18 Nov How to create the best video for business

When it comes to getting marketing results online, video imaging is now the king of content. Whether it be a need to improve your Google search performance or to increase engagement with your content, video has it. So how to get the best results?

A recap on the power of video marketing

If you’re in the communications business, you know the power of video. According to research undertaken by Hubspot:

• 87% of marketers view video content as the most important
• Using video on a website landing page increases lead conversions rates by over 80%
• Using the word ‘Video’ in an email subject line increase open rates by 19%
• 70% of B2B buyers and researchers watch videos on their path to purchase

Ideas for using video in marketing communications

So, the results are clear – video works. So, what role can video play in your marketing?

• Brand videos tell your story. A clear statement of your brand purpose, mission, offer, or culture is the most effective way to deliver meaning with impact. Video works for customers, staff, shareholders and suppliers.
• Describe your product, service, project or process. The high consumption of demonstration and unboxing videos online provides clear evidence of the demand for video content. Today’s consumers and B2B buyers expect to be able to research answers to their needs. So, demonstration of what your business does and the way you do it is content that your potential clients want to see.
• Thought leading interviews. No-one knows your business, your category and your capability better than the people within your company. Almost anyone, regardless of their on-screen experiences, can tell compelling stories that share expertise. It’s a powerful way to put faces to your brand and build trust with an audience.
• Educational or how-to videos. Buyers are looking for help and ideas, so positioning your business as a thoughtful helper can work to open a relationship. If there’s enough value within, these videos can offer a value exchange for lead acquisition or nurture a lead deeper into their buyer journey.
• Customer testimonials. Customer testimonials delivered by video carry far more significant impact and authenticity. Their relative independence further strengthens trust and multiplies the combined weight of yours and your customer brands.

The enormous scope of video

We tend to think of video as a clip or a movie. Yes, at its most simple, it is moving images. But video can contain so much more than that.

Video can be made up of motion sequences. It can contain still images for greater detail and graphics to add to the communication and branding. Time-lapse sequences condense long processes into visually exciting bites. Drone video adds a new point of view. Furthermore, 360-degree video can enable virtual reality for another level of immersion in your story.

How to make video work for your business

When it comes to video, capturing content is just the first step. It is editing and post-production that soaks up times and resources. For that reason, planning is the solution that brings efficiency and cost-effectiveness to your project.

This checklist is a useful tool to help you plan your video project and to select the right partner to bring your story to life.

1. Frame the objective. Precisely what do you want the video to achieve and how will you measure it?
2. Choose the best type or types of video that are best suited to your objective.
3. Decide the primary target audience and know what they want to know. What problems are they trying to solve, and what will they consider most valuable?
4. Decide what you want the viewer to do or think after watching the video.
5. Write a simple bullet point list of what you want to say. Then ask, is that the most useful and helpful things that we can say to the audience?
6. Set a budget. Setting a budget isn’t always easy. The best partners will provide assistance that helps to align your expectations with various levels of spend. The very best will offer ideas that same money without cutting corners or compromising the result.
7. Seek a partner that has the technical and creative knowledge, skills and expertise to help you achieve your result.
8. Strive for professional authenticity. The video will represent your brand, so the video has to be of appropriate quality. But authenticity – that innate quality that makes the audience believe and trust what you say, is crucial. It’s a combination of skills that requires practised experience.

How to choose the right video production partner

In the previous section, we described what you need to plan for a great video result. Now, here is some helpful advice on choosing the best production partner.

1. Help and ideas. The best video production businesses can see the result based on the brief and agreed budget. They’ll help you to understand what is possible and how to extract the most from your budget.
2. Creative input. There are always many ways to tell a story, and some will speak to the audience more effectively than others. Commercially focused creativity adds value.
3. The partner must come with a super-clear plan for the project. Of utmost importance is pre-production. Pre-production is where every detail from preparation to shooting is nailed down. Professional pre-production ensures that every effort is focused, efficient and motivated towards the best possible result.

4. Professional standards. Professional capture is a combination of photographic and editing skills, and the standard of equipment used. Expert operators are highly skilled in lighting, sound and image composition. Editors weave the flow of content to tell the story most compellingly. Also, the standard of equipment used, from camera and lighting to editing equipment all add excellent polish to the finished result.

5. Everything is lost unless the production partner is capable of reliable delivery – delivery to the highest standard, on time and budget.

See the Images for Business Video Library

Images for Business specialises in producing video, still, time-lapse and drone images for business and government. Our clients include some of Australia’s largest companies, government departments and construction projects. Contact us today to discover how we can help you achieve your marketing and communication goals.