They say a picture can paint a thousand words, so imagine how many words a video can paint?
Recent research suggests 59% of business executives agree that if content is available as both text and video, audiences are more likely to choose video. (July 18, Wordstream)
Video is now an integral part of any consumer and B2B communications campaign delivering greater levels of audience engagement.
Audio-visual content can be used across a multitude of channels and platforms including social media, websites, presentations, direct emails, and YouTube. It can bring colour to a press release, blog or thought leadership piece and create more value and impact than a standard piece of text.
Whilst traditional audio-visual content includes edited video camera footage, brands are also embracing the use of animated films to support campaigns, reinforce key messages and sometimes simplify challenging subjects.
We work closely with our clients to help them harness the power of video into their communication strategies to help influence their audiences and achieve their goals.
Here are our five top tips for what brands should consider when creating engaging video content:
- What makes good video content?
The first step is identifying what type of content you could create. Ideas to think about include:
- Case studies and customer testimonials/vox pops
- Explainer / ‘how to’ guides
- Product launches
- Thought leadership/market reports
- Events (live and/or post-event)
- Webinars
- Campaigns and issues
It’s worth remembering that video content can be repurposed and reused. Updating existing content to make it more relevant to changing trends and industry issues can help maximise engagement and have more of an impact on your audience.
- Start with a storyboard or brief
Start by thinking about the purpose of the video, who do you want to talk to and what are the key messages you would like to get across? This will affect how the film is shot and edited.
By taking the time to understand your audience, you will ensure you have the right tone of voice, language, and style to make a video with impact. Planning takes time but can prevent wasted time.
- Think about what you are going to do with the video
Ultimately, where you use your film is influenced by the purpose and audience. Is it going on a website? Shared on social media? Being sent to the media? Or used in presentations, shared in e-newsletters or for advertising?
Whilst there are plenty of channels to choose from, each one may require something a little different. For example, if you are running a Facebook advert you will be limited to 30 seconds, whereas a more informative video case study can be longer.
- Where to start with filming?
There are many considerations when creating a film including location, style and tone, branding, graphics and subtitles.
For interview-based videos, think about who is the most impactful person to convey the messages. It could be a CEO or director, a team member, service user or customer, or even a mix of these.
Location is a key factor and it can be beneficial to shoot a selection of background footage (b-roll) alongside the main interviews to break up the film. People very rarely have the attention span to listen to somebody talk about a product for 2-3 minutes straight!
For animated films, think about using backgrounds and graphics that match brand guidelines and that will be attractive to your audience.
Finally, don’t be afraid to go ‘off brief’ a little if a good opportunity arises. Whilst it’s good to have a plan, you can’t plan for everything – particularly when attending last minute events. It’s always better to have too much footage than too little.
- Editing and captions
As a rule, videos that include captions perform better, increasing the length of viewing and engagement through the call to action. It also benefits anyone with hearing impairments or people who choose to watch with no sound.
Research shows that 85% of Facebook videos are viewed without sound, making captions vital if you want to maximise engagement.
YouTube and Facebook both have tools to create quick and accurate captions. You may also want to include animated text to keep the silent watcher satisfied!
The quality of editing is really important to make the video appealing. Including a title and end slide as well as a good call to action to encourage your audience to find out more or get in touch.
Videos makes an impact when pictures fail to, so your film must inspire and influence your audience to engage with your brand.
Get in touch with any of the team at Genesis to talk about how video can help your organisation.
