You now have all of the gear necessary to begin creating your marketing videos. Now the fun begins. Before you get started, you’re going to need some direction. Big budget Hollywood movies don’t begin filming until a screenplay has been written. Likewise, none of the actors and actresses in those movies can begin their job without first reading and memorizing their script. Before you hit record on your phone, it’s best to know what you’re going to say and do in front of the camera.
Preparing Your Script
Most marketing videos that you would use for marketing your services and products don’t need to be any longer than about 30 to 60 seconds. Also, your marketing videos need to include 4 common elements to be effective. Therefore, a good rule of thumb for a 60 second video is to devote roughly 15 seconds to each of the 4 elements described below.
Introduction
Who you are and your business, and why you’re an authority in your field. Remember, this is not a time to tell your work history, but rather why your audience should be listening to you!
Audience
Villain
What challenges or problems are they (your audience) facing? Recognize their sticking points and be empathetic to them.
Solution
Give them your product, the solution to their problems. Go through your product or service and match the features that conquer the villain. Show empathy, and that you know your product will help them.
Here Are Some Quick Tips To Get Started
Add a title -
make it a catchy title, something that explains your product and target audience. Ask a question –
have it catch their attention, make it relevant to them and should address the villain. Villain – t
alk or ask about the problem the audience faces. Add Value and Give Solution –
how your product solves the problem. Give a call to action -
unless you invite the audience to act, they will do nothing.
Defining Your Audience
“If you try to sell to everyone, then you’ll end up selling to no-one.”
Your content needs to speak to the people who you are trying to reach. Nobody wants to read or consume content that doesn’t speak to them. Content that resonates with people will keep those people engaged and more likely to do what you want them to do. Cultivate your client’s audience personas by studying their products and services and asking yourself “Who, What, Why, and Where?”
Who
The “who” are the people you are advertising to. You need to consider:
- Age – If your content is geared towards Baby Boomers (age range 60+), you need to know what kind of language resonates with them. Baby Boomers are typically retired and are looking to remain secure in their retirement. They also happen to be very nostalgic. Millennials, on the other hand, are just now settling into their careers. They are more technically savvy than Baby Boomers. You wouldn’t talk to a 30 year old the same way you would talk to a 70 year old. Your content needs to reflect this.
- Gender – Men and women have different tastes and preferences. Think of the last time you saw a commercial for underarm deodorant – for men AND for women. The message and the imagery is completely different, yet they are trying to sell the same product. Your content needs to cater to the interests and needs of the gender you are trying to target.
- Income level – This is critical. If you are trying to sell a $2,500 piece of furniture, an 18 year old may not be the most receptive audience for such a product. Conversely, if you are trying to pitch a 2 for 1 special for a $20 t-shirt, it probably will fall on deaf ears if you’re trying to target Elon Musk.
- Ethnicity – Targeting an audience based on ethnicity can be tricky and must be done with caution. Avoid patronizing anybody based on ethnicity, but also be aware that the right message for one group of people may not be appropriate for others. Use common sense when using this metric when performing audience research.
What
The “what” of your audience is defined as “what purpose does your content serve?” Basically, your content needs to do one (or more) of the following:
- Answer a question
- Provide a solution
- Solve a problem
- Provide motivation to do something
- Address a concern
- Explain a topic
- Inspire additional questions
- Fulfill a need
- Reward a want
- Offer guidance
- Build trust
Effective content provides value for the consumer and keeps them returning to your business for more. After all, if your content can’t even do one of those things mentioned above, what use is it to anybody?
Why
“Why” means “why am I targeting this audience?” You must know why your audience needs to use your services and products. Ask yourself this question while you are researching your content – “why would anybody want to watch this video?” If you cannot answer that question easily, you have not defined the “who” and “what” of your target audience. Here are some other “why” questions to ask while you research your audience:
Why should a customer buy from you instead of your competitor?
Why should the viewer of your video share it with other people?
Why should the audience even care about the services or products you are offering?
Where
“Where” is your audience located? Are they in Idaho? Are they in New York City? Are they in Canada? Do they live in a densely populated city or do they live in a very rural area? Do they live in a culturally diverse area or a monocultural one? You need to know this because the way you craft your message for somebody in New York City will be vastly different than for somebody in Idaho Falls. Keep the following in mind when researching where your audience lives:
- Do they live in an area that is typically more wealthy than others?
- Do they live in an area with high or low crime rates?
- What are the predominant political affiliations that members of the community might be involved in?
- What are the predominant religious groups and practices in a particular region or area?
- Is it a college town?
- Is it a place where the economy relies heavily on manufacturing?
- Is it a place where people go to vacation or retire?
- Is the place a major hub for entertainment?
- Is the area in proximity of a major military installation?
- Is it a capitol of a state or country?
Plan For Consistency
Effective video marketing needs a plan. If you offer multiple services or products, one video is not going to be enough to capture the attention of your target audience. It is essential to develop and stick to a video production plan. In the internet marketing world, we call this plan a “Content Calendar.”
Your Content calendar
A content calendar is used to organize your content marketing strategy. With a little work, it can help you:
- Schedule and track the days you need to be shooting video
- Schedule time for editing
- Organize the channels and platforms you will use to promote your video
- Organize those influencers in your industry to make it easier for outreach
- Keep you accountable to your marketing goals
Download Your Free Content Calendar RIGHT NOW
We have created a simple content calendar you can use to help you organize and manage your video creation schedule. Simply enter in your email address end we’ll email you link where you can download your own content calendar. It is laid out in an easy to understand format and includes instruction on how how to use it. Now, let’s see those new videos!
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You're Not Done Yet...
Before you can publish your video for the world to see, you need to polish it up. The last step in the video creation process is editing. In “How To Make Your Own Marketing Videos For Your Business – Part 3: Editing” we’ll show you what you need to do to put the final, professional touches on your video. We’ll even lend a hand, if you need…
