Video marketing has been proven to increase SEO rankings, traffic, and conversion rates. A lot of companies used to shy away from using video because of all the expenses that are associated with it. However, video production is not as expensive as it once was. You no longer need to spend thousands of dollars to include video on your website or in your marketing. Time, on the other hand, is another issue. You will only see these results if you do it right.
You can’t overlook the process of planning, producing, and promoting in order to generate good results. Here is a checklist for your company to make sure you create videos that work!
Sporadic or a one-off video that isn’t aligned with your overall content marketing plan will not provide you with the results you are looking for. It won’t create the all-important momentum in your lead funnel and will waste precious time and marketing budget. Your current content marketing plan should already outline what content assets you are planning to deliver to each of your buyer personas, at each stage of the buying journey. Video is an effective tactic that can be used at each stage of the funnel, but is particularly effective at the top of the funnel to generate site visitors and lead conversion.
Different types of video content are better suited to different video formats. Whether you are looking to produce a video case study or a video explaining what your business does, you need to consider what format will best communicate your message. Complicated processes can sometimes be best explained using animations, whereas case studies and interviews will require a professional cameraman and maybe even a green room or studio.
Creating a good narrative for your video is essential for keeping your audience engaged. Too many videos lose their audience after the first 10 seconds because their script, visual output or narrative doesn’t engage the viewer. You don’t want to ruin the opportunity to deliver your message by not planning an interesting story! A great way to create an engaging narrative is to personalise the message; show the viewer what you mean; as opposed to telling them.
Some videos require an autocue, others will require an outline of what you intend to cover and some prompt to make sure you don’t miss any of your key messages out. Choose which one will suit your video best. Whatever path you choose make sure you use short sharp sentences and well explained concepts to make it easy for your viewer. Remember that the written word rarely sounds natural when read aloud, if you are basing your script on an existing white paper or blog you will have to rewrite it so it’s suitable for speech.
Videos need visual aids (such as Powerpoint slides and graphics) to help illustrate more complex points and keep the audience fully engaged. A single camera angle focusing on someone talking for 3 minutes without interruption is enough to put the viewer to sleep. Using images, charts and statistics on Powerpoint slides can break up the experience and keep the viewers brain engaged and alert by giving them something fresh to look at as well as emphasizing on your points. Lastly, consider whether you want music and a company logo to be included. Apart from the obvious branding benefits it can create continuity between, say, a video newsletter or case study series.
With supporting materials you need to create a runsheet highlighting what should appear and in what order, especially if you’re working with a producer. Your runsheet should answer the following questions: where should the camera be pointing? What other collateral are you introducing? At what point? Is the camera zoomed in or wide angle?
Video production is cheaper now than it ever has been. Make sure you look around for different prices and enquire about bulk production. A lot of companies will charge for half a day – so if you can squeeze 3 videos in, that will significantly reduce your per video cost.
There is nothing worse than a monotone voice and boring delivery. Good presentation is a skill few of us possess and even those that do may shy away from being on camera. Your production company probably has a few recommendations if you are stuck.
If you have taken enough time to have a well-planned and well-prepared video, production itself is a lot less stressful. Ensure everyone knows where to go and at what time and you have all your media assets with you. A relaxed well organized shoot results in much better final output.
Having a keyword optimized YouTube channel will help with getting found on YouTube and other search engines.
Adding descriptions and tags is also essential to help your target audience find your video.
Embed your video on your site, blog, LinkedIn page and anywhere else you think relevant.
Seed your video by making tweets, blogs, LinkedIn updates and share these seeds in relevant online communities.
Use the viewing statistics to see what is working and what is not. Generally speaking, if you have low viewings, you probably haven’t promoted your video enough, if your drop off rate is high then your content needs to be more engaging or perhaps its too long. The more videos you produce the greater points of comparison you will have. This is important as every industry or market sector will have a different propensity to consume video – being able to compare your results over time across videos will give you a benchmark and you will get to know what works best for your audience.
Here are some examples of well-planned, produced and promoted videos: