Do you run a business? Do you have customers? Do you sell a product or service? If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, then you should be using video marketing.
Marketing your business via video may seem difficult, expensive and time consuming, but the cost of not utilizing video could mean losing potential customers. It’s a proven fact humans digest video content faster than reading text. Plus, with the growth of video content and how Google and other search engines display video, not using video marketing is like cutting a grapefruit with chopsticks. So go out right now and hire a company to come up with compelling video content that will help generate more leads and, ultimately, more sales!
OK, so that was my big sales pitch, but you really don’t need to hire a company like Kuno to start making videos. With a little creativity and a small budget, you can start making fun and informative videos that show off your company's product or services. All you need to do is follow these simple steps and you’ll be on your way to engaging your buyers in a new and fun way.
First, you’ll need a computer and a video camera. DSLR’s that shoot videos are great, but you can save money by shooting the video on your smartphone. Next, you’ll need a computer with a basic video editing application like iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. You probably already have a smartphone and a computer, so you may not even need to invest in this area. What you will want to invest in is some basic sound and lighting equipment. Believe it or not, sound and lighting, in my opinion, are more important than video quality. Here are a few cheap items you should pick up: a lavalier mic, an extension cable for the mic to reach to the phone, a tripod, a smartphone mount for the phone to attach to the tripod, and a cheap lighting kit.
In total, you should only have to spend about $140. If you don’t have this in the budget, you can cut out the lighting kit and shoot your video in a well lit area or in front of a window. You’ll definitely want to get the mic and tripod though. Bad sound and a shaky camera can turn a good video into a terrible video.
Now that you have the basic items, you’ll have to plan out your video. This process is called pre-production. You should always write out some type of script or storyboard before you start shooting your videos. This will save you a ton of time when you are editing your video.
Insider tip: The best way to write a script is to start out by asking “Guess what?” I’m not saying those should be the first words of your script, but if you start out by asking the question, it will help you come up with an idea. For example: “Guess what? I have this really amazing product you should know about! Here are a few cool things about this product.” See how easy that was?
Also, don’t forget to place a call to action at the end of the video. Make sure you ask your potential customers to follow, like, subscribe, call, share, comment, buy or whatever else you can think of. Asking someone to take action at the end of your video is just as important as writing a good script.
Adding personality to your video is like putting the icing on the cake—or maybe it’s just the sugary part of the cake. Either way, you will need to bring personality to your video so people want to watch it. Personality can be the funny, creative, compelling or interesting part of your video. Don’t make a video just to make a video; add purpose and personality to your content and it will help your potential buyers see the human side of your business. For example, find someone in your office who has a good personality and feels comfortable on camera and have them be the “spokesperson” for your company's product or service.
Search “how to use (whatever video editing software you will be using).” I guarantee someone has made a video tutorial on how to use the video editing software you've chosen. Spending a few hours learning the program will save you a ton of time and allow you to edit the video quickly and efficiently.
Once you are done making your video, share it on Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo or any of the other hundreds of video hosting services. If you need help figuring out where to host your video, watch this quick video, which offers great tips on where you can host your videos and explains how some video hosting sites are designed for different purposes. Also, remember it’s OK to share your video on social media more than once. Sometimes companies feel like they should only share content once because it may seem too pushy. It’s 100 percent OK to share the same content more than once on social media. With the way Facebook and Twitter filter posts, most people won’t see your post the first, second or even third time around. So share your video, and then share it some more.
I hope I was able to simplify the process of video marketing for you. If you are still concerned you won’t be able to create quality marketing video, then contact us. We would love to help you out with your content marketing, marketing strategy, inbound marketing and website redesign.
