:: This blog was written by us for Brand Republic and first appeared on their site
There are staggering stats already about the amount of people watching video on mobile devices. According to ComScore, video viewing last year grew by 262 percent. And with the PC market declining, mobile is definitely the platform to aim for.
So how do you reach the 12m in the UK with a tablet and the fast approaching number of 75 percent of us who will have smartphones with your video? It’s not enough to think: “stick it on our website” anymore.
Here’s how to get ahead of the pack
1. SCATTER IT
Don’t be shy. Put it on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, anywhere you can. Scatter wide and increase your visibility.
2. DON’T HIDE BEHIND A TITLE
YouTube may be the world’s second biggest search engine but if you’re hiding under a cryptic title, no-one’s going to find you on mobile or otherwise. So don’t be lazy and call your video “Corporate Video Showreel 2013”. Who’s searching for that?
3. WORDS ARE KEY
You’ve probably spent ages working out your keywords for your website, so apply some to your videos. What would a prospective customer search for? If the words are targetted, your video could even turn up in the first page of Google.
4. CLICK ME, CLICK ME
People can’t resist clicking on something interesting. It’s human nature. Make sure your video on YouTube, Facebook or any of the hosting sites has a great thumbnail.
5. DODGY CONNECTION
People on mobiles probably are on 3G or someone else’s flaky wi-fi, so keep things short and shareable.
6. FOUR INCHES THAT PACKS A PUNCH
Does your video look good on a small screen like an iPhone? Will people be able to read those sales figures on an iPad Mini? See what it looks like on a mobile device while you’re editing and ditch anything too detailed.
7. TALK TO ME, NOT THEM
Unlike TV, mobile devices are normally single user devices, so think about talking to a viewer rather than viewers, plural. If you’re after a CEO, then why not talk to him or her directly?
8. WHERE NEXT?
Where can your viewers go after your video finishes? Make sure you’ve got a blindingly obvious link to click near your video. Again, something you can see on a mobile device.
9. DON’T BE FLASH
Thanks to a feud between Apple and Adobe, you can’t play Flash formatted videos on iPhones or iPads. If you have these on your homepage, mobile users will see a blank space. Talk to your web guys about getting these updated.
10. BE HELPFUL
Some of the most popular online videos aren’t actually high-level marketing pitches, they just solve people’s problems. Your next customer has an itch that needs scratching and they might go Googling to solve it. Oh look, here’s a video….click.
and if all else fails…
11. GO FOR HUMOUR
People will share stuff that’s funny or different. Rackspace are one firm who are very good at this. Or rather than tell people about your amazing data storage, why not see how many people you can store in a Mini? 791k views isn’t too shabby. Hide away the suits and make stuff that people will want to share. Sharing stuff on a mobile is often really easy and people like doing it, so give them something to pass on.
We’re hearing anecdotally about the doors that mobile devices can open to marketers. The CEO browsing their iPad on a Saturday morning; the Sales Director looking up a client’s video on the train ahead of a meeting.
The power to sell with video is in your hands – or rather theirs.