Budding brands have recognized the value of video content and how there has been an increasing demand for it over the years. If you are looking to cement your place online, you will have to build an online presence, a big part of which is video creation and marketing. In other words, you will need to have a video marketing strategy in place. If you aren't using a platform like Vidyard, consider using an alternative to Vidyard by Hippo Video.
As you work to set up the ideal video marketing strategy, you will need to experiment with different video types, lengths, concepts, and so on, depending on the platform you are using and your goals. For instance, you are better off with 60-second videos for Instagram and longer ones for YouTube and IGTV. You also need to identify your niche, target audience, and study your competition to create and improve your content.
As you do that, do not forget to focus on storytelling, which many brands fail to do. Creating engaging stories that inspire emotion will get you significant amounts of mileage online. Ideally, your videos need to evoke emotions and be useful to gain tons of traction. If you want to gain an edge over your competition, here are some practices to follow:
Tips to remember while making videos
Here are a few things to remember while creating videos:
Shoot in natural light
Shooting your videos with the right lighting is vital. Be sure to shoot your videos outdoors when there is a lot of natural light. However, if you find yourself shooting indoors, you may have to film by the window to get ample amounts of light. If required, be sure to supplement this light with a lighting kit, which you can assemble or buy.
Do not zoom or pan unnecessarily
When you shoot, make sure you do not use zoom unless required. Zooming in during an action scene will probably distract the viewer. Instead, you should zoom and pan at certain points in the video, if at all required.
Shaky footage is unacceptable
Getting a good camera and mic isn't enough. You will also have to invest in a gimbal or tripod to shoot stable footage.
Shoot with a high-quality camera
Sure, you may not need state-of-the-art equipment. However, you will have to use a phone with an excellent camera or a DSLR camera. If you want excellent production, you will need to invest in good equipment. This also applies to audio, so make sure you pick up a high-quality mic or external recorder while you are at it.
Use effects sparingly
Sure, you might be tempted to use a barrage of effects when you edit your videos. However, doing so can backfire. Instead, use effects that you think the video needs and stick to those.
Types of videos to create
There are a variety of video types to choose from as you create content. Shown below are some of the most common varieties. Consider using a free video editing software by Hippo Video to create videos quickly and seamlessly.
Educational videos
You can expect most of your engagement and leads to come from educational videos because they help people. No amount of marketing and promotional videos will help unless you also have videos that provide value. You can create a variety of educational videos to tackle broad topics, tutorials, specific situational questions, etc. Of course, you will have to experiment with different video lengths depending on which platform you wish to use.
Instructional videos
You could consider instructional videos to be a subset of educational videos. However, these are specifically meant to give you instructions to carry out a task. Since videos are easy to follow, it makes sense to create video tutorials to help your audience. If you want to solidify your customer retention strategy, you will have to create instructional videos that customers can follow once they buy your product or service. These videos serve as support.
Testimonials
Have leads and want to boost conversion rates? Testimonials are the answer. Testimonials are especially useful for prospects who are interested but on the fence. You can use testimonials to show your prospect that your product is genuine and has proven to work, thus increasing your chances of converting your current leads.
Get your current customers to highlight apprehensions they may have had about your product or service and how it has benefited them.
Company culture videos
Here's another great idea for video content - company culture videos. If you want to recruit new talent, this is the best way to do it. This way, your potential employees will get a glimpse of how your company works and what they can expect if they decide to join.
Promotional videos
If you are a business, you obviously have to market your brand, which means you need to put out promo videos. The key to brand building is creating quality content and marketing it correctly. Putting out promo videos is vital regardless of the stage of the marketing funnel your audience is in. This means you can create introductory videos for Instagram, a video to supplement your landing page content, videos for latest brand updates, etc.
FAQ videos
This is another excellent idea for video content. If you want to save time, consider gathering the most frequently asked questions and making a video to address them.
