera: Switch the camera view so you can see yourself
• Lens: Make sure the lens is clean before you start
• Tripod: keep your device steady
• Horizontal: Turn your phone sideways
• Height: Position your device at eye level
• Eye contact: Keep your focus on the camera
• Record: Aim for a natural approach

Interviews

Interview videos provide relevant information for both your audience and your guest’s audience. They also offer a powerful addition to your social media strategy. These interviews should be conversational yet intriguing.

Using green screens

A green screen as your background can work well when creating instructional videos. This allows you can use editing software to replace the green color with different backgrounds. The chroma key effect will enable you to place objects behind and in front of you. This can help your videos look slick and put more focus on your content.

Video Editing Software

While it’s not essential, you will generally want to do some basic video editing, such as adding text titles or captions, adding music, editing out certain parts of the video, or mixing video and images. QuikStories (available in Android and iOS) and Splice are free apps from GoPro that are great for quick video editing on your phone. QuikStories allows you to combine this with music, transitions, and other cool effects. Splice is helpful if you want to make more manual edits but don’t necessarily want to add many effects.

Types of Video Content to Add to your Blog

Video marketing is not complicated, but it requires thought and creativity. It’s about getting more familiar with what video content people love watching and then providing it. Here are eight types of engaging video content that can help you captivate your audience, promote your brand, and influence customers to take action.

1) Vlog

While blogs are great, vlogs, or video blogs, are better. Vlogs provide a cost-effective platform to establish a unique brand voice and personable image that resonates with your target audience. It’s inexpensive and easy to shoot a short vlog with nothing more than your smartphone or webcam. This authentic approach gives your video content a relatable, personalized quality instead of a super-slick, corporate production.

2) Behind-the-Scenes/Company Culture

Creating a compelling brand story can set your company apart from its competitors while simultaneously motivating employees and captivating prospects. For this reason, one of the best video content you can use is a behind-the-scenes video that reveals your company culture. This type of video offers an immersive experience, pulling back the curtain on your company to allow customers to forge a connection with your brand.

3) Product Videos

Product videos are among the most valuable types of video content, especially during the consideration phase of the customer journey. These types of videos work best when you have already established some trust with your audience. In product videos, you can answer common questions, dispel doubts, and discuss the benefits that your product offers. This gives prospects more information they need to make purchasing decisions.

Slack does this in its “So Yeah, We Tried Slack …” video, which speaks to its audience authentically and humorously.

5) Interview/Q&A

Interview videos are ideal for building brand authority as they allow you to align your brand with thought leaders and influencers. They will help you establish authority with input from respected people. This gives your audience an intimate 1-on-1 experience where someone in your business niche or market space answers challenging questions.

4) Testimonials

While blogs, presentations, and product information are excellent types of video content, creating video testimonials is another great way to take each of them to the next level. By spotlighting existing customers, you can show viewers how happy people who use your products or services are. The critical thing here is to get real customers. Reach out to your satisfied customer base and create genuine video testimonials. The best way to persuade potential customers to buy in on your offer is by asking some of your best customers. Here is an example of a video testimonial that our agency got from one of our clients who is using our digital marketing services:

6) Live-Streaming

Live-streamed videos have become the norm on many channels. Whether it’s breaking news headlines, sports, or exclusive announcements from an influential person, a live-stream video offers a magnetic allure. This comes down to the fear of missing out (FOMO). Live videos create the suspense of not knowing what will happen next to make customers feel they will miss something if they don’t tune in. Another unique advantage of this form of video marketing is that live videos allow real-time community interaction. You can use them to broadcast an assortment of video content, including new product launches, live Q&A sessions, or a behind-the-scenes look at an event.

7) Personalized Videos

Marketing used to be all about making a sale. It has now become all about the customer. Businesses need to show they understand and care about the needs and interests of their audience. When using personalized videos, you need to forge a connection by personalizing the video for each viewer.

8) User-Generated Content

Inviting customers to contribute videos is another creative way to get customer testimonials. However, it doesn’t need to stop there. Creating user-generated content is huge, and you can leverage it in various ways to drive traffic, gather leads, and build brand loyalty. An excellent way to take user-generated content to the next level is by partnering with an influencer.

Conclusion

Integrating video content with your other marketing efforts is the best way to utilize it. When done strategically, videos will help increase visitor engagement with your blog posts. Doing so will also improve how readers interact with your content. If you have any questions and want to get started, contact us today!

About the Author

Howard Walker is a Digital Marketing Consultant and owner of WSI Smart Web Marketing. He serves as a manager and strategic advisor and uses his experience, expertise, and knowledge from many years of experience in the tech industry as a product marketing engineer and project manager. His experience with digital marketing services and the use of online analysis tools allow him to implement strategies and recommendations that provide the best-in-class services and results for clients.