SEO VIDEO SCRIPT WRITING SERVICE

Optimizing the tone, pace, and content of your video marketing message

  • Keyword research to confirm there's enough interest in your video's topic 
  • Concise, conversational video scripts for engaging voice-overs and dialogue
  • Video script templates to aid the narrator or actor in delivering the dialogue
  • Keyword-rich scripts to boost the searchability of your marketing video
  • Verbal signposts that guide your viewers through the listening experience

The impact of video marketing on SEO

Video certainly packs a marketing punch. A well-produced video can a deliver a far more effective, convincing message in a much shorter timeframe than tradtional marketing. The statistics back this up: according to Wyzowl's 2020 Video Marketing Statistics, 80% of video marketers say video has directly helped increase sales, and 95% of video marketers say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service.

But video is just as important from an SEO-perspective. In fact, 87% of video marketers say video has increased traffic to their website. How come? Well, you can publish keyword-optimized content in a format that is immediate and eye-catching. It enables you to reach a whole new audience, and it encourages people to share your message. In short, video marketing helps create more impressions, click, shares and backlinks, and that boosts your search-engine rankings.

The versatility of marketing videos

Video is such a versatile marketing tool. First, they are extremely accessible to anyone with internet access, both to watch and to produce. As the Digital Marketing Institute says, anyone can hop onto their laptop and create their own video in under an hour.

This means that video marketing is not restricted to the big brands; small local companies can participate too. Second, there are many ways you can incorporate video into your marketing strategy. Here are the main types of marketing video currently being used by businesses of all sizes:

  • Explainers: showing consumers how to use your product or service
  • Product reviews: reviewing and/or comparing your product’s features
  • Demos: introducing a new product by putting it through its paces
  • Welcome messages: giving a personal welcome to your website visitors
  • Landing and Contact Us pages: encouraging people to give you their details
  • Interviews: chatting with a customer, employee, or industry expert
  • Pre-rolls: short paid ads that come on before the main video
  • Testimonials: customers telling viewers why they love your product
  • Vlogs: video blogs that answer a customer’s question or highlight a solution

Once you've made your video, you can publish it on a variety of platforms: your website, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, and more. Which platforms you choose depends on your marketing message and the audience you're trying to reach.

81% of video marketers say video has helped increase the average time their visitors spend on a page. 

Video Marketing Statistics 2020 by Wyzowl

The importance of SEO video script writing

Video marketing is not only about images. It’s also about the spoken word.  Adding a dialogue or narration allows you to inject emphasis and emotion that isn't possible with images alone. It reinforces your visuals and creates a connection with the viewer. And that is why you need a video script: a chronological list of scenes, action, and dialogue that appear in your video. Without a script, you’ll have trouble conveying effectively the tone, pace, and content of your marketing message.

Writing a script is a crucial part of video production. It helps you plan your message, create a coherent structure, and work out exactly what to say. It even helps you estimate the length of your video.  But it's also your opportunity to make good use of keywords for search engine optimization purposes.  This maximizes your return on investment. The more searchable you make your video on platforms like YouTube, the more successful it will be.

How does script writing differ from article writing?

Writing a script for a short video is very different to writing a blog post or an article. Think of it as writing a simple, engaging story that has a clear beginning, middle and end. You're writing primarily for the ear, not the eye, so script writing includes these elements:

  • Keeping sentences short and simple and inserting plenty of natural pauses to aid understanding
  • Writing as you speak and using the pronoun ‘you’ throughout to strike a conversational tone 
  • Adopting a tone that suits the role of the speaker and best connects with the target audience
  • Incorporating verbal directions and signposts to guide the viewer through the conversation
  • Including call outs to the video producer such as a change of shot while the narrator continues to speak
  • Identifying who is saying which lines if there is more than one narrator or actor
  • Marking the script for the actor or narrator where necessary for emphasis, pitch, pause, and emotion

Timing is also an important consideration: How long it will take on average to read out the script. The average reading speed is three words per second, which is 180 words a minute, but that varies according to the style and content of your video and the speaking style of the narrator or actor. If the length of the video is determined before the script is written, a close eye has to be kept on the word count.   

My approach to writing a corporate video script

Define the video's goal, audience, topic, and length
Most scripts are written before the video is produced. However,  if the video’s key components are the visuals, and you simply want a voice-over (as in a product demo), then it makes sense for me to write the script afterwards.  That enables me to fit the dialogue to the screen shots. Either way,  my first step, as with any SEO copywriting projectis to define your video's goal and audience, the topic and video length, and the call to action. 

Conduct video keyword research
The next stage is to check with Google Ads and YouTube to ensure there's enough search traffic for your chosen topic. I use a tool called vidIQ to help me in this. If there's not enough interest in your topic, I can help you find another one that is more popular.  Even if you've already made your video, I'll still carry out video keyword research.  After all, you want those keyphrases inserted into your script so that it's optimized for SEO.  

Produce an outline, intro, dialogue, and CTA
Once the research is done, I plan an outline, craft an introduction that will hook the audience (and introduce any actors), write a dialogue for each screen shot, and finish off with the call to action so that viewers know what to do after watching. I usually work with two columns: on the left I write the script, on the right I insert comments and instructions for the actor/narrator and video producer. 

Review, modify and mark the script
The final stage is to send you the first draft for you to review, and to process your feedback. I'll also coordinate with any creatives on the project, such as your marketer and video producer, if that helps the project along. I mark the final draft for the narrator or actor so they know (if it's not obvious) which words should be stressed, where to pause, and what emotion to express. 

Ready to venture into video marketing and need a script?

Tell me your SEO script writing needs by emailing me at helen@write-for-business.com or calling me on 360-525-8277.

Once I have a clear idea of the size and complexity of your project, I can send you a customized quote.

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