INTRODUCTION
Visuals have become the most effective tool for reaching bigger audiences. With the rise of many social networking sites like tik tok that support video feeds, many people spend hours glued to their screens. For any business, it makes sense to improve online presence through video marketing. It is easier to reach people via the type of media that they consume the most and that is why video marketing works.
However, while this audience might be ever green, you still have to find a way to get to their hearts. This means you have to come up with a really good video that attracts and engages your audience; you don’t want to bore them. Instead, you have to find a way to keep them entertained and informed about your product or service. With this in mind, let’s go through a few tips that can help you to create some very compelling videos for your business.
EQUIPMENT AND PLANNING
They say a battle is won the day before the actual fighting. This adage generally works when it comes to video marketing also. You need to have a general idea and outline of what you are going to do. The equipment you need depends on the type of video you are producing. For example, if you are doing a simple “talking head” video where you just sit before the camera and talk about your product or business, all you need is a good camera with good audio capture. But it does not only end there; you need also to have a good script of whatever it is you are going to say. Then you have to start worrying also about the lighting and your background.
Of course, the more complex and professional the video, the list of things to cross out grows longer. You might need extra equipment and a few professional hands to help you with the script and the mise-en-scene. This only to emphasize that the planning phase is very essential if you are to produce a very entrancing video for your business. Of course, you might embrace the whole “authenticity” paradigm and go ahead with spontaneity. It all depends on the type of clientele and demographic you are targeting.
WORK ON GETTING THROUGH TO YOUR AUDIENCE
Get to the “feels” of your audience; that is hit them where it matters—get them to feel things. Work hard on that emotional aspect of your video. Stephen King, who has made millions by playing around with various emotions and feelings of his fan base once said, “For me, that emotional payoff is what it’s all about. I want to make you laugh or cry when you read a story . . . or do both at the same time. I want your heart, in other words.”
This is, of course, the secret of his success. So, grab the attention and hearts of your targeted audience. People tend to share videos that move them, that speak to them. Speak out to them, reach out to their emotions and move them. Make them laugh, smile and feel safe; and make them feel like whatever it is you are selling is made specifically for them. That is the key to a successful marketing video. So when writing your script for your video, make sure to give that extra emotional kick.
EXPERIMENT WITH VARIOUS TECHNIQUES
In this post-modern digital age, we have done away with the notion of strict glossy images and still cameras. Many now embrace jerky camera movements and grainy images to add an ounce of spontaneity and “reality” to their feeds. This sometimes adds “grit” to your videos, and might work especially when targeting the adventurous and younger population.
Don’t stick to just one filming method. Try different techniques for different effects: from animated videos to a mélange of styles. For example you can use time-lapse shooting for a better representation of passing time. The bag of tricks is bottomless and use it to the full. This unpredictability will work to your advantage as you keep an expectant audience eager to watch your next video. After all, expectation enforces perception. Once you get the respect of your audience by keeping them curious, you are guaranteed successful campaigns.
STICK TO THE ESSENTIALS
Don’t waste video time with useless information. Instead, make videos with useful information so that you do not bore your audience. This does not mean that you have to be sterile and stiff in your presentation. Be as fun as you can be but do not dwell much on the less important stuff. People have busy schedules and they are largely utilitarian these days. So don’t waste their time by going around in circles. Make your video alluring and informational. Juggle along those lines, try not to make your video a cumbersome info-dump.
SEEK PROFESSIONAL AID
Some of the required effects in an effective video require some complex software and tools. This means that at some point in time you might need to seek professional aid. It might be in script writing or in the whole mise-en-scene of your video. To avoid mediocrity, you might need input from a set of professional eyes. It might be costly but it is less time-consuming and you will learn from those who have established themselves in the video making domain.
ADD A MUSICAL TOUCH
So far we have been so concerned with the visuals. Most people seem to forget how music adds a whole new dimension to a video. Music has the power to touch on the emotions of people and it reinforces the visuals giving them an extra punch. Many TV shows and movies were a success mostly due to the soundtrack.
Why not borrow a leaf from this book? Find the perfect soundtrack to your marketing video. Some people may forget what you said but the overall emotion of it lingers in them through the song you played. There are many sites where you can license some quality songs, from Amazon, Audio Lunchbox down to eMusic. These sites each have their own deals and you have to find the one that is convenient for you.
Once the perfect song is chosen, you need to work on the technicalities of when exactly you need to play it and at what volume. It has to be loud enough to be heard but not too loud to drown out what is being said in the video. You might need to hire someone with good musical taste to choose the best song that goes along with what you want to say.
ADD A LURE TO THE HOOK
First impressions are very important. You need to find a perfect lure to your hook; that is a perfect introductory loop to your video. Demand the attention of your audience from the first word, either with a very well-thought-out question or a loaded punchline. Work on your audience’s curiosity then hit them with that perfect song and work your script.
Not only do you need to work on the introduction, you need to also work on a cool exit. Execute a nice closing to your video that leaves your audience impressed and ready to watch the next video.
FINAL TOUCHES
When the script has been polished, music added and whatever effects you need are added, you need to let your video simmer. This implies adding some titles, credits and working on the graphics. The graphics and fonts depend mostly on what type of style you employed. Sometimes you might want to stick to simplicity especially if it is your first video. The more you progress and experiment, the more complex and professional your videos become. You might need a professional here to help you with the little subtle finishing touches.
There is a lot of software out there to help you along the way, some are complex and easy to use and some are rather time-consuming. You choose what suits your tastes. There is AfterEffects which is ranked one of the best for motion graphics. You might need a lot of time and patience to familiarize yourself with it if you are a newbie.
PUBLISHING
Now comes the big moment. You’ve done all of the things that we talked about and everything is ready. First, you need to find a way of optimizing your viewership. To do that, you need find a very good title for your video. You need a very catchy and memorable title to your video. Sometimes you need to do a keyword research and use it in your video title so that your video can easily show up when people search for whatever theme is related to what you are saying.
Make sure your business can be noticed from the video. You need to make sure that your logo or brand name is clearly visible so that when viewers love what they see, they give credit to the appropriate business.
Add a short description of the video on the site you are posting your video. You might also add some extra links to your other products or business. This ensures maximum engagement and generates traffic.
Once all this is dealt with, you need to decide on the format of the video you are uploading, the resolution and other video settings. This, of course, also depends on the sites on which you are uploading your video. Sites like Vimeo mostly cater for high resolution and quality videos. Some sites where you can upload your video include YouTube, Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram etc. Each site comes with its own terms, conditions, quality, and size it caters for. Once you familiarize yourself with those, your video is ready to be released to the rest of the world.
CONCLUSION
Video marketing is an essential marketing strategy that is guaranteed to capture the attention of this digital generation. Your success depends mostly on your planning and organizational techniques. Patience, time and creativity are needed. You need also be adventurous enough to experiment with different techniques of engaging the shifting attention of an ever-dynamic audience. Versatility and flexibility are therefore a great asset.
