Know what your video should be doing for you
After asking the right questions, and determining that you do need a video that we discussed in our previous posts here, and here, now comes the fun part of making it.
Not all videos are made equal, and not all videos serve the same purpose.
Turning your ideas into the right kind of video type is key to making sure that your goal isn’t lost in translation.
“One video cannot rule them all”
Hundreds of hours of video are uploaded every minute, with YouTube is the second largest search engine today, it pays dividends to understand that video content demands its own specific approach, in light of your overall content strategy.
Every video has its own use and purpose. Here are the three objectives your video content should have:
Awareness: What does your brand stand for? Do people know of its existence? By adding in the right mood, and tonality, you can help set your brand apart from others, and give a good gauge of what others can expect from you.
Engagement: You want to hear from your audience? Do you want to start and lead a conversation with your viewers? That can be your goal, make it entertaining, make it shareable, and be the talk of news feeds.
Educate: How do you make the world a better place? What does this brand new function do? As your brand grows, and you add in more services or functionalities, it helps to give people an idea of how it works.
“Right video, right place”
With these three objectives in mind, here are some of the different video types that you should be aware of to give the right context before you roll up your sleeves.
- The explainer video: This will be the first impression that visitors to your site will look at, here are some great examples of explainer videos. You’ll see that they capture the style and mood of the brand while being informative. These videos should be under 2 minutes. A short and sweet introduction to what it is that you do.
- The culture video: This video gives shows the audience about what sets your company apart. By giving a glimpse into how and where you work, as well as interviews and soundbites from the people in the company, the audience will know what it is you stand for.
- The tutorial video: This video educates your audience on a certain product, or functionality. It is important to keep this concise. It is best to make the tutorial cover specifics through multiple short videos, regardless if you intend to educate internal staff, or prospective customers.
- The investor/partner deck video: This video has a specific audience, and is primarily shown behind closed doors to key decision makers, and investors. The content is supported by statistics, projections, financials, and future plans. Keep in mind that just because it is factual, doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.
- The behind-the-scenes/vlog video: This video shares with your audience your process as you develop and design a product, this can be a series or a whole video. By sharing your challenges and milestones, the audience gets to be part of your journey, and that can make for a good story.
- The announcement video: This video can be used to shoutout towards something big. A new launch, an event, or a reminder as you get closer to a huge reveal. Catchy, short, and attention-grabbing.
- The testimonial video: This video gives your customers the chance to share their experiences with your company to others. Testimonial videos can be made for each customer, or it could be a series of customers banding together to emphasise on a certain aspect of your company or a key message.
We hope this has given you a better idea of how to position your video content, having that solid foundation will save you time and heartache. In the grand scheme of things, video content can play a key role as part of a successful PR/marketing campaign strategy.
Always keep in mind that content needs context to truly shine.