Video content is becoming an increasingly important part of marketing plans for many businesses. That’s because videos are growing to become one of the most popular ways of consuming content. It’s no surprise that YouTube has over 2 billion visitors every month. If you’re thinking about making video content a part of your marketing plan, you have the option to create your videos yourself or to hire outside help. Whichever option you choose, today’s tips for high-quality video production for marketing will help you build the video marketing plan that’s right for you.
Why is Video Content Vital for Businesses?
Video is more than just a new and fast-passing trend. YouTube isn’t just a video platform – it’s also the second-largest search engine in the world. Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter have all added ways to create and share video content. And many business websites have added video to their homepages to highlight their products and services in a new way.
If your business hasn’t gotten into creating video content yet, you’re not alone. But as video becomes a more common way of marketing your business, you’re missing out on the benefits if you wait too much longer to get started.
Why Video Production for Marketing is Important
But it’s not enough to just try out creating videos as part of your digital marketing strategy. As videos have gotten more common, the standards for production has gotten higher. Tossing a few hastily-made videos up on your homepage with low production value can do more to harm your business than to help it.
High-quality video production is key to building your brand. If your videos look polished and professional, with a strong message and well-written content, you will boost your profile as an authority in your industry. In a world saturated with marketing, consumers are looking for proof that your business is legitimate and trustworthy. It’s all part of building your online reputation.
Who Should Use Video Production Services?
Most big businesses use a video production company to create their video content. These companies create very high-quality, glossy videos for marketing campaigns, website content, and ads. But these videos can be incredibly expensive to shoot and produce. They’re out of the reach of most small businesses, and even many medium-sized ones.
And high-quality videos are getting increasingly easy to produce without spending tens of thousands of dollars. With widely available software like iMovie, and the increasingly professional quality of videos filmed on iPhones, you can often create content yourself if you know what you’re doing.
For a comprehensive list on software options, read this recent and very informative blog.
Don’t make the common mistake of creating video content just to stay on top of the trends, though. Any video marketing, whether you create it yourself or use an agency, should fit clearly into your larger digital marketing strategy. This means it needs to align to your broader business goals like generating more leads or nurturing them to a sale. And your video content should fit into your overall brand look and feel to strengthen brand awareness.
Principles of Video Production for Marketing
With these key guidelines to producing your own videos, you can create high-quality videos yourself to promote your business. Or if you’re going the route of hiring an outside producer, you can use these guidelines to make sure you’re getting the boost to marketing you need.
Start with Good Filming
It’s easier than ever to film a video yourself – iPhones and other smartphones can have very high-quality cameras built right in. But getting a good video requires a bit of finesse.
Make sure your camera is stabilized so there’s no shaking, and find a flattering angle if you’re in the shot (check out our video on looking good on video and Zoom calls for more tips). Good lighting is also critical – you want the light to be on you, not behind you. And purchasing a good microphone can make a big difference in sound quality – it could be a worthwhile investment.
Script for Success
Going into a video filming without a clear strategy for the story you’re telling is a mistake.
Are you looking to inform your audience about a product or service, or about an industry issue? Are you selling your product, or looking to build brand awareness through engagement?
You should focus on one specific goal with your script.
Before you film, write out what your main message is so you don’t lose focus. You don’t need to script every word – it will sound more natural if you don’t. But having your main marketing messages in mind will help keep you on track.
Share Across Social Channels
Once you’ve created your video marketing content, you will need to decide how to share it. Since most social media channels now allow for (and promote) video content, you can share them on your pages to get them more exposure.
Video can also be a good fit for your web pages. For example, if you have a medical practice and you’ve created a video about your friendly office and staff, add that to your About Us page too.
Harness the Power of Video Marketing
Video is most effective when it’s used wisely. Video marketing is strong when it’s used to convey an emotion, or tell a story, or demonstrate a process. It can be a powerful addition to your content marketing strategy if you want to share tutorials on topics related to your business. Or you could highlight stories from satisfied customers, share behind the scenes glimpses of your business, or scenes from community or marketing events.
Whether you work with an outside vendor or create your videos yourself, always keep your digital marketing goals in mind. Creating content for the sake of content isn’t an effective use of time or money – and video content requires a significant investment of one or both things.
We Can Help
Looking for an agency that gets you real, measurable results with attractive functional websites, great writing and a strong digital marketing strategy? We can help with video marketing content and much more.
Schedule a free business review here to find out how we help businesses grow. You can use these insights for inspiration, and let us do the marketing for you.
Source:
https://blog.hootsuite.com/youtube-stats-
