Video is more popular than ever in the marketing mix and I absolutely love how it’s giving small businesses access to a medium that was once reserved only for big brands with big budgets.
On a technical level, it makes your website more dynamic and lifts your SEO performance. But I believe the most valuable role for video is the potential it has to give your audience a real feel for the true vibe of your brand. Now, potential is the key word here. It may seem easy to do a video (afterall we’re simply brilliant at shooting them from our phones), but to achieve an effective short film about your brand (one that your audiences actually gain something from), you’ve got to invest some brainpower thinking through a good brief and choosing the right videographer to pull it off.
Here are some key questions to consider as you prepare to go after the perfect video for your brand:
1) Why do I think I need a video? In other words, what am I missing by not currently having one?
2) Who am I trying to reach with this video? Don’t think in terms of media audience mumbo jumbo… think in terms of the handful of people you really want to see this video and be moved by it.
3) What does this audience think of me now? And what am I hoping will change after they watch my video?
4) What will make this video truly me and unlike anything my competitors could have done? Caution: don’t be lazy and say ‘show my logo’! Assume you don’t have the luxury of showing your logo… how will they know it’s YOUR brand?
5) How would I sum up (in a brief sentence) what I want to say in this video? What’s the bottomline that I want my audience to glean from this video?
Of course your brief needs to also include many other technical specifications (such as length, location, scripting, who’s in it, etc.), but I believe it’s important to get your head around the above issues before you get tangled up in the details and lose sight of the real purpose of what you’re trying to achieve.
Last but not least is the importance of choosing the right videographer. I’ve worked with some great ones over the years, so just get in touch if you need some suggestions.
I’m looking forward to seeing more and more businesses (especially smaller ones) setting their brands in motion with outstanding videos.
