Posting Video to YouTube – Best Practices

No online marketing strategy is complete without a plan to move up the “organic” rankings.  One of the easiest ways to help your cause is by posting video blogs.  A video blog post on your SoS website does a number of things:

1. It allows the visitor to “get to know you” – this is critical, because real estate is such a relationship business.
2. It gives Google content via the text you post on your website and the video you post on YouTube.

There are multiple ways to enhance your vidoe blogging efforts. Creating a few good habits from the list below will generate positive results both in the short term and long term.

Simple Steps to Help Your Video Blogging Efforts

• Keep your videos short.  Each video should be under 3 minutes with 2 minutes as your goal.
• Follow this simple formula:
  1. Introduction – who are you and where are you or where are the people you serve
  2. Connect with the viewer – the goal is to get each viewer to identify with you and reach that moment where they say “This video is relevant to me!” For example, “I help homeowners in Northern California avoid foreclosure” or “I sell muffler belts for 1986 Camaros” Whatever your niche is, we want the viewer to realize immediately that this video is for them.
  3. Display your expertise – inevitably, you know more about your product/service than somebody searching for your product/service. Let them know that you are the expert they are looking for.  Give the viewer a reason to choose you or your product/service.
  4. Call to action – Tell the viewer what to do next. The average web surfer is only looking for what they can click on next. So, TELL THEM what to click on next.
• Make several videos at a time… It saves you time!  Block out 1 hour a week and you can make and post as many as 5 videos.
• Topics: FAQs, Bank Processes, Federal Programs, Reasons to Short Sale, Short Sales vs. Alternatives, and SAQs (should ask questions – i.e. what questions “should” the homeowner ask, but isn’t)
• Repeat!  A visitor that is on your website today, wasn’t there 3 months ago; so it doesn’t hurt to talk about major topics once a quarter.  Plus, you now have more videos on the same topic helping you to dominate that search term.
• Title it right.  Make sure you include your area and a key phrase in your title.  For example, if my video is on Wells Fargo’s short sale process, I might title my video: “Wells Fargo Short Sale Process – Phoenix Short Sale Help”  or “Wells Fargo Short Sale Process | Phoenix Short Sale Specialist”
• Put your call-to-action into your YouTube description.  That is, start your YouTube descriptions with “http://yourdomain.com” – make sure to include the “http://” part as that tells YouTube you want a link and not just text. This puts viewers one click away from your lead capture page.
• And finally, remember that while you want thousands of people to see your video, you’re still talking to just ONE potential customer.