Making a smart investment in a marketing video.

The internet brought a rapid pace of change to the world of marketing, and nowhere has that been more apparent than in a marketing video. With broadband connections in more and more homes, more and more people are watching online video than ever before, giving companies a powerful new tool with which to reach customers. In addition, low hosting prices and the ever-decreasing cost of digital video cameras mean that these methods are within the reach of even small businesses or one-person operations.

Even so, creating a marketing video to present your product or idea to customers is an investment. Even if you shoot the cheapest video you can, using a smartphone camera and hosting the video on a free site, the video represents an investment of your time and effort. A more professional video, with superior production, expensive sets and paid hosting, can be a significant outlay.

The question for the prospective explainer video creator, then, is how much investment in video marketing is justified. When deciding what resources to commit to video production, there are several factors to consider.

The first and most obvious question is whether the marketing video will create a financial return on investment. If the video contains a direct call to action, it may be possible to track its effectiveness in terms of how many viewers are converted to customers. If the video exists more to raise brand awareness or create social-media connections than to achieve conversions, its direct financial impact can be much harder to measure.

Measuring the overall benefit of a marketing video therefore involves both objective factors such as sales and subjective factors such as brand goodwill. It’s still possible to measure the impact of a video, however. Comparing performance before and after the video’s release can be helpful, although other factors may enter the equation. One way to reduce some of the uncertainty in this process is to make sure to set a measurable goal before beginning the project. Maybe your goal is simply to direct viewers to your website; alternatively, perhaps you want viewers to sign up for your newsletter, like your product on Facebook or complete a survey. Whatever your goal, set it in advance and decide how you’re going to measure the results.

In order to determine your marketing video’s potential return, you’ll need to assign your outcomes a financial value. For sales, this is obviously the actual profit generated by the sale; for other outcomes it’ll be necessary to estimate. It’s important to be cautious about this estimate – it’s easy to be too optimistic when valuing intangibles, and many people find it hard to resist the temptation to make the calculation align with what they want to do already. Be conservative in your estimates.

Another factor in the calculation is the video’s lifespan. Although videos can remain online indefinitely, their effectiveness declines over time. You can extend the shelf life of a video by avoiding time-sensitive elements, but this can also reduce its promotional effectiveness. When considering video production, therefore, consider the video not as a stand-alone product but as the first element in an ongoing online video marketing strategy.

Lastly, consider potential audience factors. Online video can reach a wide range of potential customers, but this makes it well-suited to reaching certain types of markets. Local businesses such as brick-and-mortar retail establishments or similar enterprises will need to target their marketing more specifically than an online business which can benefit from reaching a geographically diverse audience.

Estimating the potential return – and possible ongoing costs – of an online marketing video can give you an idea of how much you want to invest in the production. The greater the potential financial return, and the longer the potential life of the video, the higher the level of investment you can justify.

If you’re considering a marketing video then speak to us. We can help you create a powerful and persuasive video that will boost your sales. What’s more, we guarantee it! Contact us today on 01527 910050

How a corporate video can change your business.

In the course of our daily lives, we’re exposed to a lot of corporate communication. Being subjected to so much PR makes us media-savvy – or at least we like to think it does – and it runs the risk of making us cynical. With such a jaded audience, you’d think that a corporate video would be immediately dismissed as just another polished shill. And yet, corporate video is one of the most effective ways for companies to communicate their messages. What makes them such an effective tool?

The key to a successful company video – and the reason that video in general is such a potent way to build a brand – is good storytelling. People organise their thoughts and communicate their emotions by telling stories. We experience the world through stories, and our relationship with corporations is no different. When it comes to building a corporate reputation, you must never forget: people care about your product, but when it comes to your company they want a good story with compelling characters.

Corporate video has to communicate a small number of key points about a company. Some of these are uniquely suited to the video format. A video has to communicate the company’s values, the core principles that underlie its identity. Customers love to feel that they share the values of the companies that are important in their lives. The perception of these shared ideals turns a body of consumers into a community; supporting the company means supporting a set of values that the customer believes in.

Corporate identity becomes corporate story when a company uses video to communicate its history to potential customers. This point has to be handled with care; no one is interested in hearing that Amalgamated Rock and Gravel was formed in 1974 when United Rock and Gravel acquired debt-stricken Pioneer Aggregates. Small businesses, however, have a great advantage here. Every small business is an expression of an individual’s creativity, and every small business has had to overcome obstacles to get where it is. Explaining the company’s product in narrative terms draws the viewer in, making him or her a participant in the corporate story. Buying the company’s product gives viewers the chance to play a role in the realisation of the founder’s dream.

One aspect of the corporate story that corporate videos are particularly good at conveying is the personality of the company’s founders or leaders. A company can have a brand identity, but it can’t have a personality, and it’s personalities that customers relate to. An online video allows the company’s founder to explain the corporate story in his own words or showcase aspects of her personality that extend outside the usual corporate image.

Good production is important in this kind of story video, but good production doesn’t necessarily mean polish. A good corporate video should convey the company’s distinctive principles and personality; this extends to the style and feel of the video in addition to the narrative the video conveys. Slightly rough production can actually be more effective than very slick production as long as it conveys the authentic character of the company.

Corporate stories are like the stories we tell about ourselves – they represent our aspirations, our ideal selves. Sharing your story in the form of a company video helps bring others into that story, making them part of your dream.

If you’d like to produce a corporate video then speak to us. We’re experts in video production and would love to help you. Contact us on 01527 910050.

How to avoid the common video production pitfalls

Explainer videos for websites and online videos are the best way to get your message over quickly and easily. Getting it right can mean a huge uplift in website conversions and sales, but getting it wrong can put people off.

There are a number of ways that we can interpret ‘poor quality’ – this does not just mean the actual quality of the sound and image but other factors that also affect the visitor experience.

Here’s a handy guide to help you avoid the common mistakes with online video production.

1. Poor quality video production

OK, this one is pretty obvious. But you’ll be surprised at how many low quality videos we see that are put online. While most companies would not dream of getting an amateur website quite a few think that an amateur video is acceptable!

If you think that your explainer video is going to be the first impression that someone will have of your business you soon start to realise that ‘first impressions really do count’. So make sure that the video picture is sharp and in focus, the sound is of a good quality and it’s lit well. You can check out our video production guides for specific articles on how to produce a good quality video.

In a nutshell, if there are technical issues with your video production then your audience will notice them and it will detract from your messages.

2. Don’t make your videos too long

One way to lose a viewer is if the video is too long. Research has shown that videos under 90 seconds are most effective, and if someone sees your video is much longer then they’ll probably not watch it.

One of the best ways to make sure that your video is not too long is to firstly plan the key messages you want to get over. For example, a great way to do this is to present a problem, then present a solution (i.e. your product/service), show how it works (this is the explainer bit) and then have a call to action.

Use this format to write a short and concise script. You can then test it out on colleagues and friends. Make sure you time it and if it’s still too long then cut out any bits you don’t need.

3. Make sure you have an obvious call to action

It sounds obvious but we see loads of videos where they just end without a call to action. Studies have shown that viewers actually like being told what to do! This is the same in all sales – people get confused if they are not given clear instructions.

Without this you’ll get reduced conversion rates as viewers will bounce off the site without doing anything. With today’s technology you can incorporate calls-to-action in the video script as well as overlaid on the video itself. Video hosting sites such as ‘Wistia’ allow you to embed ‘clickable’ calls-to-action in the video. This could be a link or an e-mail sign up.

Whatever your call to action make it clear. The results will speak for themselves.

4. Don’t be too pushy for the sale

One of the best thinks about online and explainer videos is that they get over your message in a memorable and remarkable way. As with point 2 above, the format is tried and tested and really works. This means that you don’t have to be too pushy to get the sale. The video is designed to help the viewer come to a logical conclusion that there is only one thing to do… use your product or service.

This means that you don’t have to be too ‘salesy’ in your pitch – which can put some people off. In addition, because these sort of videos are usually humorous then they are often shared which means increased reach.

5. Incorrect placement of your video 

You’ll need to make sure that you have implemented the video in the right place on your website. Often, this is the homepage but it can sometimes be more effective when it’s on a page that’s related directly to the product or service.

By making sure that the video is relevant to the subject matter you’ll decrease bounce rates and up conversions.

Explainer videos and online videos are the ideal way to show viewers your personality. They are great for engagement and building trust in what you do. It’s like having the perfect elevator pitch on your website.

If you’d like to discuss any sort of video production then we’d love to help. We are based near Birmingham in the West Midlands and we’re trusted by organisations all over the UK. Call you friendly experts today on 01527 910050.