Depending on your company’s capabilities or budget, producing a video can be a significant investment of your time and money. So if you’re going to make the investment, make it count!
Here are several ways to squeeze as much leverage out of your videos as possible.
Plan It Out
Once you’ve determined the creative concept or storyboard for your video, having a pre-production and planning meeting with your team is key! Working through a checklist helps ensure you cover all the bases.
Your pre-production checklist could include these discussion points:
- Production Timeline
- Shot List/Storyboard
- Budget for Outside Costs
- Location/Date of Shoot
- Equipment Required
- Production Team
As well as whether the following is needed:
- On-Screen Talent
- Video Script
- Voice Over
- Captioning for Use on Social Media
Create Longer Videos
Sure, we live in the age of 15-second Instagram stories—but long-form videos still have their place and value. When you think about your video project, think about having a long-form video as your base. From there, you can make shorter “breakout” videos that cover specific topics—but first, let’s talk about the value of longer content.
Multiple factors contribute to your video’s SEO, but video length is an important one. Google wants people to get value out of the content they view and, in theory, longer content does the job better. Think about a good “how-to” video you’ve watched or an entertaining video that makes you laugh. They’re likely longer than a couple minutes.
In fact, the average length of a first-page YouTube video is about 15 minutes. Data shows us that these longer videos significantly outperform shorter ones.
When you have a longer video, longer “watch time” should naturally follow, too. Watch time refers to the overall time a user spends watching your video and it’s another contributing factor to higher-ranking YouTube videos.
Draw Them In
The first 15 to 30 seconds of your video is make-it-or-break-it time. It’s around that mark that viewers will decide whether they want to keep watching or bounce. Creating a captivating video intro is an art and not a science, but here’s how you can increase your odds of extended viewership.
- Focus on the payoff. When you do this, you’re engaging with your viewer. What’s in it for them? What knowledge are they going to gain by watching your video? Clearly and concisely lay it out for them. Don’t turn them off with introductions that can come later on in your video.
- Create intrigue. A little tension goes a long way. Is there a problem you’re trying to solve? Do you have a surprising fact to share? Lure your viewers in by teasing them with the promise of captivating content!
- Wow them. Lights, camera, action! If you have beautiful shots with interesting angles, now is a great time to use a few. Of course, a great music track is helpful, too!
Chop It Up
You have your base long-form video, which is great for SEO purposes! But you’ll get even more value out of your content if you also create a series of “breakout” videos from that base video. This allows you to keep your content fresh and maintain a content distribution calendar that can span longer periods of time.
Your breakout videos can be shorter, ranging from 15 seconds to several minutes, and should focus on one specific topic. For example, if you’ve made a 3-minute video on “How to Plant a Beautiful Garden” you may have a 1-minute breakout videos on “The Importance of Fertilizing Your Soil” or “How to keep pests from devouring your garden.”
Breakout videos can be used on various pages on your website, in YouTube playlists and especially on social media, where short, concise videos are king.
Think About Social Media
On social media, creating quality video is important, but you shouldn’t sacrifice quantity to achieve it. Content has a short lifespan on social media, so don’t pour all your time and resources into making one video absolutely perfect. Creating a series of good videos has more long term value than one or two great ones.
If your video has any spoken words, you should make a version for social media with transcribed captioning since most users watch without turning on the sound. Platforms like Facebook offer automated captioning for videos, but it isn’t always accurate. Make it right and do it yourself before uploading.
Have a Corporate Video
No other medium can tell your story the way video can. If you don’t have a video that demonstrates your company’s expertise and competitive advantage, you need to make that investment!
Search engines treat videos as high-quality content—and consumers are hungry for them! According to Hubspot, up to 81% of businesses are using video for marketing. Videos make people feel, think and make decisions. Social Media Today says that 90% of consumers claim a video will help them make a purchasing decision. Wouldn’t you like to help your potential customers make the decision to use your product or service?
We thought so!
Here at Hydraulic Studio, we can work with your budget to plan and produce compelling video that meets your business’s needs!
