Monthly Archives: August 2013

How Video Will Grow Your Business

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Grow your business with a persuasive video…

Video marketing has been one of the most important internet trends of the last few years. For a cynic, it would be easy to dismiss it as just another fad. It isn’t, though — new methods of video production and hosting have changed the face of marketing, putting powerful tools within reach of independents and small businesses. Video marketing can take the form of viral videos to be shared on social medial platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, explainer videos hosted on your business’s own webpage, or components of other marketing initiatives such as Kickstarter campaigns.

Video marketing can make a huge difference in getting your message out to potential customers, but it’s most effective if it’s done wisely. Like any form of marketing, video marketing is fundamentally about storytelling, and good storytelling has several important characteristics.

First, a good marketing video won’t take any longer than necessary to make its point. Studies demonstrate that videos start losing viewers as they get longer, with some dropping out as early as the 30-second mark. That doesn’t mean that a marketing video has to be short; it just can’t be any longer than it needs to be to make its point.

The basics of a clear marketing video message are simple. The video needs to begin by explaining what’s known in marketing circles as “the question” — the problem that the product intends to solve or the audience to whom it’s being marketed. Next, the video needs to demonstrate expertise. This can mean showing the creator and the product at work, or it can simply mean showing you speaking clearly and authoritatively about the subject.

Establishing authority is important, but it isn’t the only important part of creating a marketing video. To be really effective, a marketing video has to end with a “call to action” — something that spurs the viewer to take the step you want them to. This could be as simple as clicking on a link or as complicated as purchasing a product.

Second, a good marketing video has to represent the personality of the company or individual it represents. Video marketing gives you a chance to communicate directly with potential customers — to let you embody your own brand. Paradoxically, slick production values can actually interfere with your ability to communicate what it is about your product that makes you stand out.

This isn’t to say that good production values aren’t important in a marketing video. An experienced explainer video agency can make an important difference in communicating your message. In order to communicate your point, your video has to be easy to watch and understand; professional audio, lighting and camera work can make a difference here.

The real key to success is to communicate the enthusiasm and passion that drive you and inspire your product. This is the chief advantage that an explainer video has for the small company or lone businessperson; its unmediated nature lets producers speak directly to consumers.

A video that goes viral can reach thousands upon thousands of users, more than almost any other form of marketing in the same price range. Most videos, however, don’t reach such a huge audience. This doesn’t mean that they’re unsuccessful, though. By communicating a clear core message and demonstrating your commitment and energy, video can completely transform you online marketing strategy — which, in today’s world, means completely transforming your business.

Here at Stormnet Media we produce videos that work. There’s no guesswork, just clear thinking and a passion to make your video work. For a no obligation quote please contact us on 01527 910050.

How to Make Your Web Visitors Watch All Your Video

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Engage with your web audience for maximum clicks…

If you’ve decided to take your first steps into web video marketing, you may be spending a lot of time thinking about how to make people click on your videos. While it’s definitely important to get people to watch your marketing video, it’s equally important to make sure that they watch it all the way through. Even videos that are successful at attracting viewers may not necessarily be successful at retaining them. Here are a few reasons why:

Length

It may sound surprising, but studies show that videos begin to lose viewers as early as the 30-second mark. At over a minute, a significant number of viewers will have simply stopped watching. You won’t be able to retain all every viewer, no matter how interesting you make your video, but these figures do serve as a reminder that marketing videos need to be brief in order to be genuinely effective.

Clarity

The best way to get people to stick around through the length of a video is to make sure that they know enough about the payoff that’s coming at the end to know that it’s something they’re interested in. If you start your video with a question, make sure that your audience knows that you have the answer and you’re going to share it with them. If you’re explaining a process, make sure that even before the first step your audience knows where you’re going.

Directness

Some successful marketing videos have a rambling, conversational tone, and you might think that it’s a good idea to imitate this. It’s certainly true that the personal touch is one of the big advantages of video marketing, but that doesn’t mean you want to spend your video wandering around the point. You can get away with this kind of thing once you already have an established brand, but if you’re just “meeting” your customers for the first time, you want to make sure that they know you’re not going to waste their time.

Passion

In a world where hundreds of videos are competing for your viewers’ attention, you can’t afford to create a video that lacks commitment. Production values are good, but the beauty of internet marketing video is that it’s available to people who don’t have the budget to hire a website video production company for every aspect of the job. But no matter what your budget, if your video suggests, even for a second, that you aren’t enthusiastic about your product, viewers will pick up on it — and if you’re not convinced, why should they be?

Production

That said, production values do make a difference. A well-shot video is easier to watch and easier to understand. Making sure that your set is well-lit and that your microphone records clear, natural-sounding audio can help you get your message across. Viewers aren’t necessarily looking for Hollywood production, but they won’t keep watching a video that makes them work hard just to see what’s happening or understand what’s being said.

Individuality

The boom in video marketing has been a huge help to small businesses, but it has downsides as well. One of these is widespread competition. Another clever marketing gimmick isn’t enough to stick in the typical viewer’s mind any more. Your video, more than anything else, has to demonstrate what it is about your business that is unique, whether it’s your product, your methods or simply your personality. Even before you start production, it’s vital to sit down and identify this point, because you’re going to want to start hammering it home from the first second of your first video.

If you’d like an engaging and effective video production then we’d love to help. Contact us for a free no obligation quotation today on 01527 910050