A Guide to Creating an Effective Video for Your Marketing Efforts

There’s no doubt that video is a highly powerful tool to use for marketing efforts. According to a report by Mention, videos account for 80% of all consumer internet traffic in 2019. This presents several opportunities for marketers to leverage on. In most cases, video content captures the attention of viewers, allowing for the flow of communication between a business and its target audience. Videos can teach audiences about a brand, their product or service offerings, and what values they represent. If done right, videos can win over those potential customers—a primary goal for many marketers.

Of course, like any other piece of content, creating a video that’s worth watching can be tricky, especially if you want to produce a video that’s short and straightforward. An article on The Sociable emphasizes capturing your audience’s attention within the first 10 seconds; if not, you risk losing engagement. Regardless of your video’s length, it’s important to consider various factors that can enhance and detract from the quality of your marketing video. You’ll also want to ensure the right people are watching your video content.

To make this process a little easier for you, here is a quick guide to help you create a marketing video that gets the engagement you want.

1. Think about your audience.

This step cannot be stated enough. If you want to make any piece of content, you need to think about who you’re making it for. Consider the tone, verbiage, and various topics they’ll be interested in watching. You can use simple SEO and search traffic to find out what your target audience is searching for. Even YouTube can be super helpful in your research as it is the second largest search engine, making it a hub for different types of content. This type of research can also help you optimize your videos at a later stage since you’ll know what titles capture your audience’s attention, specific keywords you can use, and the best tags to include in descriptions.

2. Be sure you know your stuff.

To maintain credibility, it’s important to know what you’re talking about. That means you may have to do some research on your topic, especially if you want to create a video that’s informative about a topic related to your industry.

You’ll want to cover the most important aspects of your video and present your talking points in a clear, concise manner. It’s also a good idea to create a script that you can either memorize or use for voiceover work. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box throughout your video. For instance, you can sprinkle a little bit of humor or add an anecdote that can help enhance the information you’re discussing. This all depends on the tone and theme of your video, of course. Just make sure whatever tidbits you add are appropriate and relevant to your video’s topic.

3. Use the right tools and equipment.

Make sure you have access to a good set of equipment and software tools to help you create, edit, and export your video. You don’t need to have the latest camera and software to make a good video. You can use a smartphone camera and a simple tripod to film yourself or another person (like an actor or speaker). If you would need extra lighting, there are countless studio lighting equipment available. As for video editing software, there are a variety of great options to choose from such as Adobe Premiere Rush, Sony Vegas Pro, and CyberLink Power Director.

4. Make sure your video’s topic is clear.

Once you’ve filmed and edited your video, it’s ready to be uploaded. Before you publish your video on YouTube, Vimeo, or any other video content platform, you need to ensure your video’s topic is clear.

This is a very important step since you’ll need to provide enough information about your video just from the title (and description) alone. Most people will look through titles before clicking on a video that interests them. To entice your target audience into clicking on your video, write a straightforward title that summarizes what it’s about. You should also write a brief yet informative description that tells your viewers what they will gain from watching your video.

5. Choose an effective distribution channel.

An important part of improving video engagement is picking the right distribution channel. As of right now, the best place to upload your video in YouTube. YouTube brings in more than 2 billion each month, which allows for a larger reach than other video platforms. You can also use your video on your website. This can encourage users to watch your videos and increase organic traffic on your website. Other options include uploading your video on your social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Creating effective videos takes some work but it’s not impossible. You may have to implement a trial-and-error experiment on some of your videos to see what sticks and what doesn’t. What’s important is reviewing the outcome of your videos and adjusting the creation process so that you can continue engaging your audience. With a dash of creativity and video strategy, you can maximize what effective video content can offer for your marketing.

Check out my blog to learn more marketing tips.