Essential Questions to Ask When Choosing a Video Production Company

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After assessing your current marketing efforts, you realize you need a new video for your site.

So, what do you do?

If you don’t have the knowledge, skills, time, and resources to produce exceptional videos on your own, your best option would be to invest in the services of a seasoned video production company.

However, if you want your video to deliver the results you desire, you need to work with the best video production team you can find.

How do you pull off this challenging feat?

Get your search off to an exceptional start by asking prospective candidates the following key questions:

When can you start working on my project?

Video production companies that are in demand may not be able to work on your project right away.

Oftentimes, they can work on the video at a future date.

If you want the video done the soonest possible time, you might need to reconsider and look someplace else.

However, if they are very good, they might be worth the wait.

Additional tip:

Ensure you get everything in writing.

Important details discussed whether over the phone or in person should also be put into writing.

Don’t forget to include crucial information like start date, estimated timeline, and pricing, to name a few.

How long will the project take?

Typically, a live action or animated explainer video will take at least 6 to 8 weeks to complete.

If you require a shorter time for your video to be completed, check first with the prospective video team if it’s feasible.

Make sure you are able to check with the production’s progress every now and then so you can release the video on the desired date.

What potential hold-ups should I look out for?

In most cases, the answer to this question will vary depending if the project is live action or animated.

However, in the case of live action projects, possible hold ups can include talent hiccups, weather, location permits, etc.

If the video production team won’t be able to give out a few likely hold ups, they might not be the best fit for you.

How will my edit requests and other concerns be handled?

This question can help you gauge if your prospective creative partner is organized.

Preferably, it would be best to go for a video company who uses project management tool for the projects they handle.

In addition, you should clearly lay out expectations in terms of regular check-ins, kick off calls, and other things you might need clarified.

Do you have a clear understanding of the type of business I am engaged in?

The best fit for your project should be a company that has a crystal clear understanding of the product or service you are offering.

If your creative partner does not have this understanding, you can’t expect them to be able to identify the elements that make your company stand out.

Also, when they lack the comprehension, they won’t be able to highlight the things that make your brand special.

That being said, prior to signing on the dotted line, make sure you ask and gauge if they have a clear understanding of your business and brand.

Who will own the final video assets/files?

Generally, you should have full ownership of the video once you have paid for everything.

However, some creative will retain the rights to use the video as part of their portfolio and demo reel.

In the case of animation, you can negotiate if you want to ensure the individual character assets are not used in any future work.

Additional key questions

Other essential questions you need to ask include:

  • How long have you been in business?
  • How many videos have you produced?
  • What is your team structure?
  • Who will be involved in the project?
  • What is your company culture?
  • What video are you most proud of?
  • What was the biggest mistake you have made and how did you resolve it?

Conclusion

To help guarantee you get your money’s worth, ensure you do your research and ask the right questions.

Keep in mind that doing your part can also help you avoid wasting money and missing your deadline.

 

Video Marketing: Common Mistakes to Avoid

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Regardless if you are a huge company making a killing or a startup still trying to find your way around, it would be safe to assume you consider every marketing dollar you set aside to be valuable.

In other words, you want to make sure your marketing allocation is spent on something that will yield the most in terms of ROI.

Reports and statistics have indicated that in today’s highly connected world, video marketing is one of the best options marketers have at their disposal.

However, there is no guarantee your video will always perform according to your expectations.

The good thing is you can significantly increase your video’s chances of faring exceptionally by avoiding these common video production mistakes at all cost:

Budget is too small.

The fact that video production costs money is not up for debate.

And this is understandable since the video production company you will be working with are composed of highly trained professionals who will spend countless hours creating the perfect video to sell your product.

If your budget is too small, chances are you’ll get nothing more than limited animation, stock character designs, and copy and paste scripts.

Typically, compelling and high quality explainer videos require a budget of at least $2,500.

Factors that can affect cost include complexity of scenes, video style, and the experience level of the video production company, among other things.

While videos can come across as costly investments, they are worth every penny if you take into account all the amazing benefits they offer.

The time you allot for the project is not enough.

If you want your chosen video production team to come up with the best concept for your brand, you need to give them ample time to brainstorm.

Creative thinking will take time.

Give your chosen team enough time to bounce ideas around as opposed to settling on the first idea that pops up.

In addition, don’t encourage ideas from videos done by your competitors.

While it would be wise to keep track and be aware of what they are up to, it is way better to create something that will make your brand stand out.

The video’s message is not clear.

If you want to make your video powerful, memorable, and effective, you need to ensure your message is clear and straightforward.

In other words, it should not beat around the bush and should be devoid of details that are unnecessary.

Sure, it can be tempting to include as many information possible about your product in one video.

Unfortunately, this would prove counterproductive.

Not only will it overwhelm the viewer, it might also confuse them.

Do yourself and your target audience a huge favor and get rid of all the elements that are unnecessary and focus on the primary message you would like to convey.

Once you get the attention and interest of your target audience, they’d most likely look for additional information from the other marketing materials you have on your site.

Also, since your video also functions as a sales and marketing tool, make sure you include a call-to-action as the end of the presentation so you can guide your viewers accordingly in terms of the action they need to do.

As much as possible, use your video to generate more leads for you.

So rather than merely inviting your viewers to visit your site, suggest that they sign up for any freebies you are offering or check out some of the amazing discounts you are providing.

You use too many jargons in your presentation.

While you might be familiar with corporate jargons, it is very likely that most of your target audience is not.

And since the video will be made for their consumption, their needs should rank high in your priority list.

That being said, ensure your script is jargon free and presented in a way that’s easy to understand.

Contrary to popular belief, your viewers will not be impressed with your use of jargons.

It might even do the opposite and cause them to stop watching your video.

Your video’s humor is done in bad taste.

Using humor can be tricky.

Understandably, the things people will find funny differ and is based on several factors like age, political views, economic status, etc.

In line with this, you have to be extra cautious when injecting humor in your video.

After all, the last thing you would want to do would be to alienate prospective customers who stumble upon your video.

If you want to incorporate humor into your script, it would be best to test the humor elements first with the help of people who mirror the people you would like to target.

 

 

 

Effective Video Marketing Strategies You Might Not Be Using Yet

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Are you constantly polishing your video marketing strategies?

Are you always in the lookout for new video marketing techniques to try out?

You have come to the right place!

Below are some clever, creative, and effective video marketing tactics you can add to your video marketing arsenal:

  • Video voicemails

If you have tried sending e-mails with a subject line that says “I just left a voicemail for you,” then you might like this idea.

Rather than just sending a mere text e-mail, send a video voicemail instead!

You can even personalize it by including the name of the recipient in the e-mail’s subject line.

For instance, “Leif, open this up to view your video voicemail.”

One thing about video voicemails however is you can’t close it with a call-to-action.

However, you can remedy this by including a link to your calendar so the recipient can book a convenient time where you can call back.

This can help ensure that the next you connect on the phone, your prospect will receive a call they actually asked for.

  • Videos that humanize your brand

In today’s world of cloud-based software, remote workers, and freelancers, it’s very easy to forget that customers prefer interacting and doing business with real people.

Connect with your customers and humanize your brand by sharing a video of team members, your company mascot, or even the office dog.

When your customers see the people behind the brand, they will start to see your interactions as more than just transactional.

  • Getting started videos

There are products that are self-explanatory like coffee makers, new software, or new phones.

Or are they really self-explanatory?

It can be to some but definitely not to all.

For the latter, they can be challenging to set up.

Getting them to work is also another hurdle they have to get past.

So rather than waiting for your customer to get frustrated, help them out by setting a short but comprehensive getting started video.

In 3 minutes or less, you can already show them how to do the initial setup as well as the product’s main features and benefits.

If your product is really complex, you can make it less overwhelming by introducing different videos that highlight the product’s many diverse features.

  • Customer support videos

Your customer support team is probably bombarded by the same questions asked by different customers.

Rather than wasting time answering the same common questions, it would be wise to create a video that addresses the questions that customers frequently ask.

Just make sure the customer can easily find the video on your customer support page.

This tactic is highly recommended as it can increase revenue and significantly reduce potential product returns.

In addition, it can also help lessen your customer service team’s call volume dramatically.

  • Event preview videos

Getting leads to an event you are holding can be challenging.

Fortunately, you can increase your chances of getting more leads by promoting your event using video through e-mails, your website, and your social media channels.

Much research has proven the effectiveness of video when it comes to increasing retention, engagement, and conversions.

That being said, the next time you have an event, create a 30 second preview of what attendees can expect.

If you don’t have video footage of previous events, you can still use stock footage, still photos, and even animation to get your message across.

It would be wise to record some footage of events you’ve held so you can easily create an enticing and engaging preview the next time you have a new event.

  • Video testimonials

Let us state the obvious here: the testimonials page has been deemed useless a long time ago.

When visiting a site, it’s the last page a customer visits, if at all.

Years prior, incorporating customer testimonials within a brand’s site has become a trend.

However, it proved to be nothing more than a passing one.

Before, the most effective testimonials have a common template—it contains the picture of the customer, the full name, and their company and title.

If text testimonials have proven effective at one point, imagine what video testimonials are capable of pulling off.

To make your video testimonials even more effective, ensure they are sweet, short, and straightforward.

More importantly, ensure you host your testimonial on a platform that overlays it with ads as it might only divert viewers away from your site.

Conclusion

If you want to be a step of the competition, ensure that you always take your video marketing campaign to the next level.

When you leave no stone unturned, it would only be a matter of time until you will reap the fruits of your video marketing efforts.

 

 

 

Video Production Made Easy: Key Insider Tips

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Regardless if you are creating your very first or your nth video, working on a video production can be daunting.

While you don’t necessarily need to have a huge team composed of many people, the help, expertise, and guidance of a savvy video production company can surely come in handy.

However, even if you will be working with a video production team, you still need to be able to identify and effectively communicate the goals you would like to achieve so your video team can deliver the kind of results you are looking for.

Make the video production process a lot easier by keeping the following key insider tips in mind:

Pick your internal team members accordingly.

The video production process has a higher chance of succeeding if you have able and qualified people on your internal team.

Having the right people on the internal team coupled with an effective communication strategy can help ensure the video achieves all the objectives set.

However, picking the right people on the team won’t suffice.

You need to make sure each member has a clearly defined role so they can perform it accordingly.

In addition, having a comprehensive feedback strategy can also go a long way to help ensure the success of our video production efforts.

For starters, utilizing a collaborative platform is considered ideal in terms of getting feedback as it allows the whole team to see each member’s notes in one place.

Furthermore, the following important aspects should also be taken care of during the planning stage:

  • The time frame for collecting feedback must be decided on. 24 to 48 hours would be ideal so you don’t waste so much time and you can finish the production within the agreed time.
  • Are there particular stages that need approval from upper management? Settle this aspect first before proceeding.
  • Make sure the content achieves the goals and purposes the video wants to achieve.

Make sure you have thoroughly prepared your creative brief.

When it comes to video marketing, it is important that you are able to effectively articulate your concept in two minutes or less.

That being said, it is crucial that your brief must be both goal-oriented and precise.

Ideally, the best creative brief should include:

  • Your elevator pitch.
  • The need your product wants to fill or the problem it wants to resolve.
  • A detailed breakdown of the brand’s target demographic.
  • The tone and style you want for the video.
  • The business goals of your video (i.e. phone calls, purchases, social media shares, etc.).
  • An assessment of the competition and how they are marketing their brand.
  • A call-to-action to close the video.

Don’t shy away from giving constructive criticism.

Marketing is not a one-step process.

It needs to be tweaked and polished every now and then until the desired results are achieved.

With that in mind, you should not expect your video production team to get the perfect clip the when they submit the first version.

When reviewing the first draft, take note of the aspects you are unhappy about and give suggestions and recommendations on how it can be improved.

When reviewing the clip, check for the following fundamentals:

  • Is the visual style appropriate? Is it suitable for your brand? Be specific. Cover other important visual aspects like palette, style of animation, and lighting.
  • Do you like how the voiceover is done? If not, consider investing in a new talent.
  • Is the branding of the video in line with the brand’s identity (font, web address, logo, etc.)?
  • Is there a negative phrase or word that needs to be omitted? Are there neutral statements that can be changed to positive ones?
  • Does the video help your product stand out from the competition? In what ways?
  • Are there technical glitches that need to be resolved?

You have to trust the video production team you have chosen.

There’s no denying lack of trust in the people you have chosen can delay your project indefinitely.

Given that you have gone through great lengths picking the best team for the job, it is but wise to let them do what they are good at.

If you second guess the team you have chosen all the time, you might just as well produce the videos on your own.

Of course, if you lack the knowledge, insight, experience, and expertise, that would not be a good idea.

As a general rule of thumb, you need to put your trust in the team you have chosen if you want to get your money’s worth.

 

 

Common Things Persuasive and Compelling Corporate Videos Share

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The digital age has no doubt introduced a new age of corporate video production.

Gone are the days were cheesy infomercials used to be the thing.

Today, customers prefer entertaining, witty, and clever videos that capture their attention and make them want more.

While there is no exact template for corporate video success, there are a few things many persuasive, powerful, and exceptional corporate videos share.

For instance:

They are short and sweet. Easy and quick access to the Internet has one huge repercussion—shorter attention span.

In today’s modern times, people you will be advertising to will only give you their attention for a brief amount of time.

In the Internet where free content is freely available, video advertisements are often seen as roadblocks to desired content.

So how do you avoid becoming this roadblock?

The first thing you would need to do is come up with a solid script for your video.

Every second that you spend elegantly wording a sentence, you risk losing more customers who just want to see the content they desire.

A study by Next Web indicated that only 30 percent of viewers don’t skip pre-roll ads on YouTube.

With that in mind, make sure you do not waste precious time getting your primary selling points across.

They use humor to hook their viewers. Another effective technique common among enthralling corporate videos is the use of humor.

Humor serves two key roles in video marketing.

  1. It helps provide quality content that is enjoyable
  2. It avoids positioning the brand as nothing more than a “salesman”

Understandably, consumers in general don’t like it when buying the product is shoved in their faces.

Telling them what the product is all about and then asking them to buy it is often seen as distasteful.

If you don’t want to turn off your customers, consider it best to be subtle when it comes to selling them something.

Ideally, it would be wise to entice them to purchase by delivering quality content that resonates with them.

A well-crafted video with some tasteful humor thrown in can help you go a long way.

They put emphasis on the pain points. In general, most people purchase a product or service for one primary reason—they have a problem that the product or service can resolve.

For instance, for those who suffer from cold, they would want a product that can effectively relieve the symptoms, help them rest, and get them back on their feet.

This tactic is highly effective because rather than using a gimmick (which many customers can eventually see through anyway), you will be highlighting a problem (pain point) and showing how your product/service can help.

This will help your video come across as helpful and informative as opposed to a scheming sales ploy designed to merely trick them into spending their money.

They help you deliver a good call-to-action (CTA). When creating a truly effective video, you need to ensure it is more than just engaging.

More importantly, it should also contain a concise CTA that educates the consumers as to the next action they should do to take advantage of the information they have been given.

Equally important to creating a powerful CTA is the build-up.

Of course you wouldn’t want the viewers to stop watching the video before you are able to deliver the CTA.

In line with this, avoid phrases like “There you have it” before your CTA as it would be interpreted as a signal you have delivered your primary message.

They have all the crucial elements integrated. Some video creators commit the mistake of focusing on one or a few parts of ad and use shortcuts on other parts they don’t deem important.

However, if truth be told, effective corporate videos need to have a well-crafted script, the right visual, and the apt audio elements to give the video a winning edge.

While it can be tempting to give more emphasis to some aspects of the video you consider more important, you have to keep in mind that every integral element should be given equal attention.

For instance, you would not go far with a video that has an awesome script but terrible animation or sound.

Not only will it make your video seem mediocre, it can also make your brand appear unprofessional in the eyes of the viewers.

 

 

Explainer Video: Why Your Startup Business Should Have One

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Without doubt, one of the most crucial elements of any startup’s launch is their marketing effort.

A well-thought of marketing plan that’s executed smoothly can lead to almost instantaneous success.

On the other hand, a poorly thought out and poorly executed marketing plan can result to small market traction and of course, less sales.

Every opportunity a startup has to describe their product or service is also a chance for them to capture a new customer or lead.

If you are a startup, one of the easiest (and most effective) ways for you to get ahead would be to create an explainer video and incorporate it in your site’s homepage.

Not convinced?

We’ve listed down powerful reasons why you should:

Explainer videos can help effectively introduce your product/service.

As a startup, it is likely that you already have a great plan in place, an awesome team working for you, and a good location to boot.

However, a core part of your strategy should be making sure you are able to introduce your brand in a powerful and memorable way.

Fortunately, an explainer video can help you easily accomplish this feat.

It can also help generate more business by efficiently explaining to potential customers what your service or product is all about.

Your brand has one opportunity to create an exceptional and lasting first impression so make sure your explainer video will not only capture their interest but also effectively keep it.

Explainer videos can help showcase what makes your brand stand out.

The Internet has given businesses a chance to expand their connections beyond their current location.

Undoubtedly, many consumers still make purchasing decisions based on loyalty and emotions.

That being said, you need to appeal to them first and gain their trust and loyalty if you want to succeed.

The good thing is explainer videos can help accomplishing those objectives relatively easy for your brand.

Case in point: an explainer video can help you showcase your brand’s personality and the qualities that make you unique from all the others.

Additionally, it can also be used to highlight the personality you would like to be associated with your brand.

To help warrant your video is interesting enough to get attention, you can use animation, music, interesting characters, etc. to show people why you are their best option.

Explainer videos can help you convey a simple yet powerful message.

Prior to launching, it would be safe to assume you have spent a tremendous amount of time working on your brand.

Undoubtedly, you are already an expert when it comes to the products benefits, features, and all its ins and outs.

However, at times, this knowledge can be counterproductive.

Why?

It can sometimes make it challenging for you to come up with the best “What’s in it for you?” statement.

Thankfully, explainer videos can help refine your pitch so you can come up with a succinct yet effective and compelling way of getting your message across.

Since time is limited, you will need to highlight those core features and benefits that make your brand exceptional.

If you team up with a competent video production company, they can help you refine your message down to its most relevant elements.

The end product is a video that delivers a message that is clear and actionable.

Explainer videos can help promote awareness and improve SEO.

Sites significantly increase their organic search traffic by incorporating a video thumbnail in search rankings.

An explainer video will not only help improve your organic search traffic, it can also expose your brand to a wider audience base.

As if not enough, videos have 53 times more potential to show up on the first page results compared to text pages alone.

That being said, using videos as one of the primary elements in your online marketing strategy can surely help you get the most benefit from your SEO efforts.

Explainer videos can help consumers remember your brand.

Let’s lay out a few key statistics here:

  • 20 percent of people remember what they hear
  • 30 percent will remember what they see
  • A whopping 70 percent will remember what they hear and see

That staggering figure is testament enough of the incredible power of videos.

In a nutshell, videos can help people remember your brand even after they have left your site.

In addition, only video makes it possible for brands to deliver a short and simple message that appeals to the emotion using motion, scene setting, imagery, music, etc.

Why is this important?

As mentioned above, many people make purchase decisions based on emotions and videos make it easy to create both a memorable and emotional tie to consumers.

Conclusion

The power of explainer videos cannot be overstated.

Some studies indicated that at least 85 percent of people are more likely to buy a product after they watch a killer explainer video.

Since explainer videos showcases a product’s most important features and benefits, it can provide customers both current and potential a better understanding of the product and the ways they can benefit from it.

It can also highlight how the product can fill a distinctive need or solve a particular problem.

 

 

 

How to Use Videos to Delight Your Customers

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Proficient marketers today know that keeping their current customers happy and satisfied is way more cost-effective than chasing new ones.

Besides, happy and satisfied customers often willingly become the brand’s spokesperson.

While there are numerous ways to keep your current clientele happy, integrating proven concepts in your video marketing is considered one of the most effective.

Just how huge is video’s likely impact?

The figures are quite impressive.

  • Using the word “video” in the e-mail subject line can help boost the open rate by 20 percent.
  • There is a whopping 75 percent reduction in subscription opt-outs when a video is incorporate in the introductory e-mail.
  • Click through rates increase by as much as 65 percent when an explainer video is used.

Taking the numbers into account, it’s clear that using videos help your online marketing efforts tremendously.

Here are some of the most effective ways to use videos to please and delight both your current and prospective customers:

Customer Testimonials

As of 2015, 300 million selfies have been posted.

And that’s on Instagram alone.

The numbers however are testament enough that most people love to see themselves featured in videos and photos.

You can use this knowledge to your advantage by asking customers if they would be willing to sing your brand’s praises for you on video.

Video testimonials are not only more convincing and engaging compared to text-only reviews, they can also help entice your customers to stay longer.

When your customers stay longer on your site, they are also more likely to make a purchase.

Overall, using customer testimonials as part of your video marketing efforts can help drive more traffic to your site, boost the number of potential leads, and provide more SEO value.

In addition, this technique can also help significantly deepen your relationship with your customers and gives them content they would want to share with their own networks.

At the same time, this also gives prospective customers a review they can easily digest from sources they can easily relate with.

Customer Support Videos

If you want to provide exceptional online service to your customers and ease the onboarding of the new ones, customer support videos are your best option.

For starters, you can:

  • Create onboarding videos of your product to walk through new customers who want to set up your products. It would also be wise to post your video on YouTube to help significantly expand your searchable content.
  • If you keep receiving the same questions numerous times, consider it wise to record a quick video of a member of your support team addressing commonly asked questions.
  • Creating how-to videos can make it a lot easier for customers to understand and use your products. There’s no denying that written videos can’t even offer half the convenience how-to videos can provide.

Thank You Videos

People love it when they are appreciated.

While e-mails and thank you cards can do the trick, they unfortunately lack personal touch.

A thank you video on the other hand is not only warm and personal, it is no doubt more effective than a printed note.

Another edge of using videos is it can be tailored to include the customer’s name and the product they purchased and other unique data.

A Hubspot article reported that a respondent who used a personalized video campaign saw customer engagement skyrocket to a staggering 286 percent!

Support Customers in Micro Moments

Nowadays, to say people no longer go online but they almost live online is no longer farfetched.

Fortunately, this round the clock video consumption has paved the way for what Google aptly calls micro moments.

Regardless if a customer wants to discover something, needs decision making help, or is looking for answers, they often turn online (particularly YouTube) for help.

Use this knowledge to stay useful and relevant to your customers by:

  • Identifying micro moments where the goals of your brand and that of your customers intersect.
  • Ensure you are always there when your customers need you, be it through shopping ads or paid and organic searches.
  • Make it easy for people to discover your brands even if they won’t look for it specifically. Go beyond demographic targeting by connecting with customers based on signals of intent.

Wrap Up

Videos can help delight and impress customers at every stage of their purchase in ways that are both impactful and novel.

Capture and keep the attention of your potential customers using great stories told using videos.

You can also use videos to greatly enhance your relationships with your customers and entice new prospects to try what you have to offer.

 

Use These Secret Hacks to Create Compelling Online Videos

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Nowadays, online videos have become one of the most essential components of the digital medium.

The most amazing thing about videos is that they are not only multifaceted, they are shareable as well.

That being said, it’s no wonder videos are now used for almost everything—from advertisements to product demos to effectively creating a brand image for your business.

In addition, videos are now also used to significantly enhance a brand’s relationship with their customers.

For instance, top quality tutorials that teach people how to use your product or service or offer them life hacks or better insights can help build brand trust and credibility.

With online videos now making waves in the digital marketing world, many brands are now investing in the services of competent video production companies to help them create powerful and enthralling online videos that truly deliver.

Aside from investing in the services of a seasoned video marketing company, you can help produce an online video that converts by keeping the following hacks in mind:

Script is king. You have won half the battle if you have an amazing script in place. Once you are able to produce the script that’s to your liking, you will make the streamlining of the video making process a lot easier.

To help you create the best script, start by zeroing in on a specific idea. Take note of all relevant information around the idea you have in mind. Once you have gathered enough food for thought, you can proceed writing your script from there.

During the writing process, ensure that you always stick to the primary message you would like to get across.  Make it a point to also include details that will help support your main message. Once you have written all your ideas down, you can start scaling it down and creating something succinct but powerful.

And since the script will be written in a conversational format, it would be helpful to read it out loud once you are done. Reading the script out loud can help you easily spot areas that require improvement.

Identify your target audience. Identifying the people you would like to target is necessary if you want to create an online video that will not only get their attention but also keep it.

Also, once you are able to identify the people you would like to target, it will be easier for you to focus on the important parts of the video you would like to highlight.

In addition, it would also be wise to also keep demographics in mind when creating your video. For instance, while you make sure you are creating a video targeting a particular age group, make sure you also incorporate something for those who will stumble upon your video.

Aside from the content, the medium preferred should also be taken into account.

This will help ensure you are able to produce a video that delivers without compromising quality and size.

Make your video snappy. Nowadays, you will be competing with numerous videos that are available across several social media platforms. That being said, your video needs to stand out.

With plenty of other videos available for them to see, you can’t expect viewers to waste their time watching a dull and boring video.

While there are a lot of factors that will need to come in play to create a video that is truly enthralling, you need to produce something that’s short but crisp and interesting.

You also need to make sure you have a strong beginning so you have a better chance of keeping your viewers glued.

Make sure your video is SEO friendly. Merely uploading your video on your site and social media channels is not enough. To make it more effective, you need to make sure it is properly optimized with the needed meta details (description, tags, keywords, etc.).

Think and research key phrases and keywords that viewers will likely use when searching for your video. Using apt and popular tags and keywords will make it very easy for people to look for and find your video.

Also, apart from your website and your social media channels, it would be wise to also upload it on YouTube as well. Since Google owns YouTube, some experts believe its algorithm is biased toward videos on the site, therefore increasing your chances of getting maximum viewership.

Don’t forget to measure your video’s performance. Apart from ensuring your video is properly optimized, you also need to make sure you have identified KPIs and metrics in place to help you gauge its performance.

Being able to measure how your video fares can help you easily pinpoint the changes you need done when creating future videos. Metrics and KPIs can also give you a better insight on what works and what doesn’t.

 

 

How to Write a Powerful and Effective Explainer Video Script: Top Tips

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Ideally, an explainer video will be able to effectively tell a convincing story about your brand in as short as 60 seconds.

However, while the cutesy illustration and the entertaining animation are best left in the hands of a seasoned video production company, it would be wise to have an input in the video script.

An engaging and well-written script is one of the basic foundations of a successful explainer video.

Devoid of a killer script, your explainer video won’t be as effective or powerful.

So how do you ensure your video is engaging and not nap inducing?

We have you covered!

We’ve listed down top tips to help get your script writing off to an amazing start:

Keep your explainer short.

You should take into consideration your audience when creating your script.

Typically, it will take 6 to 8 minutes before a captive auditorium audience starts to drift.

An online visitor on the other hand can check out after 2 to 4 minutes, depending on how interested they are in your product or service or how engaging your video is.

In addition, consider it ideal to get your message across in two sentences or less and insert it in the first 30 seconds of the video.

This would help guide the audience as to the points they should pay attention to.

Speak to your audience directly.

The best and most effective way to speak to your audience would be to use the personal pronouns “your” and “you.”

You can also appeal to them effectively and let them know you have their best intentions in mind by showing them things they care about deeply.

For instance, while it would be tempting to let them know about the boost in your third quarter earnings, what they would rather see is how your product / service can help them.

Also, don’t turn off your audience by telling them what they most likely already know.

Instead, focus on the things they need to know that will help them trust your brand and eventually take action.

Be friendly with your target audience and you’ll see it will be easier for you to sell your product / service to them.

Ensure you set the right tone.

When selecting the right tone for your explainer video, keep a mental picture of your target audience in mind.

Write at least a one sentence summary of the reason you are making the video and the action you want the viewer to do after.

This will help you come up with the proper tone for your video.

If you have characters that are story-driven, think of real people as mental placeholders.

It would be easier for you to come up with a realistic dialogue if you will write from the point of view of someone whose mannerisms and habits you know well.

The tone you will choose will also help decide the cast, narrator, pace, setting, and dialogue for your script.

Tell a captivating story.

Most explainer videos follow a template:

It presents a problem (Kurt is tired).

It provides a solution (Kurt drinks a calorie and sugar free and organic energy drink).

It explains how it works (The energy drink is all natural, sugar free, etc.).

It drives viewers to take action (Buy the energy drink at any store nearest you).

Definitions, statistics, and other dry facts often work in a classroom setting.

However, unless your video is intended for students confined in the four corners of the classroom, it would be best to avoid dull and lifeless content at all cost.

Instead, use your video to show actual people that has benefited from what your company offers.

Humans often create stories to help them define who they are.

In the same manner, you can tell stories about your brand so your target audience will gain a better understanding of what you are offering and how it can help them.

Use humor appropriately.

There’s no denying humor can be a powerful tool for storytelling given it supports the message you are trying to convey.

In line with this, always ensure your attempt to incorporate humor is always in line with the story you are telling.

Bear in mind that humor that is poorly times or misplaced will not only be distracting but may even put off potential customers.

Make sure your script is properly paced.

For starters, keep your dialogue between 125 to 150 words per minute.

Even if you will be able to speak 200 (or more) words per minute, take into consideration the fact that the voiceover will need time to breathe.

More importantly, the viewers will also need time to clearly absorb what is being said.

This is especially important if the content is technical in nature.

Dialogue delivered too quickly can overwhelm viewers, decrease comprehension, and may even cause viewers to abandon the video.

 

 

 

 

Key Things to Remember Before Creating an Explainer Video

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Did you know that explainer videos have already earned quite a following?

This is not surprising however.

Statistics show that customers who watch a brand’s explainer video are 85 percent more likely to patronize a product or service compared to those who don’t watch at all.

Explainer videos are bites of information about a product that help customers make an educated decision without going through all the trouble of scrolling through endless product feature sheets.

If you are considering adding an explainer video in your marketing arsenal, here are some of the key things you need to keep in mind:

Understand your target market.

When brainstorming the content of your explainer video, your target market should be one of your primary considerations.

  1. Their personality and characteristics

Proper and thorough understanding of your target market should be the primary guide when deciding on the overall tone of your explainer video.

For instance, it can help you decide if you will create a conservative video or a sophisticated one.

In addition, other important facets of video such as voice over, script, visual, and theme should be decided on based on your understanding of your target market.

  1. Their problem

For your explainer video to be truly effective, the bread and butter should revolve around the problem/s your product / service can solve.

In other words, ensure your video will be able to showcase the major pain points you will be resolving for them.

To help warrant your explainer video is not only phenomenal but also highly targeted, it would be a good idea to invest in the services of a competent video production company.

Keep your video straightforward.

Effective and powerful explainer videos do not only have a clear message and a defined goal.

They are also pretty straightforward.

As a general rule of thumb, do not make it complicated for your customers to know how amazing your product/service is.

Make it a point to get rid of fluff and focus instead on what you want your customers to take away from your explainer video.

To know if your video is simple and straight to the point, test if you can effectively describe it in two sentences or less.

Work with the right video production company.

Nowadays, it’s not common for marketing departments to have their very own in-house video team.

If you are in the same boat, one of your best options would be to outsource the production of your explainer video.

Before you pick the video production company you would want to work with, you need to ask yourself the following questions first:

  • What production aspects will they complete?

Some video production companies will cover all the work—from conception until completion of the video.

Others on the other hand will only cover the video animation and will leave the rest to you.

If you will handle the conceptualization, it would be a good idea to come up with something that’s effective, simple, straightforward, and clearly conveys the message you would like to get across.

Beware of having too many people cover the conceptualization as too many ideas can end up hindering you from creating a video that is clear, powerful, and effective.

  • Are the videos they produce more or less alike?

If you answer yes to this question, consider it wise to look someplace else!

In fact, this should be considered a major red flag.

Make no mistake about it, some video production companies tend to produce more or less similar videos for their clients.

At all times, make it a point to choose an agency that will create a bespoke video that is tailored for your brand so it will stand out and deliver your message loud and clear.

  • Are the videos they produced engaging enough?

Visit a prospective agency’s site and watch some of the videos they have created.

Or if not, you can ask for sample videos they have created for other clients.

Are the videos engaging enough to catch and hold your attention?

Even if you are not one of the people targeted by the video, it would still be able to hold your attention if it’s engaging enough.

If you find yourself amused, entertained, and interested to know more about the product/service being offered, then wait no further.

Sign them up stat!

Make sure video time is optimized.

Many experts believe the ideal explainer video should be at least 60 to 120 seconds long.

Sure, it might seem like it’s not enough time to get your message across but consider this—your explainer video should serve as a teaser.

While it’s important to make sure your viewers clearly understand what you offer after watching, your video should also function as a hook that will encourage action later on.

In other words, you should make them want more.

In a nutshell, some of the primary components of powerful explainer videos include:

  • The problem (show the pain points)
  • The solution you can offer (in two sentences or less)
  • How it works (explained simply)
  • An effective call-to-action