The Three Types of Online Videos and Their Uses:Educational Video

The last type of online video is educational video. Unlike the previous types this video doesn't have to be focused as tightly on a specific goal to be successful. These videos don't usually appear on your homepage but instead are placed beyond the landing page for those viewers looking for more information. Educational video exists to educate but can also establish trust in your company brand and a sense of leadership. When users begin to go deeper into everything your site has to offer, educational video can give the information they are searching for while differentiating you from competing businesses.

Educational video can also act as a helper to your customer service team. The visitors can use to these videos to learn everything they need to know about your product or company and will mostly likely come back to you when they are ready to purchase. Using videos as part of your online support can help answer the frequently asked questions your customers might have in a format they are comfortable with. These videos can make a difficult process easy for your viewers by showing a step by step process and at the same time can build a relationship between your site and you visitors.

Unlike the other types of videos, educational videos guidelines for duration and content are pretty lax. It is harder to measure the success of these videos because it will not be based on the number of views like a viral or conversion video. The more important metrics to pay attention to are how many chapters of the video were viewed and how many time does the average viewer watch the video.

Here is an example of an educational video posted on the help section of the Twitter's website. It shows customers how to use the new Tweet button on their websites. Check it out.




References: Sevitt, Daniel "Online Video for Business" ReelSEO. http://www.reelseo.com/types-online-video-business.

Social Media is not a Date but a Marriage

Often times when new technology is introduced we all want to touch it, demo it, date it, fall in love, then use it. However social media is not just some new fad or gadget, it's the new way to conduct business and connect with vendors, customers and clients. Today you can't casually "date" social media you must "commit" to its daily use so that it becomes second nature to you. Social media can help you find your voice in your industry, it can become a friend who watches out for their customer and works to establish and deepen relationships.

When you date someone you can hide certain areas from them, but not when you're married. When you connect to the social media your company must be ready to become transparent, warts and all. Whether you're thinking of a blog, a page on Linkedin, or jumping head-on into the mysterious world of Twitter, people will read about your company, they'll comment, refer, or deter others from using your product or service. At this point in your marriage you can't mess around.

Make sure you know what you're getting into with social media. A seminar or public relations consultant will help get you up to speed without the usual learning curve and perhaps save the company some embarrassment that could damage the company brand. Remember once it's on the internet it's hard to pull it back in. Like the minister says "for better or worse, in good times or bad" make sure you have a great marriage because with social media there is no option for divorce.