Google “video marketing” and you’ll get—as of this writing—3.27 BILLION hits. That’s more than Taylor Swift (965 million), Donald Trump (462 million) and, surprisingly, weed (1.04 billion).
Books, articles and videos (and more videos) offer you “21 Video Marketing Tools” or “5 Super Secrets” or “8 super-successful tips” every video marketer should know, all of which revolve around data manipulation: jacking your view count, tracking prospects, a/b headline testing, the latest changes to the YouTube algorithm, and reams and reams on Search Engine Optimization schemes.
It seems like all you need to know about video marketing is how to force people to click by whatever means necessary.
But something’s missing from this rush to buying views, SEO, banner ads, influencers, and click-bait. Our emphasis on clicks skips past this question:
What, exactly, are you asking people to watch?
98% of Americans carry tiny computers in their pockets, and they stare at them an average of 4 hours a day. Fingers poised above the screens, smartphone users can instantly watch almost any piece of film or video ever created. People have become experts at judging, in seconds, what’s worth their attention.
You know this is true, because “people” is you. That’s your finger hovering over the screen of your phone, deciding if a video lives or dies. You’re the one clicking “skip this ad” ahead of your YouTube unboxing video, or wondering just how long this boring testimonial video about a real estate lawyer is and whether maybe instead you should watch the next episode of Stranger Things. Or this new song. Or comedy special. Or cat video.
In today’s infinite entertainment universe, there’s always something better on.
If you’re starting your video marketing strategy meetings with SEO and data points, you’re doing it wrong. No matter how you trick your customers into clicking on your video, if they don’t love it they’re not going to watch it.
To get attention, you need to pay attention—to the entertainment and information needs of your audience. This is creative work, not data crunching. Start with your existing customers and on-line visitors. Work to translate into video what your brand means to them, and then give your customers something of value to watch (Hint: if you love it, you’re on the right track. And vice versa.)
Regardless of how you get them there, you will always, always, always have more success if the video you show them is is intriguing, tells a story, and has something in it for the Audience.
Which is why getting people to click on your video is the SECOND thing. The first is giving them a great video to watch when they get there.
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Steve Stockman is a writer/ producer/ director in Los Angeles. How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck, available in 9 languages, is the best selling video how-to book in the world. You can find the updated (2017) edition from Workman Publishing wherever you get books, ebooks or audiobooks. 
Why don’t you make an online course with your book(a.k.a. knowledge) as a basis? I think most people will need it.
Thanks, great idea! Working on it!