So we’ve talked about what video marketing is, and why you should start doing it. So the final question is, how.
Coming Up with a Concept
Before you make a video, you need a concept to build the video around. Figure out what you want to share; do you want to offer a tour of your space, introduce your team, debut a new product? Whatever you decide to do, you should first start with a creative brief. Work with your team to figure out your goals, topic, and what you want your audience to take away after watching. When we’re working with a client, some of the questions we ask them include what their message is, who is their target audience, and what tone they want the video to take. All these help in the development of the idea, so by the time we have a completed concept, everyone agrees on it. A fully developed concept and script will make the actual production process go much more smoothly.
Making Your Video
So you have the concept and script for your video. Now its time to make the darn thing! You have a few options, and the method you choose depends on two things: your concept, and your budget. If you just want to do a short, talking-head explainer video and your budget is small, you’ll probably be fine doing the video in-house; there are plenty of resources with advice for creating your own videos. If your concept is more complex, with characters, multiple locations, and multiple shots, you’ll want to hire a professional. You should also consider your brand’s voice; are you casual or formal or somewhere in between? You want your production quality to fit with your message, not detract from it.
Spreading the Word
If you just post your video on your website, not much is going to happen. Video marketing is about marketing – so share that content around! If you plan on producing regular videos, set up a YouTube channel for your company. Share that video on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Create a 15-second teaser and share it on Instagram. And then share it again. Tag it with the SEO keywords you use, email it to clients and leads, and basically make sure that as many people see it as possible. You can repurpose your video as well; transform it into a blog post, make it into a presentation that you put on SlideShare, grab stills or quotes from the video to turn into graphics. Content marketing, in this case video marketing, is about making the best use of the content you have. So don’t let the video languish on your site, take full advantage of it.
So there you have it! We’ve completed our Video Marketing 101 series! Over the next few weeks and months we’ll delve more deeply into some of these topics, and answer some of our most frequently asked questions. Is there something about video marketing that you’re dying to know more about? Share it in the comments!