by Hal Landen
(Originally published in Sales & Marketing Executive Report)
Happy clients are the best way to build a solid production business – a far better way than any advertising. And just a few happy clients that keep coming back to update and duplicate older videos, producing new videos and spreading the word about you will eventually add tens of thousands of dollars to your annual income.
One key to producing client-pleasing videos on a small budget is planning.
- 1. In video this plan is called the script. It is a complete blueprint for the production and editing of the video. It describes every visual and audio element just as an architect’s plans specify every detail of a building. Great buildings, movies and videos are all made on paper first. So whether you hire a script writer or do it yourself, take the time to get the script right before you spend any time or money producing a video.The length of your video is another element that is determined in the script. In marketing videos, shorter is better so try to keep it under 2 or 3 minutes. Your video should be clear, concise, and compelling. Save more detailed information for a web page or printed fact sheet.
- 2. Since the audience is the only reason to make a marketing video, it’s quite important to define the target audience including their concerns and aspirations. Then list a few main benefits – show how your client’s company can solve problems, save money, or improve the lives of this target audience. Every element in the video must build on these benefits rather than merely describing the features of a product or service.
- 3. Plan the distribution of the video before you produce it. Plan on uploading it to the client’s YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and other social accounts. Embed the video in the client’s website. A video can also be shown at trade shows as an “endless loop” and used in one-on-one meetings. Link to the video in newsletters, press releases, email signatures and articles. A widely distributed video helps both you and your client. If international distribution is a possibility, it’s a lot easier and cheaper to produce a foreign language version if the English version uses an off-camera narrator and text testimonials rather than people who speak on-camera.
- 4. Study the best TV commercials and marketing videos that promote a similar product or service to the one you’re promoting. Adapting the styles and techniques of others is a time-honored tradition in filmmaking. Just don’t infringe copyrights by reproducing any of the content of other films. One successful technique that is easily adapted to the low-budget video is the series of short testimonials. Rather than hiring actors, ask satisfied customers why they like the company.
- 5. If your client has attractive publicity photos, consider using them in the video. Some very effective videos and films have been constructed entirely from still photographs. One catch — a photo can appear on the screen for only a few seconds.
- 6. Learning to research and use keywords for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most valuable things you can do to promote a video. Google Adwords and Bing Ads allow you to try sample advertising campaigns for particular keywords without spending money. Using the best keywords in the title, tags, descriptions, and other metadata fields of a video will make an enormous difference in how search engines find the video. Nearly as important as the keywords is the thumbnail which represents the video. For more information see Marketing With Digital Video, Chapter 11. The book shows how to produce business videos.
- 7. When filming, always shoot a lot of close-ups. On the small screen these close-up shots are generally more compelling than wide shots. The growth of smart phones and other small devices mean that more people will watch your video on small screens. Close-ups are also a lot easier and cheaper to light, arrange and shoot.
- 8. Like script writing, good editing makes a major difference in how successful the video is for both you and your client. Keep the show moving and always directed to the most important viewer – your client’s clients. Ruthlessly eliminate anything that’s weak. Remember, shorter marketing videos are generally better than longer ones. Keep your client involved in the editing process just as you do in the scripting process. A professional narrator and just-the-right music are essential.
- 9. Motion graphics and animations can add a lot to a video, but can also be expensive to produce. So if the budget is tight, concentrate on a telling a story that addresses the needs of your audience.
- 10. Let the press know about the video. Think of a compelling headline the video portrays. Local Business Helps County. Send every appropriate local journalist a well-written press release announcing the video you just produced. Send them a link to the video and offer them a DVD. Be sure to include information about your client. The story is about the client. This will help your business and your client’s.
- 11. Even though I only promised ten tips, I want to give you one more – Never promise more than you deliver. ALWAYS deliver more than you promise. Your clients will keep coming back to you for years to come.The above is distilled from the course Professional Video Producer, item #77
Here’s an 11. for you … And when the proverbial hits the fan, as it always can in the early days of your video production career, do not panic! Things go wrong regardless of all the planning in the world, it happens to the best, and always will. Simply stay calm and find the best solution possible with what you have, and above all, don’t knock yourself. It’s a learning process, and after all … you can’t make a burger without using horse (as tesco’s would say) 🙂
Good one, Jason, although we’ll have to call yours #12.
Thanks.
Thanks for the valuable tips! Do you recommend using video templates? I found nice ones for business (presenting logos) on Stockeon but I haven’t used any templates before
We haven’t used them, but they look interesting. When you can, show us a video you’ve produced with one of the templates. It would make for a good conversation.
I’m a wedding videomaker and I have to say that I use templates for openings in my videos and I’m pretty satisfied with the effects. Thanks for mentioning Stockeon, looks like there’s another good marketplace for me.
awesome article… i needed this..
Great to know about the 11 steps not actually 10! Landen has really done a great job to describe about this thoroughly. I liked the all article a lot.
Thanks,
John
http://bluefireproductions.net
These are great tips to producing videos for business. It seems like every website today has videos. Looks like the only way to get to the millennials is via social media and videos. I really like the suggestion to add motion graphics and animations to videos and websites. In marketing, you need to almost have a video production for all your products and services to describe them well with your value proposition.
Great pointers on how to go about Business Video Production..
Thanks for the tip to plan the distribution of the video before you produce it. I loved your idea to study TV commercials that are promoting products similar to yours. I think it’s a good idea to choose a video production company that is willing to try out new techniques to make your company stand out from the competition.
Well the 11th one is most important, in today’s world majority times we promised more than our quality of work or time, Hal’s work clearly shows that how much he put his efforts in his entire career. Because business video production is a huge market now and there are thousands of competitors to push you out from the market.
Thanks Hal for sharing such insightful resource with us!
I never knew that it is cheaper to have foreign audio and subtitles than having somebody actually on screen. My brother is thinking about making a video for his wife’s family that just came her from Japan and wants to make sure it’s low budget but high quality. Thank you so much for the video tips!
Video is really starting to become a mainstream medium online. But it can be difficult to record and edit them. Hiring someone can get pretty expensive too. So you really need to learn it yourself.
This article is very useful. Especially the last. The ‘bonus’ tip. I really want to deliver more than what is expected from me. And yes, it would lead to more clients. Thank you so much for these tips, Hal!
I like how you said to define the target audience for your business video. My company is producing a marketing video to hopefully get more clientele. Thanks for the tips for producing an effective business video.
We wanted to boost the visibility of our business in our area. We are also going to expand in another nearby town, so we plan to create a video ad. My partner suggested seeking help from video producers to effectively create an eye-catching ad. To make it interesting for the potential customers, I love that you mentioned that we should include in the video the concerns and aspirations of our target market to show that our services can solve their problems. Thanks for the tips!
I like how you said to plan the distribution of the video before you produce it. We are making a video for our company website. Thanks for the tips on producing a highly effective business video.
It sure was helpful when you said that since a business video is focused entirely on the audience’s needs, then it is best to address that while also making sure that they know the business can solve their problems. That is a pretty good tip, and I think I have an idea how I can make them happen. The only problem is that I do not know how to make a video that will suit that. Perhaps, I need a professional to help me out. Thanks!
You need to talk to your clients. Ask them lots of questions about their customers/clients. My book “Marketing With Digital Video” https://www.videouniversity.com/shop/marketing-with-digital-video-2/ focuses on these questions and should help anyone who is writing a script or producing a business video.
Video is really starting to become a mainstream medium online. But it can be difficult to record and edit them. Hiring someone can get pretty expensive too. So you really need to learn it yourself.
Video is really starting to become a mainstream medium online. But it can be difficult to record and edit them. Hiring someone can get pretty expensive too. So you really need to learn it yourself.
This article is really helpful, especially the last tip, the ‘bonus’ tip. I’m eager to exceed expectations and provide more than what is anticipated from me. I believe it will attract more clients. Thank you very much for sharing these tips.