As many of you know, we’ve strategically diversified our revenue sources, not solely relying on Google traffic.
The team took YouTube seriously because it gives our brand credibility and instantly boosts revenue when promoting a product. The video can also be used on other channels like Instagram and TikTok.
The writing has been on the wall since 2015. Google keeps taking traffic away from smaller websites and giving it to big brands. We had to get uncomfortable and do something.
Where did we start?
Four years ago, we knew nothing about video. We knew we wanted to get into video and should hire someone.
Our first hire was a disaster. He was European, didn’t have a driver’s license, couldn’t speak proper English, and wouldn’t try to interview anyone or get uncomfortable.
Our second hire was our last and best hire. He has been with us for almost five years and is now the head of his department. A young savage right out of school now leads a team of four and is just killing it.
With our second hire, we got into storyboarding, directing, staging, lighting, waiver forms, keyword research, and multiple cuts. We focused on educational content from highly experienced individuals in our industry.
The results of these videos were good for our industry, which isn’t sexy. Nothing went viral, but we were picking up steam, and this was right before our second year of playing around with video.
How is it going, and where are we headed?
Finding talented editors and charismatic people to get on camera has become the next big move.
Honestly, that’s all there is. Insanely talented editors who seriously bust their backs to produce incredible content and ultra-charismatic people who resonate with your audience.
I hate to be that person, but messing with the thumbnail is key for CTR and getting an audience that may not otherwise click on your video. The media team has a system, and they’re killing it. I am not here to tell you how to design your thumbnails, but I am here to tell you that you should 100% test different designs to see how your audience reacts.
Production quality was okay when we started, but now, we’re at another level. Networks and multinational companies are approaching us to help them with their videos. At some point in your development, you will hit that sweet spot. That’s when big names will approach you to collaborate for your next growth level.
Many SEOs sit and stare at their computers, work, and wait for results. If this is your mindset, you’ve capped your growth. We attend events, meet many people in our industry, shake hands, and speak to industry experts all over North America. Yes, this means flying to different parts of the country and recording experts in different parts of the US and Canada.
Current successful test
Right now, we’re testing dual and triple narratives.
For example, if we highlight the day in the life of one mother with a stroller (which we’re promoting), we go to another mother and follow her while she uses the same stroller doing her day-to-day activities.
It’s very difficult and time-consuming, but our audience loves the content. Our producer is the brains behind this style of recording and editing, and he is absolutely killing it.
I was once told that the media team would be our biggest department. It is now, but I don’t think that will last. I legitimately think the web team will be bigger, but there is a bias here since that’s my department.
Social channels
The beauty of having a media team is that you can take content from YouTube, cut it, and customize it for all the other channels, such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
We’ve absolutely killed it with this strategy, and no, we don’t have a social media marketer doing any of the work (we should, though). It’s just me and the team posting the content.
Final thoughts
We’ll continue testing our work.
I can only see improvements since we’ve hit that stage in our work where we’re about to go vertical. We can all smell it.
Our team will move resources around to improve different channels to get more loyal followers like we have.
Why do we take video seriously? It will solidify our place in the industry, making us untouchable. We’ll be lightyears ahead of the competition when they realize we’ve taken their lunch.
Until next time, I’ll catch you all in my next post.
