AFFILIATE MARKETING AND VIDEO CONTENT

When it comes to any form of marketing, be it blogs, videos, or banner adverts, the key to its success lies in promotion and visibility.  You may have spent hours on your content strategy, keyword searches and search engine optimisation (SEO), but if your video content is not ranking high enough then your affiliate marketing campaign will not hit the success levels you want.  Let’s be clear, regular SEO is different to video SEO that is why you need to ensure you work on optimising your video content.

Businesses and brands know that video marketing is often more effective than written content and images alone. Digital video marketing is a billion pound industry and is set to grow in the next decade.  For affiliate marketers, optimising video content leads to increased views, engagement, interest and ultimately conversions.

RevSocial helps with all aspects of social media management and engagement, helping you to understand who your customers are,  how to best optimise your content AND improve your marketing strategies.  Working with partners like RevSocial means that you can optimise your content in a way that reaches your target audience quicker.

 

Content

What is video optimising?

How to make effective video content

Video content promotion

• Video Content Strategy
• Platform and Target Audience
• Find a Hook
• Tell a Story
• Landing Pages and Relevant Keywords
• Include Closed Captions and Transcripts
• Calls to Action
• Exciting and Engaging Thumbnails
• Check Description and Title
• Add Share Buttons
• Optimise your Platform
• Embed the Video

Video content promotion

What other ways can you effectively promote your video content?

Video marketing– top tips

Conclusion

 

 

WHAT IS VIDEO OPTIMISING?

Video optimisation simply refers to the process of ensuring that your video is optimised and ranks high on search engine results.  In the last decade, the rise of affiliate marketing has led to a proportionate rise in video content and marketing.  Both affiliate and video marketing are becoming increasingly popular with businesses worldwide.  Affiliate marketers no longer need a degree in videography or complex equipment to produce video content. 

However, the ease of creating video content also means that there is great competition when it comes to making sure that your video ranks high in universal search results.  Gaining a high ranking for your videos is essential and not as difficult as you think. 

Have a look at the marketing tips below that will help you promote and enhance your video content efficiently and accurately.

 

 

HOW TO MAKE EFFECTIVE VIDEO CONTENT

The whole point of video content is to quickly capture your target audience’s attention and direct them to your affiliate links. The more visible your video content, the greater its reach, the more chance you have of getting customers and building your brand. 

The steps below will help you create compelling video content. 

 

• Video Content Strategy

Make sure you plan out a video content strategy. Keep the strategy simple and clear.  Set out the goals of the video content and what information you want to convey to your audience.  Make sure every video that is part of your strategy is about your product/service.  Research your market and then research again. 

 

• Platform and Target Audience 

Part of your strategy should also include decisions about which platforms you will be using.  This will be dictated by knowing who your target audience is and where they tend to hang out online.  If you are aiming your affiliate marketing at young people then you are more likely to find them on YouTube and Instagram than platforms like Facebook.  If you are active on different platforms then link back from your most successful platform.  This will leverage your best performing platform and increase traffic to your video. 

 

• Find a Hook

Having a hook means you can effectively and quickly reel in your audience.  Hooks grab attention and are a great way of showing your audience what to expect from the video. 

 

• Tell a Story

Knowing what story you want to tell is often the easiest and the hardest part.  The best videos are those that engage the audience quickly, and take them on a journey that aligns with your message. For example, if your target audience is bakers and chefs then the content should align to their requirements and interests.

 

• Landing Pages and Relevant Keywords

When thinking about optimising your video you should also make sure the landing page the video is on is also optimised.  A critical part of the optimisation strategy is keywords.  Do some keyword research and use the relevant keywords relating to your video in the landing page title, the meta description, and within the written content on the page.

 

• Include Closed Captions and Transcripts

Closed captions and video transcripts can enhance the SEO of your video content.  Although videos are inherently not text-based, having supporting text in the form of captions and transcripts is something Google likes.  Captions enable Google to crawl through the content in your video and identify what is said.  In addition, captions can really help you build your keyword density and diversity. You can use the keywords in the captions to build on your ranking. 

 

• Calls to Action 

A call to action is key when creating video content.  It essentially enables you to direct your viewers and let them know what it is you want them to do.  You can direct to an affiliate link, a website, a promo video or your other channels.  Calls to action are also well known for converting viewers into customers and creating lasting opportunities for engagement and data collection.  The call to action to be placed somewhere it is easily identifiable and be brief and informative.  You want your viewer to know exactly what action you want them to take, ie ‘Sign up now’, or ‘Buy now’.  For optimum results you should include the call to action in your video content and in the video captions/transcript. 

 

• Exciting and Engaging Thumbnails

This may seem obvious, but having an enticing thumbnail is becoming increasingly important.  The best thumbnails generate more clicks, and the more clicks you have the greater the exposure of your video content.  A great thumbnail should be intriguing, relate to the subject matter and be targeted at the audience. Be sure to use the word ‘video’ in your headings, research shows that this can boost open rates by up to 19%!

 

• Check Description and Title 

It is important that you pay attention to your video title and description.  The title and meta description help to rank your videos and are useful for including keyword placement. Always do research to make sure you have selected the right keywords, and that they are placed in the title and meta description.  Never stuff your title with keywords, instead think about their placement and how relevant they are to the video.  Both the title and description create crucial metadata relating to your video that can increase its visibility. 

 

• Add Share Buttons

Adding a share button to the bottom of your video is a simple but effective strategy.  Evidence shows that the vast majority of consumers share content with their followers.  Share buttons will increase the discovery of your affiliate links.

 

• Optimise your Platform 

If you want to optimise the reach and discovery of your video content, then you need to pay attention to the optimisation of your platforms too.  If you work across multiple platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, then you need to optimise those platforms too.  Optimising each social media platform means that your video has a greater chance of being seen by more people.  

 

• Embed the Video

Having an embedded video on your platform means that visitors to your platform or website can watch the video that you may have borrowed from another platform.  The video that has been embedded will play and the viewer will not have to leave your platform to watch it.  What it means for you is that viewers will stay on your landing page, but also be able to see videos from your other platforms. Embedding videos in this way means that your video content views will increase, without the viewer having to even click the video.  Embedded videos play automatically every time someone comes to your page. 

 

 

VIDEO CONTENT PROMOTION

Once you have created your video, uploaded it to your platform and optimised it you need to start thinking about promoting your video.  Having an effective video promotion strategy is essential if you want your content to be seen by as many people as possible.  Of course, one of the best ways to promote your video is to include it on all your landing pages as this can increase conversions.

 

What other ways can you effectively promote your video content?

• Promote your videos on all of your platforms and social networks as these are the places where people are more likely to share content and spread the word about your content.
• You can generate a lot of traffic to your video by having a giveaway that is shared by followers and viewers. 
• Make sure to always have a share button on your content.
• Align your video promotion with your email and affiliate marketing strategy.
• Pin your video to the top of your feeds/bio on Twitter and Instagram.
• If you are a member of any online communities and groups then share your video there.
• Generate traffic to your video content by ensuring you have optimised your content in line with the tips in the article, but also by advertising, monitoring your SEO and adapting it where needed. 
• Be responsive and engaged with viewers.  

If you are starting out you might be wondering about content ideas for social media platforms.  It is important that you do your research in terms of what works in different platforms.  For example, LinkedIn is very much business and skills focused, whereas Instagram users like content related to health, lifestyle, beauty and fitness.

Some topics work well across all platforms (ie business coaching tips), so ensure you are aligned to what your viewership is interested in and which platforms you use.

 

 

Video Marketing– Top Tips

• Keep videos short and sweet when starting out 
• Make sure your video content does not have pauses and long gaps between speaking/information sharing
• Make sure the video is square as this usually works best on mobile screens
• Ensure that the opening 30 seconds are engaging and interesting 
• Add your logo or website/handle to the top corner of the screen so people know where to find you 
• Distribute your video content across various platforms and channels

 

CONCLUSION

It’s clear that videos are great for building brand awareness and enhancing your affiliate marketing efforts by increasing conversions. Optimising your videos and your platforms will enhance your reach and social media presence. RevSocial provides you with essential tools and data that can ensure that your customer base is targeted and converted into sales quickly and effortlessly. Working with RevSocial elevates your affiliate marketing to another level.