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8 tips for video marketing with va-va-voom

This is a guest post from Nicky Robertson from Mendip Media. With video marketing becoming a hot topic, and video production now within the price range of most small businesses, we asked Nicky, an expert video producer, to give us some tips on what makes a great marketing video.

Well-produced video, used in the right context, is a powerful marketing tool. Some of our favourite TV programmes have been built around some equally well-loved and memorable advertisements – selling thousands of products for nearly half a century. With the advent of the Internet, video has been unleashed… and now we’re scrambling to learn how to use it effectively.

Video on the Internet is different from TV advertising because of the way information is collected and distributed.

The Internet is interactive and infinite, which has implications for the length, content, and context of videos:

• The new elasticity of length means we can upload recordings of whole conferences or just a few seconds of our own lifestyle ‘stuff’.
• Video is no longer the preserve of videographers, but of everyone.
• We can add the same video to our website and to multiple pages or to Social Media platforms – re-use the same content over and over.
• And all video content is available for repeat viewings 24/7 – the archive is no longer a dusty pictures library but an accumulating, on-demand channel.

So in this new landscape can Internet video have the same sales power as TV advertising and, if so, how do we go about harnessing some of its va-va-voom?

Here are some things to think about if you want to make or commission a marketing video:

1. Marketing message: Have a clear idea of what you want to convey in the video. It’s tempting to try to put too much into a single clip, but video on the Internet is scalable, so if you have more than one message think about segmenting your videos into individual clips.
2. Format: Make sure you know what type of video you want to produce. There are lots of different genres of video from product demonstrations, adverts, viral, training and straight event recordings. The genres may cross-over but knowing what sort of video you are aiming for will help you decide on budget and timescales.
3. Planning: Use a storyboard and script to work out how your video will look and sound. Every video shoot requires setting-up and scheduling, and most genres need a storyboard. The exception is event recording, but this type of filming has its own peculiarities that need special planning. 90% of producing a good video is in the preparation.
4. Professional editing: Bring in a competent editor to create the finished product. Whether you film it yourself, or use a friend or a production company, you must use a good editor. One that is working with industry standard editing software to cut the final footage. This will save you time and money. A video clip is not created in the camera but in the edit suite. A decent editor will ensure you end up with a compelling marketing message.
5. Usage: Know what platforms you want the video to feature on. You may want to use your video offline for a presentation or as a DVD but also on your website or YouTube channel. A long conference video may work on your website, but it’s not going to be useable on YouTube where the maximum clip length is 10 mins. In the case of multiple channels you’ll need to re-edit the same material to make sure it fits the medium.
6. Promotion: Make sure that you have a clear strategy about linking your video online. Time and money go into making a good marketing video so it’s important to squeeze as much exposure from it as possible. Only add the video to Social Media platforms that are appropriate and remember to tag it. There should be links to your website for viewers interested in the content. Slick marketing videos drive traffic back to the originator’s website.
7. Visibility: Plan the positioning of the new video within your website. Video is a big-ticket item and you want visitors to see it. Don’t hide it away; make sure it’s easy to find, preferably on your Home Page. If you can’t fit it onto the Home Page at least flag up a link to it elsewhere on the site.
8. Re-use: Finally, your filmed footage is gold. You may not think it at the time, but all the material you film for a video is your archive and therefore valuable. It has the potential to be used again at a later date. It can be cut-in with new material to create a new video. It may even provide you with revenue in the future. Make sure you retain the copyright from the get go, especially when you commission a production company to produce material for you.

And to answer my own earlier question – of course Internet video can be as powerful as TV advertising. The number of times it has been viewed can even be tracked more rigorously than broadcast. But just as we have to come to terms with the rapidly changing web, so we have to understand the way Internet content works. It interacts with itself and its viewers and it is different from the old analogue timelines controlled by industry producers.

The power of Internet video derives both from being good in itself and its ability to integrate with other content and channels, and, most importantly, with potentially millions of viewers.

Nicky Robertson is Director of Mendip Media. She worked as a staff camera director and producer at the BBC for 12 years before starting her own digital agency specialising in Internet video production and digital marketing. You can find more of her video ramblings on Mendip Media’s own blog.

Published on 7 February 2011