What To Do To Maximize Your Investment In Video Production

return on investment

Regardless of your financial goals, there are several steps you’ll want to take to maximize your investment in time, money, and resources before and after you start. We know its now common to hear that your company should be using video to leverage your business growth. If you aren’t using it by now, you might be leaving some money on the table. The key is knowing where you want to use your video and how you do it. In this post, we’ll share some common issues and problems that people face when maximizing ROI.

Common Issues that Affect Video ROI

Too Many Options

Too Many Production Companies. If you’ve never created video before, you’ll find you have hundreds of options to choose from in terms of video production companies.

Content Ideas. The next issue will be what you want to create. Do you want to create a marketing video? Social media video? Product video? There are several ways to slice up marketing content that it can quickly become overwhelming.

Where to Place It. The next issue will be where to place the video (or videos). Very quickly, you’ll learn there are thousands of places to publish your video…and each one will have their own reason for doing so. All of this shouldn’t stop you from deciding to move forward. It’ll be worth it.

Getting More From Your Professional Video

Who is Your Audience?

Think about something you’ve watched in the past that really resonated with you. Why did it? It might have been because it was about something you wanted to learn or know more about, the person speaking was personable and they may have described the world you see in a similar way. Maybe they spoke in terms or jargon you’re comfortable with. Or maybe they had the same or similar personality as you. When creating your video, you’ll want to know who your audience is, what they like or dislike, what they need to know, why they need to know it and how they like to be spoken to. Use that information to compile the viewer’s demographics, location, where they consume information, and what social media outlets they view most. The more you know about them, the better you can speak to them.

Your Viewers

  • There are several types of personas that you might be speaking to, for example, you might be dealing with a “Give me the information, get out of my way, and let me decide” type of person. This might be someone who is at the top of the corporate structure, like a CEO or similar level.
  • You might also be speaking to someone who is more interested in learning about how your customers feel about you. They might want to read or see more reviews about the business. These are the ones who need to obtain verification that they are making the right decision. They like to include others in their decision making and reviews are a good way to get this information.
  • Another common viewer might be a detailed, technical type. They want facts, figures, and as much data as possible to make the decision to pick up the phone to call. This type of person needs to have support data incorporated into the video so they can make an appropriate decision.

Regardless of the type of viewer you’re reaching out to, you’ll want to craft a message that taps every type of personality possible. Perhaps there is a way to show and describe important information to a couple of personality types at the same time. Use all of this information to craft a solid script. We typically take care of script writing for you, but, we work with all types of clients; some who like to do it themselves and some who want to have someone take care of it for them. The next step will be to craft a solid shot list that must be captured to illustrate what is being said and targets each persona.

The Video Production Process

The video production process contains several components: pre production, the shoot, post production, and delivery. During the pre production stage, you’ll deal with the persona, the long term goals of the video, and what video content that should be created. Investment goals are important before we start so we know what needs to be set aside for the production and what needs to be set aside for the placement of the video(s). During the shoot, we’ll deal with the shot list, the camera operator, the equipment, the location, and any talent that is important (whether it be from the team or hired talent). Finally, during the editing process, we’ll deal with the video editor and any post production items required to complete the project.

So what is the key to maximizing your ROI? We find that clients who work with us to understand why they’re creating the video, where they plan to use, and how they plan to place, we can help streamline that process to improve their ROI. When clients can’t answer these questions or don’t want to share this information, there can be a little hiccups and changes along the way that can increase costs…not because we want to, but because we didn’t know something and had to backtrack or make significant changes. We write this to share with you so we can prevent this from happening to you.

5 Ways to Use Video to Market Your Business

Five, Hands

We hear it all the time. “I know I need to create video to help us online, but what do I create?” While it may be difficult for some to come up with ideas, we’ve seen hundreds of ideas. So if you’re having a tough time, give us a call and we can help you come up with a few. More importantly, what type of video content will provide the best return on your time and investment?

Let’s begin with how your customers research and make buying decisions. Most of the time customer acquisition and customer buying habits are similar. Customers start out not knowing who you are or if you’d be someone they should call or visit. If they become aware of you, they may become aware of how you might be able to solve their problem or improve their life somehow. Then, they start to do some research. They find other companies who can do the same type of work and decide on the one, two, three or more to contact to get an idea of who might be the best fit for them. Once they’ve done all the research, they pick up the phone and make the call. Once they’re a customer, you begin the trek of retaining them by keeping them happy.

We think there’s more to video than just creating it. We believe there has to be a long- and short-term plan to creating and using your video. One of the most important factors is knowing how you’ll measure success and whether it is worth the investment. Sometimes, in our meetings, we tell our prospective clients that creating a video isn’t worth the investment based on what they need, how they are measuring success, and how they’ll implement the strategy. If we find it is worth the time and effort, we talk about how it will be used. Knowing how it will be used is critical to the success of a video. Let’s dig into the types of video and how it can be used.

Educational Blog-Style Video Content

Educational Videos or Topical Videos are simply short videos that answer a specific question someone might want to know the answer to. We typically see this type of content with professional service businesses. Think financial planners, attorneys, estate planners, fitness trainers, etc. If there’s education to be sought by your prospective client/customer, this is the type of video you should consider pursuing. The other thing to consider when creating this type of video is what is the problem you’re trying to solve? For example, if you’re a financial planning firm and people want to know answers to questions regarding their money, if they find you to be highly knowledgeable and trustworthy, they’re more likely to make the call. So educational content is typically used for those who want to convey a high level of trust and illustrate a depth of knowledge.

Explainer Videos (Live Action &/or Animated)

Explainer videos are just that…they explain what a product or service is and helps the buyer understand how they should use it. These can also be referred to as a demonstration video. If you’re trying to connect with the viewer (on a more personal level), you might consider using a live action video. For example, in the video below, this product explainer video helps the viewer understand the problem it solves, how to set it up, and who might purchase it. This is the type of video you might need if you were trying to help someone make a decision. They’ve landed on your page or they’ve spoken to you already, have enough information to be informed and now they want to understand a few more details. These types of videos typically live on a website homepage (landing page) or YouTube or anywhere someone might discover your product/service by searching for it (don’t forget about Amazon).

Location Tour Video

Sometimes your space is so beautiful and captivating, it becomes important to show it off in a video. For example, in this dental practice, it’s one thing to say, “I’m great with kids!” but it’s whole other level to show how cool your space is and how cool you can be with the kids. That’s what this dentist in Port Saint Lucie did with this video. Notice how he shows off the space talks about how much kids love it? Notice how the kids are having a great time while visiting the dentist? What you don’t know is that they sometimes have a hard time getting the kids to leave after they’ve had their checkup! What a problem to have, right?

Video Reviews (or Testimonials or Customer Story Videos)

In most cases, when a customer is happy they don’t always tell everyone, but they should. Why would they want to hide great service? Well, it’s just not as easy as that. You have to ask them. Ask your best customers, your best advocates, to tell their story about how you helped them. They will most likely be happy to do it. Take this example of how one company helped Bill reduce his debts by negotiating with the debt collection company on his behalf. By listening to his story, one can understand how stressful it must have been to live through the experience before they negotiated on his behalf. Video reviews should be used when the prospective buyer is about to buy, meaning, one of the last steps of the buying process. This might mean after a website visit you could follow up with one of these videos or on the testimonial section your website.

Commercial Video

Commercial videos hammer home the point, “You should buy this.” It’s direct advertising and typically pushes the viewer to take some form of action. This can be done directly, softly, or through stories, but are highly effective. This type of video is typically shorter in nature and appeal to as wide of an audience as possible. This is a video that should push a viewer into your sales funnel. It is critical to target your audience as directly as possible while using this type of video because if it shows up in front of the wrong audience, you’ll have a zero return on the investment of time or dollars. Speaking the language of the viewer becomes critical as well. The example here is the Tater Gator. This was used on end caps and websites where the product was sold to help the viewer understand what the product does and how to use it.

When you’re choosing which video to create, remember to think about why you’re doing it. If you are doing it to get your name out there, we highly recommend you stop what you’re doing and ask yourself how you’ll measure it’s success. If you are not sure how to do that, ask us. We’ll be happy to share with you a few of our tips to know whether it’s worth your time, money, and energy to take on a video project. Sometimes doing what you’ve been doing is just fine…and sometimes it’s time to elevate your game. Have more questions? Give us a call and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have!

SOURCE: Demo Duck. https://demoduck.com/video-for-business/

7 Reasons Why Your Business Absolutely Needs Video

In 2005, three men started a video-sharing website. In 2006 Google bought it from them. Eleven years later, YouTube has more than 300 hours of video uploaded every minute. And if that isnÔÇÖt staggering enough consider these additional statistics:

As a frontrunner in an ever-evolving digital community, video changes the way companies are engaging with target audiences. From formal studio productions and ÔÇÿgarage bandÔÇÖ tapings, drone videography, 3D animation, and 6-second bumper ads, businesses are leveraging the power of video as a critical component in marketing strategies. With Cisco predicting that video will account for 80% of web traffic by 2019, there are multiple reasons why your business needs video now.

Company Connection ÔÇô Video makes a business human. Through words spoken, tone of voice, and visual expression, potential customers get to know business owners and employees. This perceived development of a relationship creates a connection that builds trust and confidence in the company.

Efficient and Effective ÔÇô Consumers are busier than ever before. Short on time, living in a fast-paced, multi-tasking world, video can respond to a question more quickly than a written explanation. When time is a crunch or attention-span is limited, a 3-minute video can sell a product more thoroughly than a 4-page written document.

Product Demonstration ÔÇô Video is a user-friendly way to sell a product. It can visually compare features against a competition, showcase benefits, clear up ambiguous assembly instructions, and demonstrate usage. Video can be paused and replayed as needed, making it a quick resource available with a simple click of the mouse.

TestimonialsÔÇô A powerful way for people to see and hear firsthand from other clients or customers how great the product or service was for them. While a five-star rating on Google and Facebook is great, video shows the users face, projects their emotions through tone, and generates feelings that what is being said is truthful.

Search Engine Optimization ÔÇô As a form of rich media, video can increase the quality of SEO and ranking. In addition to hosting video on the company website, the same media can be hosted on other platforms including YouTube and Wistia. Video can be recycled for use in backlinks, blogs, and articles, all the while increasing consumer engagement and length of time spent on your site.

Sales Conversion ÔÇô Seeing is believing and that is a key function of video. Online and offline, the product market is saturated with choices. Video supports functionality, features and benefits, and quality. A visual sales pitch, 64% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product after watching a related video first.

Social Shares ÔÇô Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest tools for lead generation. A well-informed or entertaining, engaging and relatable video is likely to garner more social shares than a simple written article. As one qualified target audience shares content, the opportunity for increased awareness is significantly and positively impacted.

 

Video has broad-reach capability to get in front of potential customers without investing extra time or manpower. It can make the smallest company seem large, a large corporation seem approachable, a simplistic product unique, and a complicated product easy to understand.

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video is worth 1,000,000. Optimize your digital presence by including video as part of your overall digital marketing strategy. Contact us today.

 

Guest Blog provided by: Larry Goldstick. Larry is the principal owner of Capture Digital Marketing. Capture Digital Marketing is a full service digital marketing agency based in Jupiter, Florida. For more information contact Larry at 561-630-3699 or larry@capturedm.com