Heads up, video marketers! Recycling isn’t just for garbage.
Videos are like Twinkie’s. You know, the 39-ingredient sweet treat known universally for its alarming shelf life? OK, your videos might not have what it takes to survive the apocalypse. But they are far more versatile than marketers give them credit. Unlike a tweet, which disappears into the Twitter abyss moments after publishing, your video content is tangible. If a particular video campaign doesn’t perform well, tear it apart, repurpose it, repackage it and redistribute your video to improve performance. We know what you’re thinking…
This sounds like a lot of work. Why invest more time and effort into a piece of content that either didn’t perform well, or did but has since expired?
Because repurposing your video content creates opportunity. Improve SEO ranking, form deeper connections with audiences, distribute your refined video content differently to reach new audiences, and support video marketing consistency (a mission-critical component of your strategy).
3 Video Upcycling Tricks
1. Transcribe Videos
Transcribing your videos is one of the easiest and most versatile ways to repurpose the content. It also doubles as a power play for improving SEO ranking.
Re-release your video with the transcript displayed below the frame as an interactive feature that engages audiences.
Include closed captions to reach audiences who watch without audio.
Edit the transcript and publish as a blog article that promotes the video.
Pro Insight: Google cannot index visual information. By including closed captions or a transcript, you will provide search engines with something to crawl, which will increase your odds of being paired with a relevant search inquiry. For more video SEO tips, check out this article.
2. Break Videos Down Into Bite-Size Clips
It’s unlikely you’ll keep someone’s attention for all 4 minutes of your video, especially if you’re using social media channels to promote. Break down long videos into several short videos (about 30 seconds each). Promote and distribute each video short as a series and include a CTA that leads viewers back to your YouTube channel or website to catch the full-length version.
3. Distribute Differently
This is especially valid if you have a well-produced video that did not perform as well as you expected. The issue might not be the video, but the way in which you chose to distribute. Before sharing your video campaign with the world, think about where your audience will view it, and what you want your audience to do next. Always customize your videos for the platform on which they will be published. A good starting point is to follow the best practices for each distribution channel. Also, rethink outside factors that could empower your distribution. For example, reposting a holiday-inspired video. Furthermore, consider these facts:
YouTube’s optimal run time is 10x longer than Facebook, clocking in at around 14.5 minutes versus 1.3 minutes.
Ergo, if you have a longer video campaign, YouTube might be the better distribution channel. If you have a short video, Facebook is more likely to serve you well.
Posting your video natively on social networks will generate greater engagement.
For YouTube videos, insert your CTA around the 30-second mark.
Twitter only allows 30-second videos.
Instagram recently expanded its allowance to 60-second videos.
Pro Insight: Repackage videos that have already been published to give them a fresh look. You can switch the title, revamp the description, and talk about it differently on distribution platforms. You can also use videos you’ve already published as a way to answer questions or respond to inquiry trends. Keep in mind:
The ideal tweet size: 71-100 characters
The ideal Facebook post: 40 characters
For hashtags: don’t use spaces or special characters.
Email subject lines: 28-39 characters
Ideal title tags: 55 characters
Additional Quick Tips for Repurposing Video Content
Convert explainer video text into a graphic, step-by-step “how to” or “how it works” campaign. This campaign can promote a website page, infographic, guide, etc.
Splice together clips from several customer testimonial videos to form one compelling, all-encompassing customer satisfaction video.
Use internal videos like a corporate video to show external audiences a “behind the scenes” look at your company.
Turn your video into a podcast, especially if it’s educational in nature. Software is available that will strip the audio for uploading to iTunes and other platforms.
Create a blog post around a video, merge the two, and pull short clips from the video to promote the blog article on social media.
Interview-style videos make great Q&A or FAQ pages.
Use your old videos as silent background videos for trade show display.
If it makes sense for your brand, splice together bloopers and out-takes to create a comedy piece. Comedy helps humanize your brand and, especially if you operate in a dry, serious industry, breaking up the monotony could prove to be a big win with your audiences.
As you’re shooting a video, take some film from behind the scenes (the rigs, the set, the talent and crew intermingling). You can create a short preview to give your eager audience members a glimpse of what they can expect.
Pull still images from your video content and use them in other content pieces, on your website, in your social media profiles, etc.
Pro Insight: Hopefully, your content sparks conversation. Use viewer comments as inspiration for future video content. It’s a great way to gauge what your audiences want to hear more about, and it makes them a part of the process, which helps fortify the customer/brand relationship. If this still sounds like more work than you’re equipped to take on, consider partnering with a video marketing agency. They will help you maximize the value of each video, stretch shelf life, and meet ROI goals. For more ideas on how to stretch your video dollar, check out this article: How to Extend the Reach of Your Existing Video Content.
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