With so many social media platforms and video hosting sites available there is an absolute glut of mediocre brand videos. I often wonder do brands just have some bland template they follow when creating videos. Most of these videos have little impact on the audience they are trying to impress. That is why I have decided to list my favourite video tips.
There Is No Golden Master Plan For Video Production
As you probably know there is no golden master plan when it comes to planning a successful video production. There are video production techniques that you can use to plan and execute your video production to industry standards . However they are only tools and do not guarantee a successful outcome. If a golden master plan existed every brand video would be a success and every brand would use it.
“The whole is more than the sum of its parts.”
Aristotle
When planning a video remember a successful video happens when a number of separate concepts come together to create the desired brand outcome. With video production it is as Aristotle said “the whole is more than the sum of its parts.”
My 7 Favourite Video Tips
1)It Is All About Your Audience
Every list I have ever written about storytelling, video production, photography, public speaking or any other activity where you are sharing an idea has begun and ended with the audience. Of all my video tips the most important to remember is that your audience is the single most important component of any video production.
Who are they?
What do they want from you?
Where do they reside online?
What triggers are they likely to react to?
What do you have to offer them?
How are you going to inspire them?
The list goes on and on and you need to be able to answer these questions before you begin to plan your video. You need to also think of the questions you may need to ask that are unique to your audience. It is only when you understand your audience that you will you be able to take the first step in your video planning.
2)Remember Your Purpose
Every video has a purpose and yours is no exception. Be very clear of the exact purpose of your video. I have a simple rule and it goes like this, if I cannot describe the purpose of my video in one line in language a child can understand I rethink my purpose. Knowing exactly what you are trying to achieve at the start of a video project will be of enormous help to you as you start to make difficult decisions that invariably arise during any video project.
3)Nail That Story
At the heart of any successful brand video is a great story that your audience love hearing. As brand marketers, you will find it is the best brand stories that will engage your audience. If you can tell a brand story that will make your audience want to take a journey with you, you will find they will be happy to engage with your brand story. Last week I wrote about “Kevin The Carrots” adventure in an Aldi Seasonal Advertisement, this week I read about adults queuing at the supermarket to purchase “Kevin The Carrot” branded toys. The power of the storytelling has created a viral marketing success for Aldi.
4)Share An Unique Insight
The last thing you want to do as a brand video marketer is to create video content that does not resonate with your customer. One way to ensure this does not happen is to give your audience an unique insight into the brand when you share your story. By giving your audience an unique insight you are making them feel special and part of bigger of a bigger network of chosen insiders. The insight you give them will then become part of the knowledge they choose to share with their social networks. Remember we are all striving to be valuable to our networks online and we do this by sharing insights that we think will be of value to others in our social networks.
5)Time Is Your Master
“There is no greater harm than that of time wasted.”
Michelangelo
Every second of your video has to count from the start to the end. Use the first 5 seconds to engage your audience and the last few seconds to inspire them to action. Every second in between should only be there to support your story and show the main characters journey. Anything else is just unnecessary padding and should be ruthlessly edited out. Time is the only resource we have that is impossible to replenish and once used is gone forever. Your audience will not thank you for wasting theirs.
6)Look For That Creative Angle
Of all my favourite video tips I know this is the hardest to implement. Mentioning the word creative often triggers a negative reaction because most people think they are not creative. I happen to think that while there are some exceptional creative’s in the world today everybody can be a bit creative by practising creativity. So when I say look for a creative angle I am simply asking you think of telling your story in a way that has not be done by your competition. Look to the world of advertising, television production or movies for your inspiration. Find a creative inspiration you like and adjust it to your purposes. The key is to tell your visual story in a way that is new to your particular audience.
7)Inspire Action
My final video tip is to remember to inspire your audience to action. You do this by telling a story that will engage your audience on an emotional basis and make them care about your story. This sets them up to respond to your “call to action”. The “call to action” for any brand video should be crystal clear to your audience and most importantly easy to do.
Moving Forward
“Nothing is worth more than this day.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
In video marketing the most important endeavour is your latest video because it has the power to reinforce your video campaign message or ruin your reputation. You really are only as good as your latest video. While this statement may be overly dramatic it reinforces the idea in video marketing that all your videos contribute to your reputation online. This means to create the best videos you really need to create content that puts your audience at the heart of your video production process. Be very clear what you are trying to achieve and create video that is creative and provides real value to your audience. The video tips I have listed are about thinking about how to create video that makes you stand out in a crowded market place.