Getting started with video: how to plan, build and design

What are businesses doing to get ahead of the curve in 2019? More and more are turning to video marketing.

According to Wyzowl, 87% of businesses are using video as a marketing tool, a staggering increase of over 25% from 2017.

However, the challenge for many businesses is they don’t know how to begin a video marketing strategy. If this sounds like you, read this six-step guide we’ve made for you to get underway.

Answer 3 Vital Questions

Before jumping into the nitty-gritty of video marketing, you should ask yourself and answer these 3 crucial questions:

• Why do I want to use video? Know the ultimate goal for your video strategy and what you hope to achieve from doing it.
• Who are my videos for? Research your target audience and devise your buyer personas. If you know more about your audience, you can tailor your content for them.
• What do I want to say? Understand the core message you want to relay to your audience, and convey it to them in an engaging, relatable way.

Compile the information you’ve gathered into a video production brief which will come in handy later on. If you don’t know how to do one, use a template

Create A Killer Content Plan

There are several video types that are great for you to start with. Use your 3 questions as a reference and pick what works for you.

Next, decide on what you’ll talk about and how long you want your videos to be. It’s also important to come up with a publishing schedule that’s frequent but convenient for you at the same time.

Let Your Vision Loose…

Envision what your videos will be and how they will look. Put yourself in the mind of a viewer and imagine the final cut. If you’re doing videos yourself, you’ll need to have two things ready:

• A script. The step-by-step guide for your video. A tentative outline of what people will say and do in the video, and other details like locations and props used.
• A storyboard. If a script is a guide for your video, your storyboard is your visual map comprising diagrams showing camera angles, lighting and shot composition.

Make The Magic Happen…

It’s time to film. Don’t stress. You’ve made your plan, stick to it even if it’s not perfect just yet. If you’re using an agency, trust the pros – they know what they’re doing.

Not sure about editing? There are lots of free and paid programs to edit your video on desktop and mobile devices that are easy to use. This is also where you can garnish your production with graphics, voiceovers, music and subtitles.

…And Share It With The World!

Your video distribution options largely depend on your budget, but they can help you engage with the right audience in the best way possible. Some of them include:

• Uploading videos on your website, which can boost your site’s SEO.
• Uploading videos on video-sharing platforms like YouTube and Vimeo.
• Sharing your videos on social media like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter.
• Embedding videos in your marketing emails.

Metrics Maketh Marketer

Analytics and metrics tell you how successful your videos have been, so it’s crucial to set up analytics tools to get data on how your videos have performed.

You should keep an eye out for these metrics in particular:

• View count
• Play rate
• Engagement
• Social sharing
• Conversion rate
• Click-through rate
• Comments/feedback

You’ll gain a wealth of information and understanding it all will take time. However, the more you do it, the more successful your video marketing will be. As they say, “If you’re not measuring, you’re not marketing.”