By 2022, video content will account for more than 80% of internet traffic. It doesn’t matter whether your video marketing content is an animation, an explainer or a how to video, it’s proven to:
- increase your audience engagement
- show how well your business understands your audience
- improve your SEO ranking.
So, how can you make sure that your business or organisation is doing it right?
Choose the right video type for your purpose
Whether your aim is to generate sales or public awareness, video content can be a powerful tool to get your message across. And though it’s easy to get excited by the latest trend in video marketing – pop up videos, anyone?! – like any other kind of content, you need to be sure your videos align with the goals in your marketing strategy.
Having a clear sense of purpose i.e. why you need to create video content, will help you to choose the right medium. For instance, if you’re looking to increase your social media presence, creating a lengthy, narrative-based video might not be the best way to achieve your aim. A shorter, punchier video is more likely to hold your audience’s attention.
Video content we like
Known for their Australia Day advertising campaigns, Meat & Livestock Australia use storytelling to spruik lamb consumption. This year, the ad moved into ‘purposeful marketing’ territory. It taps into more meaningful messaging by playing on political tensions and the rivalry between Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
This demonstrates that if you’d like people to pay attention to your message, humour can be a useful way of delivering it. This is something that Metro Trains also knows to be true. To promote safety around trains, particularly in young people, they partnered with McCann Melbourne to create ‘Dumb Ways to Die’.
Not only is the video catchy and funny, you can’t miss the message behind the campaign. As of July 2019, the video has had over 180 million views on YouTube and been shared millions of times on social media.
Plan, plan, plan!
Once you’ve decided on the kind of video most appropriate for your message, it’s time to plan it. When you’re planning, it’s useful to have a well-considered script and storyboard. Or, if you’re interviewing someone it’s important to know what questions you’ll ask and the direction you’d like the conversation to take. The more prepared you are, the more professional your video will look.
Remember, if you have an intensive stakeholder review process it can be a good idea to have the script or plan signed off in advance of filming. That way you can make corrections easily, without having to spend extra time or money shooting a scene more than once. The same goes for any voiceovers you require. Use an employee to test timing, and engage a voiceover artist when you know everything is ready to go. This way you shouldn’t need to make any costly, last-minute changes.
Be authentic
When you create video content it’s important to be yourself. String Nguyen gets it right when she says: “As people, we emotionally connect with people. And business is all about people. The key to reaching them is authenticity.”
Having a good understanding your business’ key values can help you do this too. When you know exactly what you stand for, it becomes much easier to communicate convincingly. Your audience will pick up on this too, as increasingly, organisations that are values-led stand out.
Our friends at headspace do this very well. Their video content supports a range of online mental healthcare resources that speak directly to young people, often by young people.
Don’t forget about sound
Director of Avion Communications, Natalie Khoo, attended SXSW this year and amongst other important learnings, she anticipates that sonic strategy will become a part of every business’ marketing strategy.
However, she identifies a slight hitch – we rarely listen to video anymore. If, for example, you watch a video on-the-go, perhaps while travelling on public transport, it’s likely you’ll keep the sound off and instead observe subtitles or visual cues to get the gist.
So, how do you create videos to make your audience listen up? Create content that people actually want to listen to by making it an integral part of the experience. Take TED as an example. Their slogan ‘Ideas worth spreading’ has made the video recordings of their talks an essential sound-on experience. Need a helping hand to script or shoot your next masterpiece? Our content creators can work with you on this, and much more! Get in touch with us today.
