Four Questions to Consider When Marketing Via Video

From commercials and subtle product placements to short-form social clips and streaming service advertisements, brand promotion via video is booming. For good reason, too. Consider these statistics:

• One-third of online activity includes users viewing a video.
• A marketing video can increase engagement and sales by 80%.
• About 66% of consumers prefer watching short-form videos to learn about products and services.

Videos are a great way to gain attention and conversions from brand loyalists and potential customers alike, but how do you get started? Video production equipment and editing software can be expensive, and not all businesses have the specialized skills to use them. Using a third-party’s services is a great option to create marketing videos. But before you commit, here are some questions to consider. 

1. What do you want to convey about your brand?

Videos are a great avenue to introduce new products or services. They can clearly depict a product from multiple angles, detail how to use a product, and explain why and how to solicit a service. But videos about your brand can serve many more purposes. You can explain a new initiative; showcase leadership and employees; detail organization history, mission, vision and values; share timely updates; and more. The key to moving forward is focusing your intentions.

2. How do you want to portray your message?

The tone of your video should align with your overall brand, but videos can often create an experience that draw the viewers in through sights, sound and the voices of those who align with the brand. Because of this, videos can pack an emotional punch, amplify energy, evoke nostalgia or create humor in ways that are a bit harder to portray in other mediums. How-to videos with voiceovers, hype pieces, explanatory content, longer-form interviews and more all have their place in a business’ marketing plan.

3. Does your third-party video producer have everything you need?

Video production and editing requires much more than hitting a record button. Depending on your needs, you may require the following services and facilities:

• Detailed planning. Video production requires planning down to the minute. After determining your objectives for the piece, your videographers may provide a shot list and a detailed schedule to record interviews, voiceovers and b-roll. They may also work with you to create a set and use props.
• A facility to record in. A video studio allows for videographers to have a designated and controlled environment in which to create a set, properly light it, set up equipment and record. Better yet, a creative production studio, like Trilix Studio, offers spaces to gather photography and capture top-notch audio all in one facility.
• Graphic and motion graphic designers. Brands want consumers to closely relate the message delivered in a marketing video to their brand. To do that effectively, your brand logo should be included through custom graphics, often shown at the beginning or end of a piece. You may also want your video to include motion graphics to illustrate a point that is difficult to capture in real-time. Working with a third-party that provides all creative needs cuts down on the number of vendors your organization must navigate and ensures a consistent look, feel and tone.
• Editing and mastering. Once your piece is captured on camera, you’ll want expert editors who can organize interviews, b-roll, graphics and motion graphic clips into the most impactful piece. They can also use color-correcting techniques to make sure lighting is congruous and complementary to the tone. Audio experts can sound engineer special effects and master the audio.

4. How are you going to get the most bang for your buck?

Once your organization invests time and resources into marketing videos, you want to be sure to use it across a variety of platforms. Work with your vendor to determine clips that you can use in a mixture of owned, paid and earned channels, such as social media, your website, newsletters, news releases, at a company event and more.

For more information about video services or how to implement video into your marketing plan, reach out to Megan Stelter at MStelter@trilix.com.

Trilix Studio, a state-of-the-art recording studio and creative and video production facility in the heart of the Des Moines Sherman Hill neighborhood, is a one-stop-shop for expert video and audio production. Reach out at TrilixStudio.com and find more of our work on YouTube.