Remington BeggIt’s no secret that video is taking content marketing by storm. With video becoming a key-part of how people satisfy their information and entertainment needs, small businesses that fail to include it in their inbound marketing strategies, will be left in the dust. According to Nielsen, a whopping 64% of marketers indicated that video content will dominate their strategies moving forward.
So, how can you help your business get started with video?
A Video Marketing Strategy
First things first, you’ve got to start with a video marketing strategy. Without strategy and a plan, you won’t have the confidence to move forward, or worse, you’re more likely to dip your toe into a low-quality or poorly-executed video. The latter can almost guarantee terrible results.
How to plan your strategy:
- Start by identifying a problem that your business can solve and build a video topic around that.
- Decide which video format you’d like to use. (Long, short or LIVE).
- Gather the right kind of equipment you’ll need to produce the video.
- Draft a video script.
- Record your video.
Use the Right Equipment
One of the biggest perceived challenges of video marketing is access to the right equipment. Many small businesses feel like they have to invest in pricey tech in order to produce good quality video. That’s simply not true.
Camera
While video quality is important, it shouldn’t hinder a company from getting started. Yes, purchasing a top notch DSLR camera may produce a beautiful picture, but if you only have an iPhone on hand, start with that!
The goal is not to focus on the technical aspect of production so much that you can’t or don’t actually make the video. In today’s day and age, most of us are walking around with powerful cameras in our pockets. iPhones and Samsung’s are just as capable of taking clear, high-quality HD video.
Lighting
When starting out with video, you don't need to be a master of light. Just keep one simple notion in mind: fill the shadows. Shadows can create drama and you probably don’t want to associate that with your business. Carefully consider the set and all the lighting available there: your location is the most important lighting factor. If you don’t have a lot to work with, head over to a window and face the light.
Audio
Another important aspect of great video is great audio. You can produce a beautiful video but if your audience can’t hear anything, or the audio is poor quality, they’re not going to watch it. Consider using a lavalier, an inexpensive microphone that can be worn hands free, instead of the on-camera microphone. The difference in sound is crisp and will make your video look more professional.
Implement a Call to Action
Your main goal when creating videos for your marketing strategy is to inspire your viewer to take some kind of action. That’s where a call to action falls into place. When it comes to video calls to action you’ve got three choices:
Vocal Call to Action
A vocal call to action is for when you have a person speaking in the video or you’re using a voiceover. They can vocally tell your viewers what to do next during the conclusion of your video.
Text Call to Action
A text call to action can be done by adding text using titles or captions.This is a good option if there’s a website you want your viewer to visit, or a promotional code you’d like for them to use.
Button Call to Action
A button call to action can be added for interactive flare. Viewers can click on the button directly within the video, which will take them to your website, provide additional contact info, or take them to another video. (Whatever it is you choose to be the “action”.) Button calls to action typically pop up at the end of a video.
Lights, Camera, Action
As with any other marketing message, video will work best when your message is clearly presented and your viewers know exactly what you want them to do. If you want to boost your business with video, focus most of your attention on your script, getting it done with the tools with you have available to you, good lighting and most of all, audio.
