This Guest Post is written by Brenna Clarine, a freelance blogger at Valoso, an online freelance video editing and videography platform.
If you're wondering how to market your business online, the first and most important step you can take is conquering the social media marketing arena. Video content marketing is one of the best ideas to prove your worth as a forward-thinking brand. Every major social network has made it easier to upload and share videos across the web, making them a great marketing platform. Whether you're taking advantage of Facebook Live, YouTube Live Streaming or simply uploading videos to your website, blog, YouTube Channel or Vimeo, video is where its at.
Whether you have made a few business videos before or have never heard of video marketing, understanding the value of a successful video social media marketing campaign is a business must. So read on to learn how to make professional videos and discover some of the best free social media marketing ideas below.
The Numbers Behind Video Marketing
The raw power behind video marketing is backed up by tons of statistics. Video, live or otherwise, is shown to be the medium of choice right now. It is effective, popular, and accessible. If you still aren’t convinced, take a good look at the numbers yourself:
- According to Cisco, video will account for 69% of consumer Internet traffic by 2017. Consumers devour eCommerce videos. Maybe this is a type of video you will decide to make for your business.
- Social video generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined. This number is incredibly impressive. Social media can make or break a company, and social video can be a huge brand-make
- According to Invodo, 92% of mobile video consumers share videos with others. The market is enormous for online video. When you choose to create a solid video marketing campaign, you have the potential to reach thousands—millions, even—and not just the number of subscribers or followers you already have.
- Including video on a landing page can increase conversion by up to 80%. Videos are highly versatile. They can be put on blogs, social networks, email newsletters, websites, and especially landing pages.
- Including video in an introductory email can reduce the number of subscriber opt-outs by 75%. In other words, videos are an effective way to reel in and preserve a wider audience. Your business will experience significant growth and conversion by incorporating video.
How to Create a Video for Your Business
Step 1: Brainstorming
Of course, to make a video, you must have a video idea. A business video does not have to be as limited as you may think. It can be comedic, jolting, inspiring, simple—anything, really. Here is a list of the most common types of business videos:
- Explanation video
- Event video (best for local video marketing)
- Social media videos
- Product video
- Talking head
- Webinar
- Customer testimonials
Once you decide what kind of video you want to make, you still have to come up with an actual idea for the video. You can come up with ideas by watching several examples of successful marketing videos and then brainstorming some of your own. The best marketing videos are always brand-building, creative, and engaging, so choose an angle that will create a positive image of your brand.
Step 2: Planning
Now it is time to take your idea and flesh it out. You have to decide how you want to carry out your video. The major points to define and enforce when learning how to create a video for your business, are message, mood, and impact.
Define what the message of your video is (e.g., video marketing is awesome), establish a mood (e.g., friendliness), and impact your audience to take action (e.g., visit your website). These three key objectives should accurately express your brand.
Next, plan out the details for the actual production of your video:
- Who? Do you need actors or voice actors? Where will you find them?
- What? Is the video an animation (whiteboard, cartoon, or graphics?) or live action? Will there be background music or speech?
- When? What is the deadline for the video? When will you introduce it to your audience?
- Where? Where will you film your video (if it is live action)?
Step 3: Producing
Follow three key steps when producing your final video. Each tip is explained below:
1. Scripting
The script can make or break your video. It doesn’t matter how stunning your visuals are if your message just isn’t there. First of all, remember the three pivotal points we talked about earlier. The message, mood, and impact should guide your script.
Writing a script for a video depends on what kind of video you have chosen to create. For the most part, create a hook, add valuable substance throughout, and leave your audience with a powerful plea at the end. Be engaging and have precise word choice. You can also hire a professional to write your script if you think that option is best for your business.
2. Filming
If you are starting off with an animation video, feel free to skip this section.
You will need professional equipment to film your video. Offer your audience a high quality video in order to be taken seriously. Take a look at all of the major brands producing videos on social media—are they shaky, blurry, or low quality in any respect?
Don’t worry, producing an exceptional video is not as costly as it sounds. First, decide between purchasing or renting a video camera, microphone, and lighting equipment. You can find relatively cheap new film equipment for your business on Amazon. On the other hand, websites like ShareGrid allow you to rent film equipment for a one-time project.
3. Editing
Editing is essential in the production process because it ties all of your hard work together to finish your masterpiece. You should consolidate your footage, music, audio, text, special effects, and animation, and do this all at the editing stage. Make sure the outcome fits your vision. If you wanted your video to be cutting-edge, make sure every moment in the video screams cutting-edge.
Second-rate video editing can be done on free software like iMovie and Windows Movie Maker, but, as we have discussed, your video should not be mediocre. At this point, you must decide between purchasing video editing software and training your staff members how to use it, or hiring out a skilled video editor to take care of this part of production on freelancing websites like the company I work for, Valoso.
Step 4: Marketing
Now that you have created your video, it’s time to spread the word. You already know why you should use video for marketing—now we just have to get into the how. Do not be daunted by this process. If your video is remarkable, it will carry most of the weight itself.
You might be wondering where to spread your specific video: YouTube? Email? Twitter? Facebook? Website? Vimeo? Google Plus? Instagram? Blog? Snapchat? LinkedIn? Forums? The answer is simple: all of them. Your video will only reach maximum influence and conversion if it is spread to the maximum capacity.
On that note, if you are serious about making your video a hit, you should also plan to share it more than once on most of these channels. Remember, you want maximum influence. Without being overbearing, the key to video marketing is spreading the word and encouraging others to share your video.
Your video should also have effective search engine optimization (SEO). SEO enables your video to reach the chunk of your audience that hasn’t yet discovered your brand. Using tags, keywords, descriptions, and categories to optimize your video increases your chances of being exposed to your next loyal customer.
Do not just market your video, either. Market your brand, and show how this video is an accessory to your brand. The video should reinforce the essence of your business—what you are all about. Your brand should become a household name, like Red Bull or Samsung. These may sound like lofty goals, but that’s what marketing is all about, isn’t it?
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have stopped asking yourself, “Why is video important for marketing?” You know the facts now, and you know the potential your business holds in the online video market. If you want to make a name for your company on the digital platform, you know what to do. Take what you have learned here and start making videos today.
