Video is by far the most effective digital marketing tool available. However, in order to get the most out of this powerful tool, you must first learn the tricks of the trade. In this article, we’ll go through the top ten things to consider during the production of your business video.
1. Start by asking the strategic questions
The first step on your video production journey: get your strategic bearings by asking and answering four basic questions about your video project. This is an important step long before the cameras start rolling or the idea for your video is created. What is the specific marketing goal? Who is the target audience ? How and where will the video be viewed (social media, website, YouTube, etc…)? And how can you monitor and calculate your progress ?
The answers to these questions will give your project the structure, direction and meaning it requires to be successful.
2. Be S.M.A.R.T. about your objectives
Make sure your business video’s goal is S.M.A.R.T: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound when creating an objective. If you wanted to boost online sales, a S.M.A.R.T objective could be to increase the conversion rate by 50% by the end of Q1.
Furthermore, videos have been shown to increase product page conversion rates by over 80%. So, in general, this type of goal is certainly not unrealistic. however, what is attainable for your particular organization could obviously differ.
3. Make your concept a part of your overall plan
Clients often approach Propulse Video with a new idea before we’ve had a chance to conduct a strategic review of their marketing goals. Although it’s important to let your imagination run wild, don’t put the cart before the horse. Or in this case, your imaginative vision before your plan.
You could produce a very creatively clever and beautifully executed video that fails to yield results if you don’t have a good understanding of your S.M.A.R.T goal, audience, meaning, and KPIs (Key Performance Indicator).
With a solid strategic plan in place, on the other hand, you’ll also find that new ideas emerge naturally and easily from the system.
4. Budget carefully - but invest wisely
Effective video content is now more affordable than ever before. So if you have a larger marketing budget, don’t overlook digital video content in favor of more conventional platforms. Again, a good plan can come in handy when it comes to budgeting: it will help you decide what kind of content is realistic for you.
When contacting production companies, recommend a budget range that you’d like to work within. Then, request a menu of a few production choices of varying complexity and costs within that range.
5. Recognize when it is time to recruit actors or find "talents" in-house
Using employees as company spokespeople or background “actors” in any of your business video ventures can be a great way to add credibility. It can also help you save money on production.
On the other hand, when the camera starts rolling, inexperienced actors sometimes become self-conscious. This is especially true for those who have never been in front of a camera before. They might get tongue-tied over basic lines and unusually rigid and uncomfortable. So, whatever you save on acting talent, you could end up spending (and then some) on the extra production time needed to get usable content from your employees.
Once again, getting a solid plan in place would assist you in determining the right course of action for any given initiative. This is just another reason why your video production plan is important. In its creation, you can assess alternatives and choose the best one.
6. Avoid the feel of a business brochure
Don’t bore the viewers with a video script that sounds like it came straight from your home page or a business brochure. You may have gotten away with something like this 10 or 15 years ago. But today’s viewers want better than a video version of a PowerPoint presentation to pique their interest. Consider your corporate summary video to be an appetizer: something light and refreshing that will whet their appetite for more of your site’s content.
7. Determine the ideal video length for your application
According to statistics, 70% of video users can watch streaming videos up to the two-minute mark. After that, however, user retention drops dramatically. It’s no wonder, then, that when creating new video content, many companies strive to stay under the 2-minute mark. For example, statistics suggest that consumers in the middle and bottom of the sales funnel (who are looking for more detail and confirmation of a product or service) will watch videos that are much longer than two minutes.
Don’t let the extra material on the cutting room floor prevent you from engaging this important group.
8. For most web video productions, 4K is not necessary
Although 4K video is impressive, do you really need that much detail? There’s a widespread myth outside of the video production industry that 4K resolution equals better picture quality. The majority of your fans will be viewing on a laptop, tablet, or a regular HD display screen, rather than on a 4K display in full-screen mode. In most cases, 1080p (full HD) or 720p (HD) resolution are sufficient.
9. Develop a business model
The most entertaining video material is just as good as the attempts to market it and get people to watch it. So, instead of simply embedding the video on your website or uploading it to YouTube and hoping for the best, create a strategy to attract audiences to your videos. For example, you could send an email to your clients or followers with an embedded picture of the video that connects to your website; you could also contact a list of influencers and ask them to tweet about it and post it with their networks. Build preview versions for social media that connect to the full video; run paid social media promotions; and more.
10. Continue to add new material
According to recent studies, 72% of consumers choose to hear about a product or service by video rather than text. Additionally, audiences remember a much higher proportion of a message while watching a video rather than reading it.
But, instead of thinking about the company video as a one-time event, see it as an asset. Let it be the starting point of a long-term video marketing strategy, and put the tools in order to implement it. The more video you use across your digital channels, the larger your audience will get, and your ROI will increase.
Are you ready to start your video production journey now? Contact us here! We will be happy to help