8 Easy Steps to Making Your First Marketing Video
Quality marketing today depends on quality content. Getting your name out there isn’t enough unless you can engage your customers directly with your brand. Meet your potential clients where they are by producing video content that will get their attention and show them — not tell them — who you are and why they should be interested.
Pick the Target Audience
Before you produce any content at all, you need to know who you’re talking to. Figure out who the best specific niche audience is for your brand and learn as much as you can about that demographic. You will then tailor your message and concept to that particular demographic.
Build a Team
Having a team is helpful while planning and brainstorming and is essential when creating the video itself. Bring together talent so that all team members’ skills are maximized. Assign a production lead if you’re not going to do it yourself so that communication is streamlined, and give all team members the tools they need to put together something spectacular.
Plan the Message
What are you trying to say to this audience? What’s the message your company has to share with the world? “It’s more important that your content has a real, concrete message than that it actively relates to the products and services you offer,” says Marc Anidjar, founding partner of Anidjar Levine. “This is about your brand.”
Choose a Concept
Now that you know what you’re going to say, how are you going to say it? Brainstorm with your team about possible ways to communicate your message in a video format. You could tell a story, use a series of images or something even more creative.
Pick an Appropriate Platform
You’ll need to decide how your video is going to be produced. Will it be animated? Will you use an online marketing video tool, such as whiteboard animation, or is this going to be a live-action spot with real actors and a set? Your team should make this decision based on your available tools and resources and on the concept and the research you did on your target audience. Then, make the choice that will work best to bring it to life.
Make a Plan and Execute
Now that you’ve assigned the work, you’ll need a production schedule. Even if you’re stepping back at this point, you’ll need to be involved in making the schedule to be sure they stay on track. The team should put together storyboards to plan exactly how the video will play out, get your approval, and then film or animate the material to match the storyboards.
Add the Finishing Touches
After the shooting is over, it’s time for postproduction. Sound and visuals need to be synced and scenes have to be cut and tied together to make the video as smooth and succinct as possible. Put it all together, mix the music and add any computer-generated elements.
Publish and Promote
The last thing to do is to put your video out there and do everything you can to spread it. Publish it where you know you can find your target audience and encourage people to share and extend its reach. Watch to see how it is received and then use the response to help refine your plan for next time. Good luck!