Yesterday in the 21-day hospitality social media challenge we discussed the benefits of photos and how your smartphone makes the process almost seamless. Today we will look at the “Big Kahuna” that is video!
For starters, if you have been loath to start incorporating video into your social media plan, you really ought not to fear the unknown. Spending some time each week recording your snippets to increase your web presence is simple, it’s cost effective, and it works. If you need more inspiration, here are three reasons to get you motivated!
1. YouTube has massive appeal
Did you know that YouTube is the second most-searched website on the Internet after Google? Additionally, YouTube reaches more US adults ages 18-34 than any cable network. That is a lot of volume, traffic, and potential increased visibility of your hospitality business.
With your mobile device you could shoot some video today that might not go viral but it could do a fantastic job of promoting your business by telling your story and gaining the trust of potential guests.
2. Cross platform engagement benefits!
The video that you might take for YouTube can also be easily shared on your blog or Facebook timeline. In fact, 500 years of YouTube video are watched on Facebook every single day and according to Simplymeasured.com, videos (and photos) can increase your timeline’s engagement by 64%.
With your smartphone in hand, start reaching some of those one billion monthly unique visitors to YouTube.
3. Keyword potential
In a previous 21-day challenge post, we defined what a keyword is and how your guests use them in search. YouTube allows you to include up to 1,000 characters for your profile information description, so make sure you load it with relevant info and include descriptive words and phrases that help your business show up in search results. Additionally, just like for Google search, YouTube has it’s own keyword tool so you can get an idea of what your potential guests are searching for on the site. The example below is just a quick search I did for Bozeman, Montana.
For your efforts, you want to think your customers when making video content. What kinds of video would be most beneficial to them? Perhaps walking tours, short daily weather updates, or day in the life type of videos. What would they be searching for? In conjunction with the keyword tool, use your smartphone to start creating content that resonates.
A few Youtube best practices and pro tips
- Make sure you have your videos properly labeled with a title or else YouTube has no way of knowing what the video is about.
- People’s attention spans are very short, so remember to keep your videos brief in length – like one to two minutes max.
- Always complete the description with comprehensive information (including keywords) and categorize them properly
Day 13 task: Find a guest who is amenable and friendly, and conduct a two to three minute video interview with them. When done post it to Facebook, your blog, or YouTube (better yet, across all three!).