How to Create Effective Marketing Video

Video works. Here's how to give yours an advantage.

A 2017 study by HighQ shows that videos work:

• Online videos account for 74 percent of all web traffic from mobile devices.
• 75 percent of business executives watch work-related videos weekly and 59 percent indicate a preference for watching videos when the content is available in both text and video format.
• Over the next year, 96 percent of B2B firms say they plan to include video in their content marketing efforts.

Yet a video needs to compel to succeed. Here’s how to give yours an advantage:

Plan Your Video

Many different types of corporate videos exist: sales, marketing, instructional, video blogging on business topics, and news-style reporting.

What kind of video should your company create? It depends on what message you want to send. As with every marketing tactic, you must define your goals and execute accordingly.

Make sure you have a well thought-out plan. (For more information on planning, click here.) And outline the video. You may not need a formal script, but you should know what you plan to discuss or what the video aims to say.

Video Should Feature the Company’s Voice

Every company should have a voice and personality that ties back to the company’s brand. (What do we mean by “brand?” Click here.)

For example, we keep FrogDog’s "Marketing Minute" fun and informative—which best reflects our culture.

Lighting, Lighting, Lighting

Ever tried to watch a dark, murky video? Painful.

In the planning phase, take the camera to the video location and determine the best lighting situation. Test different lighting options by filming someone in front of the camera.

Location matters for lighting as well. Shooting in a room with a lot of windows? Don’t position your subject in front of the windows on a sunny day—she will look like a shadow. And beware overhead lights, which can create glare.

Also, don’t fear purchasing lighting equipment, if you plan to create regular videos. It is possible to find reasonably priced lighting sets that will fit with your budget.

Speak Clearly—and Loudly

The person on camera needs to speak clearly and at enough volume for viewers to hear. At the same time, he shouldn’t seem to shout or yell. Enunciating and speaking loudly without coming across as shouting at the camera take practice.

Consider the Clothing

As your presenters represent your brand, they must wear clothing appropriate for your company culture and message. The same goes for grooming: How funky should they wear their hair? How about their makeup? Are scruffy beards okay?

Whatever the clothing style, presenters should avoid overly busy patterns and prints, which rarely represent well on screen. And if the video background is white, presenters should avoid light colors—unless they want to blend into the screen.

Short Attention Spans

If you don’t get viewers’ attention in the video’s first ten seconds, you’ve lost them. And once you get them, keep them—by keeping it short. Ideally, videos should run for one to three minutes. Ads should be shorter: ten to thirty seconds). In-depth reporting-style videos may effectively run five minutes.

Call to Action

They've watched the video. Now what? Tell the viewer what to do next. Give them a reason to click through to your site or landing page. But don’t worry: You can make the call to action as simple as contact information and asking people to contact you.

Need help developing a marketing strategy that incorporates successful marketing video? Call FrogDog today!