Being a writer, you might think I’d soft pedal or downplay the importance of video on the web and in marketing communications. Well, after initial concepts, scriptwriting is where it all begins.
Video is replacing much of the content on websites, social media and even blogs these days. Most people would rather watch a short movie or let someone tell them a quick story rather than commit to reading and digesting 500 or a thousand words.
I’m here to tell you that you can use video to your business advantage. Perhaps your industry has reached the point where you need well-produced videos in your marketing mix just to compete effectively. Every kind of business can benefit from video by delivering messages in a more dynamic and entertaining way.
Here are the main ways companies are succeeding with video:
- Broadcasting to reach wider audiences with world class production quality.
- Live event streaming – collaborators and audiences interact in real time wherever they happen to be.
- Testimonials – your customers talking directly to your prospective customers in a genuine and validating way.
- Documentaries – to record and preserve important information; to tell your story with compelling visual evidence.
- Industrial videos provide visual clarity of processes and easily understandable proofs of concept in various manufacturing applications.
- Promotional videos deliver your messages with the power of persuasion. You need to promote your ideas if you want your organization to grow.
- Storytelling is an art form that becomes electrified in high quality video productions. If you really want to captivate and inspire your audience, just let them watch your story unfold on screen.
- Motion Graphics provide that extra touch. Enhance and highlight sections to drive your key points home.
I’m happy to report that the growing prominence of video in marketing has added to our content writing work. Most business and institutional videos require a good script. Narrators and actors need lines, and as scriptwriters, we get to put the fire & sizzle into the spoken words – both acted and narrated.
Whether you need simple talking head videos or full scale commercial productions, the available talent in our little market north of Boston amazes me. I’ve worked with a few local video producers and directors whose work I’d rank up there with the best stuff coming out of LA and New York. In fact, some of their clients are in those cities.
In some cases, you can produce engaging video content, even if a little rudimentary, using your own equipment and the right backdrops. If you click the image below, you’ll see a great way to incorporate video into a Homepage using a simple “About” video that gives viewers a clear sense of what this business is all about while it introduces the personality of the owner.
In some spontaneous contexts, even your smartphone camera will do. Friendly testimonials for social media come to mind.
Keep your ideas interesting and moving at a speed which people can easily follow along, which is pretty fast. Otherwise you’ll lose their attention pretty fast! Remember that “brevity is the soul of wit.” 30 seconds to 2 minutes tends to be within the attention span of most people as long as the message is relevant.
Are you using video in your marketing mix yet? Feel free to contact us if you need help planning or producing your next video project.
