Part 1: Video Blogging Basics – Best Practices & Topic Ideas
It isn’t as hard as you think. Today, making videos is easier than ever and uploading them to your site is even easier. Attracting more than 1 billion unique viewers every month, YouTube is an audience worth capturing. Vimeo is a close second with similar features as YouTube, drawing in 135 million viewers in 2013.
Videos give your SEO campaign an extra boost, and at PaperStreet we recommend all of our SEO clients take advantage of the power of videos – aka video blogging. Videos can be optimized, give the user a glimpse of you as a person, share important information and reinforce that you’re a leader in the industry.
For more information on creating, uploading and posting videos to your website, check out part 2.
Best Practices for Video Blogging
Just like content blogging, there are best practices that should be implemented when brainstorming, creating and uploading your videos:
- Post a minimum once a month (the more the better)
- Establish a rhythm in your posting. This will prompt Search Engines to come back and check your channel. Adhere to the schedule you create.
- We recommend YouTube, but Vimeo will also do the trick.
- Keep it short – under five minutes for more in-depth videos, but sometimes all you need is 60 seconds and that’s fine
- Optimize the title and the video description with your targeted keywords
- Add tags and categories that are relevant to the video content
- If you are using YouTube, make sure it is connected with your Google+ page or profile. Every time you upload a video it will automatically get added to the posts tab of your Google+ page or profile.
- Ensure there is a place on your website for your videos to live (category for the blog, stream on the home page or footer)
- Style your YouTube account to include your firm artwork, photos, updated description, custom URL, and links to your website and social media pages.
- Choose the best thumbnail for each video. You can verify your YouTube account to upload a custom thumbnail.
- Include a YouTube/Vimeo social media icon on your home page
Topic Ideas
Your videos can be about something current, a popular topic that is always relevant or something specific to your firm. If you have the means to react to news when it happens – take advantage of that resource. Otherwise, stick with evergreen topics that are always relevant.
- News – updates regarding the law, local developments, coverage of big events in the area (Mardi Gras, football games, festivals)
- Opinion – a local story make national news? Share your opinion on it. For example, recently a woman was kicked off a plane traveling to Boca Raton from New York because she caused a scene when the person in front of her reclined her seat. Can this be a legal matter? Sit an attorney down to discuss.
- Question and Answer – Answer frequently asked questions and have another member of the firm moderate, or ask questions from clients and provide an answer (bonus: you can tag the person on social media when you share the video)
- Recent Cases – If your bar rules allow, recap a case that your firm recently won.
- Meet & Greet – Introduce the members of your team or show off your office
- Firm Events & Happenings – Record any activities your firm participates in such as charity events, conferences, speaking engagements, etc.
- Commercials & Press – If you have been featured on television or mentioned in the press, see if you can get a copy of the video for your channel. Always make sure you have permission to post the video publicly or you can get penalized for copyright infringement.
Examples of Strong Video Blogging Implementation
- Thorn Tax Law – Notice how the branding on the YouTube channel is consistent with the main site. The channel description and blog posts are optimized and videos are less than 5 minutes each.
- Bloom Legal – Good implementation of answering questions and providing topical information.
- South Florida Personal Injury Lawyers – Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge craze? This law firm took the challenge – a great example of making a quick video to join the conversation of a trending topic.
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