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We’ve just posted a new Marketing Video to our website in the “projects” section. A promotional marketing video for a referral marketing group that is part of the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce.
TCOB is a referral marketing group that is affiliated with the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce.
You can read more about the video on the page titled Referral Marketing Group: Taking Care of Business 2014 Promo [VIDEO].
We already know that video marketing is important. But how do we create compelling vides that people actually want to watch?
What questions are you frequently asked by your leads or existing clients? Write down at least 10 of these frequently asked questions. Then write out your best answers for each question. These answers can each become one (or more) videos.
People like to know what they are getting into, so number your points and put it right in the title of your video. “Five Tips on How to Lose 50 Pounds†or “10 Ways to Grow Your Blog Traffic.†You’ll also see that both of these titles answer a question.
One way to compel viewers to watch your video to the end is to tease with a “secret†tip in your introduction. An example might be “In this video, learn the number one thing you must do to grow your website’s traffic!â€
When you share your tips, try to make a point to give clear and concise advice, not generalized “generic†tips.
While recording your video, don’t worry about being perfect in your delivery. For one thing, you can always edit it. Second, people want to know you’re human and you can leave some “mistakes†in, or you can put them into a blooper reel at the end. People want to do business with those they know, like, and trust. And if they know you’re a real person, they are more likely to both like and trust you.
While it might seem easier to just post one long take with little editing, in the long run it will hurt your video. First, as I mentioned above, you can edit out some of your mistakes but leave some in. Second, you want to create (or have a professional create) An opener and ending for your show. This can really put your video a notch above the rest. Just don’t make it too long, or the people you hooked in the “Secret†opening may still click away.
While this falls under editing, I wanted to make a point to tell you to add titles, lower thirds, and other text to the video to emphasize your points. If you have “5 Ways To Save Money on Home Repairsâ€, show test of each point as you go to emphasize them. You also want to add in your URL, name, and any URLs you mention in your video.
It doesn’t have to be jsut you talking. Since you are going to editthe video anyway, why not acquire some (legal) photos or videos – know as b-roll – and integrate them into your video. This will improve the visual interest. In fact, you could make a video that doesn’t show you at all!
As you complete your edit, and get ready to upload it, make sure you give your video a good description. Whether you are uploading to YouTube, Viddler, or your own blog, type up notes on your keys points, any URLs mentioned, and of course, links to your own web site and social media profiles.
In point #1 eluded to this; if your answer to a question is going to take longer than 3–4 minutes to answer, consider splitting it up into parts. Just make sure you break up the parts in a way that makes logical sense. And make sure you tell people up front – verbally and in your video title – that this is part of a series. Make sure to provide links to all of the other parts of the series in the description.
Did I miss something? Have another “must use†tip on create a compelling video for your marketing efforts? Make sure you leave a comment below. Or, leave me a video reply on YouTube with your thoughts and opinions.
Reading up more on writing “compelling content” for blogs will help you to create more compelling videos. So I read many of those articles, as well. Below are a few I have found helpful.
Stuart Mackey is founder and Creative Director at Mackey Productions, LLC. Mackey Productions, LLC is a producer of high definition marketing videos for local businesses, non-profits and individuals. Serving Riverview, Brandon and the greater Tampa Bay area, Mackey Productions’ mission is to deliver custom, focused content at an affordable price.
Please contact Mackey Productions today to receive your free video marketing consultation! 813–699–0843 or mackeyproductions.com.
This is part of an ongoing series giving you tips on how to create great marketing videos and how to get the most search engine optimization and benefit from those marketing videos.
Whether its blogging or video marketing or youtube or a podcast, consistently creating and publishing new content is a power tool to increase traffic to your site. Don’t just randomly create new videos or blog posts, but develop a routine and a schedule. Part of the reason this is one of the first articles I am publishing is to help keep myself accountable. I have tried, in the past, to create regular content with two podcasts. They have each gone months without new episodes at times. Here are 3 tips on how to create marketing videos regularly and consistently.
Productivity experts agree that if you want something important to get done, you need to assign it a time. So look at your schedule and choose a time to start creating! If you are first starting out, and aren’t sure how long it will take, give yourself extra time. Try scheduling it early in the week so that if you can’t do it in one sitting, you have time to get back and finish it. And keep the commitment to yourself! You can also consider outsourcing portions of your workflow, such as the editing, or the creation of the YouTube record or blog post. Or try out If This Then That (IFTTT) for some automation.
You don’t need to have a fancy studio to create a great marketing video. Your smart phone, iPhone, tablet, or iPad has a great camera. Or try using your webcam. Try to reduce visual clutter behind you so that people aren’t distracted. A blank wall actually might help, but don’t stand flat against it. Turn off any “noise makers†in the room (fans, computers, air conditioning, ringers), or go to a quieter room. You also want to be sure to get close to the camera so the microphone can hear you. If you need some notes, that’s ok. Just make sure you don’t look down at them the entire time. When you’re ready to shoot, start with something that will entice people to stay and watch the entire thing, such as the topic or question you are going to answer. Once you have them hooked, don’t forget to say your name and the name of your company, then continue. Try to keep it to under 3 minutes. Closer to one minute is better for video. Conclude by saying your name and company name, then ask them to like, share, and comment on the video. This will help drive additional social network traffic to the video or blog from outside your personal circle of influence.
And as Seth Godin says, you you most “ship itâ€! It doesn’t need to be perfect, but you must ship (publish)! You don’t necessarily even have to edit it, if you shot it in one take and din’t mess up too much. Create a draft blog post on your website that you are going to embed the video into. Make sure the title is compelling and SEO friendly. Type up some good notes summarizing what the video is about, and link to any related articles on the web or on your own site. On YouTube, any url that is complete with the ’http:// becomes clickable. Next, Upload the video to YouTube and make sure you fill out all the fields completely. Use the same title you used for your blog post. Make sure that the description field includes a link to the blog post you are going to embed the video into, plus the same description information you put into the blog post. Also include links to any and all of your social network profiles. This article was inspired, in part, by 29 Tips to Make Your Video Marketing Easy – Social Media Examiner.
Start publishing regularly
Video can seem like just another challenge to overcome, but I see a major increase in my business and brand awareness all from the power of video. There are a number of tips I could share, but the best one is easy. Simply put, it’s important to start publishing video on a consistent basis. Lewis Howes, author of a popular blog and soon-to-be-launched Video Traffic Academy.
Stuart Mackey is founder and Creative Director at Mackey Productions, LLC. Mackey Productions, LLC is a producer of high definition marketing videos for local businesses, non-profits and individuals. Serving Riverview, Brandon and the greater Tampa Bay area, Mackey Productions’ mission is to deliver custom, focused content at an affordable price. Please contact Mackey Productions today to receive your free video marketing consultation! 813–699–0843 or mackeyproductions.com.
This is part of an ongoing series giving you tips on how to create great marketing videos and how to get the most search engine optimization and benefit from those marketing videos.
Try video and see if it works. I am pretty sure you have everything you need to produce a video already. Start with your iPhone, iPad, DSLR or digital camera. Even if you don’t have anything else, this is enough to get started.
First, for phone and tablets, make sure you frame the video horizontally, not vertically. This will make it play better on all platforms, and make it not look as amateur.
Frame it with the top of your head near the top edge of the frame. Pay attention to when you watch TV or movies, and you’ll see this is the way that looks best. Putting your head in the middle of the frame will make you look vertically challenged. While you’re at it, try to get a close up of just your head and shoulders and so people can see your expressions better.
If you are in an office or at home, try to minimize any noises by temporarily turning off fans or air conditioners. Also, your desktop or laptop computer fan may be louder than you realize. If you are not using it to record, consider shutting it down or putting it into sleep mode.
You will be most comfortable if you a record a video talking about a topic you don’t have to research. But, even if you know your material, it is a good idea to jot down a few notes before you start. You can hold the sheet out of frame, or tape it under or next to the camera.
Now you’re all set, press that button and begin talking. When you are done talking, stop. A few mess ups or misspoken words come sometimes just make the whole thing come off as more authentic. If you hate it, just shoot it again. But if you are interested in editing your video, or adding titles, I recommend iMovie on iPhone and iPad, iMovie on Mac, or Windows Movie Maker on Windows.
Most smart phones allow direct publishing to youtube in one simple step. But if you have a Google plus business page, i recommend publishing it to that page, if appropriate. On mobile, I recommend the YouTube Capture app. On desktops, just ensure you’re logged in to you Google Plus business page.
Lastly, if no one know you made a video, no one is likely to see it. So make sure you hare the video on all your social networks; Google Plus, Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, etc. And don’t be afraid to ask your viewers to like and share your video.
Thats all for this tip. I will be presenting many more video marketing tips, including how to come up with a publishing schedule, how to include other people, how to do interviews and more. So, if you have a specific question – or a tip – please leave a comment on the YouTube video or the blog post, and share it with your friends and circles as well.
Stuart Mackey is founder and Creative Director at Mackey Productions, LLC. Mackey Productions, LLC is a producer of high definition marketing videos for local businesses, non-profits and individuals. Serving Riverview, Brandon and the greater Tampa Bay area, Mackey Productions’ mission is to deliver custom, focused content at an affordable price. Please contact Mackey Productions today to receive your free video marketing consultation! 813–699–0843 or mackeyproductions.com.
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