According to a study ran by CISCO, videos will amount for 80% of the entire internet traffic by 2020. Yes, 2020 might feel very far away – but in reality, we’re just one leap away from these statistics.
Indeed, video marketing has grown in importance at a considerable rate in the last few years – and chances are that it will continue to grow, given that 78% of the internet users watch videos every week (and 55% of them watch videos every day).
Under these circumstances, creating excellent video marketing campaigns for your business has become more than just an option – it is mandatory. And while for a long time there a lot of the video marketing was only accessible (and affordable) for large companies with huge marketing budgets, the same is not true anymore today.
How to create an outstanding promotional video, for example? What are the secrets behind coming up with videos that are genuinely engaging for your target audience?
We have some tips for you – so read on and find out more.
What Is Your Actual Goal?
Same as with any other marketing campaign, your promotional video should have a clearly defined goal. For some, it could be plain and simple brand awareness. For others, it might be all about driving sales or traffic. And in other situations, you might simply want to educate your customers (thus building loyalty to your brand).
Whatever the purpose of your video may be, do make sure it is clear and very well-defined. This is your ground zero – the very foundation of your entire promotional video creation process. Take your time and do not skip this step!
Decide on the Basics
Before you jump into actually creating the video, it is also important to establish some of the basics. For instance, you should establish the direction of your video. Will it be purely instructional? Or maybe it will be something introductory (e.g. if your company is new on the market or if you have a new product to release)?
Your video could also be created on a “problem/solution” pattern – a type of structure that seems to work quite well, especially when your target audience isn’t the kind to waste too much time online and they want a quick solution to their problem.
Of course, your video could also be entertaining – and in this case, the focus of the entire video will not fall on your actual product or service, but on a story associated with it. Your story could be funny, it could be emotional, or it could be inspirational – whatever you choose, you must make sure that your story is captivating and that it makes watchers feel something. People love a well-told story!
Once you have the direction of the video, you should also establish the tone. Stories can be humorous, yes – but so can introductory videos or instructional videos. Likewise, the tone of your video can be very serious, it can create a sense of urgency, or it can be a little quirky (why not, it can even be downright artsy!).
What Is Your Video Style?
Depending on the purpose, direction, and tone of your promotional video, you should establish the actual style that will dominate the entire project.
A video created with “real people” will most likely be the priciest option for you. Not only do you need to pay actors (if you want things to look professional), but you will also need the equipment and the production team to help you with the creation of the video.
Live videos are very popular as well, but they don’t work in all circumstances. For instance, you might be able to create a promotional video with a product launch at a conference – but chances are that it will be too long and that it will not engage people.
Animations are a fun and cost-efficient alternative. While this used to be quite expensive, you can now create high-quality and engaging animation-based promotional videos using online video creators. They are very easy to use and you can create something that’s quite unique and memorable this way! Plus, animations are great for a wide variety of video goals, directions, and tones – so they can be a very good option in a lot of circumstances.
Create a Basic Outline
Once you have established all of the aforementioned elements, it is time for you to create a basic outline of the future video. Some of the things you should include here are the props (if any), the characters, the voice-over (who will do it, what kind of voice do you need for this, etc.), and the main ideas.
Creating a basic outline will help you make sure you write a script that combines all of the elements you have been brainstorming so far (and doesn’t omit anything important). Yes, it might feel like an extra-step, but it can be quite useful.
Write the Actual Script
Going through the steps described above will help you avoid two main issues:
- Standing in front of an empty page and not knowing what to write;
- Writing randomly, without a clear goal in mind, and losing the focus of what your promotional video should be all about.
Take your time when writing the script – it is quite important to allow your brand voice to shine through and create content that’s actually engaging for your target audience!
Of course, once the script is done, you can finally move to creating the actual video. If you have chosen to work with an online video maker, things will go quite smoothly (you just have to enter a few basic details and the script and the tool will take care of this for you). If you have chosen to work with an externalized team to handle this for you, it might take a little longer and there might be some extra-steps to add to the process (e.g. post-production).
Remember, your video needs to stand out from the crowd in every way there is! There are millions and millions of videos out there – and yours needs to stand out in terms of style, messaging, and script!
————————
Bio: I am the Chief Marketing Officer at Renderforest, a Content Marketing Specialist and an Expert in SEO, Social Media Marketing, and Link Building who enjoys sharing the experiences gained along working as a marketer and helping other entrepreneurs succeed.
My works have been published on different blogs and mediums like Crazy Egg, Forbes, Upwork, ShareThis, etc.