You don’t need to be an amateur director or even a film buff to appreciate the rising importance of video content when it comes to running a successful marketing campaign. A recent survey found that 9 out of 10 marketers now place an importance on video content, and more than 67 percent said they planned on investing more in video content creation in 2017.

When it comes to media marketing online, many small business owners can feel overwhelmed when trying to keep up with the latest trends and innovations. To help keep you on the cutting edge of marketing, Local Fresh has a few tips to keep in mind when trying to avoid some commonly make mistakes when creating a promotional video for your small business.

Don’t Lose Sight of the Big Picture

Creating video content – especially the first time – is a long, complicated process that requires staying adaptable and making necessary changes on the fly. During such a potentially chaotic process, it’s easy to lose sight of your overall goal. If you’re not careful, the purpose of your video can easily become lost if you don’t keep an eye on the big picture.

Considering this, it’s important to ask yourself before making any significant decision: “Does this help my business achieve its goal?” If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track. If no, stop and reconsider whether this decision really benefits the project as a whole. This will help keep the big picture in sight so you stay on track.

Don’t Overload Your Video

Over exposition will not only sink the plot of a film, it will also overload your video. Strong video marketing strategies maintain a tight focus designed to impart a clear message.

If you attempt to overload your video with as many visuals and ideas as possible, you run the risk of confusing your viewers with an unfocused and chaotic product. Creating a polished video requires making a significant marketing investment, and you want to get as big a ROI as possible. By attempting to include too many things in one video, you contribute to a cluttered, disjointed, and poor viewing experience that will not resonate the way you hope with your target audience.

Instead of weakening your connection with viewers by producing a diluted message, make sure your videos are clear, focused, and that the point of the video always comes across.

Don’t Just Focus on Facts

Video offers you an incredible opportunity to introduce yourself to the audience. Many businesses feel compelled to treat their video content like a digital brochure, loading it up with in-depth information that relates to the entire business.

Unfortunately, this approach fails to properly understand the medium and what role video actually plays in media marketing online. A well-made video doesn’t just educate, it works to start a conversation or initiate a personal connection. Video is not the medium to conduct long-winded conversations or explain detailed statistics and facts. Instead, think of video as the cover letter to your businesses résumé.

Video creates a human face that allows your target audience to relate to the message your work and your beliefs impart. It’s the emotional connection your video makes with the audience that often determines whether they will continue interacting with your brand. Leave the fine print type details to your website or brochures. Once your video has attracted an audience, they can do their own research on your company at the pace they prefer.

Don’t Fail to Prioritize While Filming

Without a familiarization on how most productions work, it can feel like every moment should be captured on film. It’s not uncommon for clients to ask video production teams to shoot a significant amount of footage in hopes of not missing any one moment or achievement.

While it’s understandable for an entrepreneur to want their business captured in all of its complexity and detailed nuance, don’t fall into this trap. Taking the time to carefully plan your shoot in advance can eliminate a lot of unnecessary stress and save you time.

Local Fresh will work with you to create a working concept, the shot list, and the interviews based on specific criteria rather than any last minute additions. This way, you’ll have a complete understanding of what you need to have done by the start of the production.

If a new filming opportunity does emerge, stop and ask yourself the question from above – “Does this help my business achieve its goal?” – before adjusting the shoot.

Don’t Disregard Your Utilization Plan

Spending the time and money to make a marketing video is a significant investment of resources. Don’t waste those resources by failing to have a plan in place for how you want to distribute your video content. Utilization should be a primary component when planning and creating any video content project. A video for your home page, for example, will have a different set of requirements than a video for your Facebook page. Make sure you have an understanding of your video’s target audience and modify your approach accordingly.

The worst thing you can do is shoot the footage before you determine its purpose. Instead, go into your production knowing exactly what techniques and scenes best fit your plans. This will prevent you from wasting time and money on footage you’ll never use.

Don’t Forget the Call to Action

All the time, money, planning, and stress spent developing video content for your media marketing online strategy will be wasted in you don’t provide your audience with a way to take the intended action. Make sure to prominently feature a strong call to action in your video that makes it clear what you want the audience to do and how they can do it.

A video without a call to action is like a pizza without the dough. Your video might be funny, entertaining, or emotionally resonate, but without a clear call to action, the audience will be unable to donate, purchase, subscribe, or do whatever you want. This may sound condescending, you need to spell it out for your audience. Without a cue from you, the audience may not even know there’s any action from them to take!

 

At the end of the day, creating a compelling, polished, and professional video requires a lot of work. There’s no reason you should sabotage your efforts by falling into one of these common traps. With this list as your guide, Local Fresh can help your small business roll out promotional videos that highlight your business in the positive and innovative ways needed to stay ahead of the competition. Click here to find out more about how Local Fresh can improve your media marketing online strategy.