When creating your marketing plan it shouldn’t be a matter of if you should include video but how to identify and optimize your video strategy. Video can help improve engagement with your customers, launch a new product or service or simply solidify your brand. There are many forms of marketing videos. Some are easy to implement while others may take a little more work. But adding video to your marketing strategy is worth the effort.
Here are just a few statistics that show the ever-growing popularity of video:
- Cisco projects that global internet traffic from videos will make up 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2022.
- 54% of consumers wanted to see more video content from a brand or business they support.
- Video on landing pages is capable of increasing conversion rates by over 80%, and the mere mention of the word “video” in your email subject line increases open rates by 19%. 90% of customers also say videos help them make buying decisions.
Types of Video
You’re convinced that video is a powerful marketing medium. But, what's the best way to add video to your marketing mix? Some of these approaches are best left to the professionals while others can be done in-house with basic video equipment and editing software. Here are some of the more popular forms of video.
Explainer Videos
If your products or services are a bit more complex or difficult to grasp then an explainer video is a great way to present your solution. These videos are often animated and live on the homepage of your website.
Testimonials
Nothing speaks louder than a happy customer. Video testimonials can help capture your customer’s excitement while showing them interacting with your product or service.
Brand/Culture Videos
This type of video gives the viewer a behind the scenes look at your company’s culture and can serve dual purposes. Brand/Culture videos can help the potential customer get a true look at your company to see if there is a cultural fit and they’re great for giving future employees a sneak peek into your company.
Product/Service Launch
Nothing captures the excitement of a product or service launch like video and this is a great opportunity to highlight all of the features and benefits of your product and/or service. These videos can be more high level and tease the launch or can dig deeper for more complex solutions.
Event Videos
Promoting your event these days lends perfectly to video. Lead up to the event with video testimonials from attendees who experienced previous events and give people who couldn’t attend the event a recap video that highlights all the event had to offer.
Animated Videos
Animated videos can entertain, educate and explain complex concepts. Animation comes in many forms such as 2D, 3D, interactive and more. Generally left to a professional, animation can be a powerful way to broadcast your message to your audience.
How to Start With Video
Is the thought of starting a video project overwhelming? As with any project, videos require a blueprint or plan to be successful. It is important that you follow these steps to ensure you are happy with the end product. The three main stages of a video production are pre-production, production and post-production.
Pre-Production
Within the pre-production stage the first item of business is to determine your audience. Based on that audience, choose which style from the “types of video” addressed above will be a good match. Also, during the pre-production stage you’ll want to think about where to post the video. Will it reside on your website, social media, internal communications, etc. Also, consider the final length of the video. It’s doubtful that a casual viewer will spend 10 minutes “getting to know” your product in more detail. Keep this type of video to a few minutes max.
During this step, the outline and script is written. This is also when locations are scouted (if it’s a live action video), and the talent or people participating on camera are chosen. Once this step is completed it is time to move to production.
Production
Within the production phase, all of the video is shot (or animated) to script. You need to make sure all the subjects in the scenes are well lit, the audio is clear and devoid of outside noises and that you capture all of the shots you'll need to complete your video.
Post-Production
In the post-production stage all of the footage captured in the production stage is “off-lined” to choose the best clips. These clips will be imported into the editing system where they will be edited to a professional voice over, motion graphics, text overlays and music can be added to round out a complete video. The video will then go through approval stages and compressed for the appropriate channel.
As mentioned, some video can be done on your own while other video is best left to the professionals. At ProFromGo we provide full-service video production services from strategy and creative through production and placement. We even provide animation services in-house. But we’ve also consulted with our clients as to the best approach when it comes to shooting video internally. There’s several ways to approach video and if you even have any questions, just ask. We’d love to help!
