So you want to add video to your content marketing mix? Here are some basics you need to know before you get ready for your close up.
1. Keep your videos short. Between one and three minutes is a good length, depending on what you have to say,” says Tony Whittaker of Carnivore Films.
2. Put something interesting and attention-grabbing up front. You need to get people’s attention in the first 10 seconds or you’ll lose them.
3. Make something people want to share. Don’t just make it interesting. Make it fun, insightful, memorable, cool, or inspiring.
4. If people are talking in your video, make sure you can hear them clearly. Good audio is more important than good pictures if you want people to actually listen to what they are saying.
5. Don’t script videos for people who can’t remember scripts. Even great public speakers can stumble in front of a camera. Better to get them to talk in point form, or ask them questions that they can answer to get the information across.
6. Video can be expensive to produce, depending on the scale and scope of your project so you need to decide if the cost, time and effort is worth it. Is the story you want to tell good enough? If video is the answer, it’s ideal for creating brand identity through emotional storytelling and beautiful visuals.
7. Don’t forget the video still needs to funnel directly back to your marketing objectives. What is the goal of the video you are creating? Is it to inform, educate, inspire or to move the viewer through a particular phase of the purchase funnel?
Don’t forget the video still needs to funnel directly back to your marketing objectives
8. Video is great as a tool for product explainers. It can be hard to get people to read an article on a dry subject – such as life insurance or superannuation – but an explainer video can make it easier to digest. In this way, video can also be a great tool for answering customer questions.
9. Think of a new angle. This is harder than it seems, but not impossible. Remember that somewhere there is probably someone making a similar video to yours. What makes yours different?
10. If you create a longer video you can carve it up into smaller, snackable chunks to spread across your relevant social channels.
11. Also consider using parts of your video for pre-roll advertising.
12. Make sure your video can be viewed across all platforms: desktop, tablet and, increasingly important, mobile.
13. According to content marketing guru, Ann Handley, “Video works best when it’s integrated into a content marketing program. So text, graphics, audio, and video are all part of the same Content Circle of Life.”
14. Don’t forget there are many elements that go into a video including script development, potentially sourcing talent (vloggers, or bloggers as long as they can speak to camera, are a great way to add an air of both authority and celebrity to your content), choosing a voiceover talent if necessary, music, supers and overlay. It’s probably better to bring in professionals rather than tackle it yourself.
15. Facts and figures to consider: According to Buffer Social, “Video generates 3x as many monthly visitors to a website as other content, visitors spend 88% more time on a website that includes video and organic traffic from search engines increases by 157% with video.”
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