Marketing videos are quickly becoming the most popular form of content marketing on the internet. Demand for video content has surged amidst the busy lives of audience members who are looking for a quick and easy way to get information. Effective marketing videos provide this information but also pave the way for the viewer to easily travel down the marketing funnel. Here are 10 important elements of an effective marketing video that will benefit your audience and your business.
10 Important Elements of an Effective Marketing Video
1. Thinking Outside the Box
If you aren’t familiar with the phrase, thinking outside the box means using creativity to generate original concepts. It means thinking differently and surprising your viewer. This, indeed, grabs their attention, a difficult task inundated with advertisements and other marketing content.
Examples of outside-the-box marketing video ideas include how-to, animated, and interactive videos. What makes them surprising is their originality, which means you must find something new that hasn’t been tried by your competitors or other like-minded people. Outside-the-box ideas capture your viewer and build brand awareness.
2. Forethought Goes Into Effective Marketing Video
Planning is essential in video creation, as there are many working parts. If you are doing a live shoot, visit the site in advance to evaluate the lighting conditions. Pre-plan music and other audio picks, so your video and audio will have a similar theme. Think about opportunities for staged video versus on-the-fly, and consider options for retakes. You may have a professional videographer to do the filming, but you need to be involved in the planning in order for the video to be a success.
3. Value
Entertainment inherently has value, and it can be used as a source of value for many marketing videos. However, some videos are clearly soliciting sales, and your viewer will recognize this as NOT having value. They will exit your video, and if you’ve offered any brand recognition, it will have garnered some negative attention. Instead of being sales-pitchy, offer your viewers something they want to know. This may come in the form of an informative, biographical, or how-to video. They won’t consider conversion if there is no recognized value.
4. Urgency
Conversions are the ultimate priority in any marketing content, but a quick conversion is better than one that takes time. That is why urgency is an important element of an effective marketing video. The more time a person has to second-guess a purchase, the less likely they are to make that purchase. Instead, offer potential consequences to not having your product or service. Offer discounts that expire, or let people know about the scarcity of your product. Whatever it takes to make the customer know they don’t have a lifetime to take advantage of the opportunities you offer will have them accessing your website sooner.
5. Solution-Oriented
Offering solutions to life’s problems can be a surefire way to gain trust and positive branding associations. The solutions are not limited to the benefits of your product or service. Offer solutions for problems with your product. You might even offer solutions to problems with your competitor’s product. Whatever the subject matter, make it helpful, and your viewer will appreciate it.
6. Mobile-Friendly
Many elements of effective marketing videos are in regard to the subject matter, but mobile-friendliness is another must-have. Most people are going to access your video content through their mobile devices. If it isn’t mobile-friendly, they’ll move on to the next video. They may not even get a glance at your product. Many video production apps exist that make mobile-friendliness a given, but sometimes novices develop these apps, making improvements impossible. If you really want your content to be optimized for all mobile options, contact a professional video production company that can handle every marketing video element.
7. Effective Marketing Videos Include Readable Text
How many times have you muted a video out of respect for others? The fact is, many people are watching videos on silent. This means you need to include words in your effective marketing video. Thus, use titles, subtitles, and other text options to make sure your message is seen if it cannot be heard.
8. Target Audience
Videos that are created for a general audience do not generally attract enough attention to warrant production. This is why the word “target market” exists, and it doesn’t go away when you enter the video marketing world. Identify your target market, so you know who you are talking to. You don’t talk to your boss in the same manner that you talk to your friend or your parents. Once you’ve figured out who you are talking to, your video can adopt a tone and language level that is suitable and attractive to your target audience.
9. Distribution Strategy
Once you’ve identified your target audience, you can figure out where they are and ensure your distribution strategy reaches those places. This is why marketing, from cable television to social media, exists. There are certain demographics that have a tendency to use certain forms of media. If you aren’t figuring out which media your target audience uses, your conversion rates will suffer.
10. Purpose
Possibly the most important element of an effective marketing video is purpose. Each video should have a clear purpose. Highlight that purpose so the message does not stray from it. For example, it is easy to start a video talking about the benefits of water softeners only to convolute your message on a tangent about the need for safe drinking water. The two subjects are related but have very different purposes. Identify your purpose, and your video will be fluid and easy to understand. Your audience is looking for simplicity. This is why they are drawn to video in the first place.
Effective Marketing Video Requires Essential Elements
When embarking on the creation of marketing videos, many organizations believe that more is better. In reality, more is only better if the videos contain the essential elements for success. This requires planning, intention, and delivery in order to reach your audience and stimulate conversion. Video marketing is fun and can attract many eyes to your product or service. However, it is a waste of time unless you do it correctly by including the above elements.
