Turn A Blog Post Into A Video - Content Marketing Multiplier

Time is always the biggest hurdle presented when discussing the idea of an ongoing content marketing effort. As I've said in the past, time is usually not the actual issue. It's more commonly the learning curve that is the issue, despite the minimal learning curve in front of you.

If time truly IS a limiter for your content marketing effort, not to worry, one of the best parts about marketing this way is what I like to call the content marketing multiplier. The content marketing multiplier is essentially taking one piece of content, be it a blog post, FAQ, video, ebook, etc... and making it work in different formats.

Turn a Blog Post Into A Video

You finally found the time to think out a modest blog post and you're feeling great! Then it hits you that you had better start preparing for your next post. That great feeling goes away because you know you have this, that and the other thing to do in the next couple of days as well. If only you could make the next content endeavor go faster...

Great news! You can. Why not reach a new audience and meet more visitors' needs by creating a video from the blog post you just wrote? You know the content pretty well because you just wrote it. It should be fairly painless and quick. All you really need is a video camera or smartphone with video capabilities.

Using A Video Camera

You may want to consider using a video camera if you are obsessive about the video and audio quality of the videos you produce, and/or you will use video editing software before posting the video online. While most modern smartphones are capable of making some darn nice videos, a video camera will tend to do a better job because it's sole purpose is video. If you are comfortable with a video editing program like Microsoft's Windows Movie Maker (which is FREE, FYI) or Sony's Movie Studio, you should probably start with a video camera because you will be eliminating the easy step of direct-posting to youtube from your smartphone anyways. More on that in a minute. If you use video editing software, you can add some nice touches such as an intro screen, overlay text, and background music.

Using A Smartphone Video Camera

Truthfully, most web videos would be perfectly fine generated from a smartphone. It's a very common and accepted way of creating and posting videos online. All you need is a smartphone and probably a tripod. Remember to consider your surroundings and know the quality of your smartphone's microphone. It may take a few tries to get the best process down for doing a video on your smartphone.

One of the biggest advantages to using your smartphone for a video is that you can post the video to YouTube and many other video services right from your phone. No need to transfer the video to your computer, then upload it to YouTube. Another advantage of using a smartphone is how easy and natural it is. You probably already take videos of your family and personal life, so taking a video of you speaking about your blog post topic is not much different.

If you want to do some editing of videos on your phone, Mashable put together a great list of options here: http://mashable.com/2012/07/25/video-editing-apps/

Videos Can Better Convey Your Message

We've all been the recipient of an email that we weren't sure how to take. Was the person mad? Was the person in a hurry? A lot can be lost from a conversation or explanation without some inflection, body movements and facial expressions. The same is true for blog posts. Some people just learn better from a video than from reading. Additionally, some people may glaze over when they read something but have full focus and understanding when they see/hear the same thing.

Videos not only multiply your content, but they help reach more people.

Videos Are Highly Clickable In Search Engine Results

Another great benefit of videos is that they are prominent when you do a search in Google. Many people are more likely to click a video search result than a text result because they don't want to read. They can play a video in the background of what they are doing and just listen.

Get More Mileage From Your Content

Overall, if time is an issue, and I'd be willing to bet it is, you should be looking to get more from what you're already doing. Making a video from a blog post you've written is a simple first step.