Why you should be posting videos to Google My Business
Videos work so well that most people (and by most, we mean 85%) watch them with the sound off. The movement alone is enough to make someone scroll stop and double-back to the post. Google My Business listings that double-down on a video strategy for their online presence see a spike in views, comments, shares, and other forms of online engagement. So, integrating them as a crucial part of your digital strategy should be a no-brainer!
Trying to nail down a strategy for posting high-quality photos to your GMB listing, too? Swing on over to How to Delete Photos from Google My Business to learn about what photos to keep and what photos to delete from your profile!
You know you should be posting videos — but what kind?
After you’ve committed to creating a video strategy, your next step is to nail down what kind of videos you’d like to put on your digital channels. But first, you need to make sure they align with your brand, business strategy, and constraints made by Google.
1. Know the technical specs needed for a good GMB a video
Before you get started on figuring out what you want to post, bear in mind a few guidelines by Google for videos to save yourself a headache:
- Video duration: Up to 30 seconds long
- File size: Up to 75 MB
- Minimum resolution: 720p or higher
2. Upload videos centered around topics your customers might find interesting
Once you have a handle on the above requirements, it’s time to decide what kind of videos you want on your listing. The possibilities are really endless, but here are a few ideas (as long as you keep them within that 30-second timeframe):
- Having a company event for employees such as a team-building day out? Bring the camera along and showcase your company culture!
- Give a virtual tour of your office, warehouse, distribution facility, or brick-and-mortar shop. People love peeking at exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of businesses.
- Showcase the production process of one of your products from start to finish. Videos showcasing “how it’s made” prove to be extremely engaging online!
3. Create videos with good lighting, focus, and angles
When creating any video for the web, you want to make it as bright, crisp, and engaging as possible for your audience. To create a “scroll-stopping” piece of content, you’ll want to abide by a few rules:
- Have a clear point to the video. If you’re featuring a product, make sure the video only features what you’re aiming to showcase about it.
- Make sure you record your video in a space with a lot of light.
- When recording your videos, make sure your phone or camera is turned sideways and recording horizontally. This eliminates those awkward black lines on desktop views, as well as optimizes it best for all platforms.
Tip from the Gorilla: Make sure all of the videos you upload are authentic and created at your business location. Uploading stock videos violates Google’s terms of use, and they’ll ding your profile for it!
4. Showcase your top products as a spotlight
Ultimately, it’s up to you and your team to review the stats and learn which videos are getting the most attention on your profile. That is the best way to build a strong strategy based on what your audience is most engaged by.
For example, if you’re a restaurant and you notice that cocktail and dessert videos have triple the engagement of other content, make those types of videos more frequently!
Try out new ideas often to keep your profile fresh and upbeat. Also be sure to pay attention to the seasonality of posts, and important benchmark holidays.
5. Integrate videos into your new product launch marketing strategy
Take your new product launch to the next level by saturating your digital presence with it as part of an organic campaign! Posting short-form videos of the product being made, unboxed, or calling out special features will really make a difference in getting more exposure online.
Tip from the Gorilla: Videos also give people a reason to pay more attention to new products. You can take advantage of the strength of video content by cross-posting the same videos on your social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram!
6. Ask for customers to upload videos themselves
If there’s one thing Google loves, it’s when people not associated with your business interact with your profile. By getting customers to upload videos of themselves interacting with your business, it not only gets you ranked higher on SERPs, but also gives you credibility in the online community.
Not only that, but customer posted videos show other potential customers aspects of your business that you aren’t directly showing them. To get customers to upload content, you can run a contest in your brick-and-mortar store, on your website, or across your social media channels to interact with your Google listing.
7. Routinely check and monitor videos uploaded by customers
As great as it is to get customer testimonials via uploaded videos and content, it runs some risks. Unfortunately, sometimes people upload bad videos. This could mean a lot of different things ranging from blurry and out-of-focus videos to… inappropriate ones (we’ll leave that up to your imagination).
As nerve-wracking as it is for a business owner to have to deal with, fortunately, Google has your back. As a verified owner of the Google listing, you can flag inappropriate videos through your dashboard. If they aren’t removed promptly, you can post for help on the Google My Business Forum to get a team member from Google to graciously expedite the process along for you. And don’t forget to take a look at this blog to learn more about how to manage videos on your profile.
Upkeep Your Google My Business Profile
Uploading new videos, soliciting new video uploads from customers, and routinely checking uploaded videos on your profile is a lot of work and requires a solid strategy in order to see results! Let the king of the jungle lead you along the right path to GMB success. Check out some of our reviews to see how we’re saving business owners time while seeing quick results on their GMB listings.
