The last decade has seen a seismic shift in the video production landscape. After years of expensive, complicated, and time-consuming production, today’s marketers can make great videos fast, inexpensively, and efficiently.
Marketers use video to increase traffic, generate leads, and create sales funnels. According to Forbes, 83% of CMOs incorporate videos in their marketing strategy to improve reach and overall customer engagement.
Similarly, sales teams leverage it for demos and information-sharing while also educating prospects on the benefits of various products and services. This is how video is becoming an essential tool for all marketing enthusiasts.
So how can you get started with video production? It is easy; in this beginner’s guide, we’ll cover all the phases of video production and leveraging video in your marketing efforts. Keep reading.
The Five Key Phases of Video Production
At its core, video production involves taking a concept/idea and turning it into finished footage that is reasonable and educative. It’s both an art and a science. At its heart, video production is more of storytelling. From inspiration to the final footage, there are five distinct phases in the process.
Every phase has its unique challenges, requiring different skillsets and expertise. So, to kick start each phase, you will need a team of experts who will help you overdeliver, keeping in mind the audience requirements. But what are these phases? Let’s explore
Development
It is the first phase of video production where the creative process begins. In short, this is when clients get excited about their projects and start to see their marketing or creative visions nearing reality.
A good video production company will encourage its clients to communicate their videos’ needs and desires during development openly. This communication is essential to delivering an exceptional product that will meet their expectations.
We do this by sending out questionnaires to our clients at the beginning of each project. These questionnaires help us determine our clients’ goals for the project and how they want to accomplish those goals.
Additionally, we strive to know whether our clients want a cost-effective production or an eye-popping masterpiece. This information allows us to tailor a video solution that resonates with their budgetary and creative needs.
Depending on the scope of work involved in each project, this phase can last several days to several weeks.
Pre-Production
Whether you’re producing a commercial or corporate video, you will need to develop an overall plan for your video. During pre-production, you’ll need to answer the critical questions about what, who, where, and the cost. Let’s take a closer look at all these critical questions.
‘What’ questions will be prevalent. For instance, what will you be communicating? What do you want your audience to feel, think, or do after watching your video? And what’s the best medium for delivering that message?
Additionally, ‘who’ questions will also come into play. In essence, who are you communicating with? Who is your audience? A video targeted at customers will be different from one directed at employees. Similarly, a video targeted at kids will differ from one for adults.
You will also need to consider ‘where’ questions. For instance, where will people watch your video? Will it be viewed on TV, in a conference room, computer monitor, or smartphone screen? The answer to this question will determine the format of your final product.
Ultimately, you cannot fail to include a budget in your pre-production plans. So, you will have to ask yourself questions like how much time and money you will devote to producing the video. Keep in mind that a limited budget may mean you research yourself rather than hiring a top-notch researcher.
Production
It is the implementation of all ideas discussed above in all previous phases. It is where all live-action takes place. For instance, you will have to record various shooting footage to be used in crafting the final masterpiece. You may also film new shots or gather stock footage during this process phase.
However, if you are filming new shots, ensure they are captured using high-quality audio and lighting equipment. Furthermore, depending on your specific needs, you may also need to hire actors or models to appear in your video during the production phase.
Post-production
Post-production is where all the elements are assembled into a final video — including editing video footage, adding music and sound effects, overlaying graphics and titles, etc.
This is also where color correction occurs to ensure that the images look their best across the different devices viewers might use to watch them — from smartphones to tablets to giant TVs.
Marketing & Distribution
Although these two stages can be combined into one, we’ll break them out as there are key elements that are worth noting.
The marketing phase includes any activity that promotes your videos and maximizes their success in achieving the goals you’ve set before production starts. This includes setting up a promotion plan for social media, creating an email campaign, adding videos to your website, or engaging with influencers to help promote your content.
The distribution phase is where you upload your video to a platform like YouTube or Vimeo so that people can watch it. However, there’s more to this than simply clicking “upload” — there are certain things you need to do to ensure people will see and engage with your work.
Ultimately, after these phases, the project would be termed as completed and presented to the client for evaluation and actual use. And this is how video production happens.
Tips for Creating a Successful Marketing Video
The video marketing strategy of the world’s top brands is becoming more sophisticated, and you can too. Here are expert tips to help you create a successful marketing video:
Define Your Goals
Your goals should be specific and measurable. For example, if your goal is to get more views on your video, set a target number of views. If your goal is to generate more leads or sales, set a target number of leads or sales per month.
Develop a Compelling Script and Storyboard
Although it’s not easy, storytelling is a potent tool in any video marketer’s arsenal. To create a compelling script, you must know your audience and develop a story that resonates with them.
Once you have the script ready, it’s time for the storyboarding process, where you determine how to communicate your message on camera visually.
Keep It Short and Sweet
The average viewer’s attention span is decreasing, so the less time you have to get your message across, the better. According to Wistia, the ideal length of an explainer video is 2 minutes and 30 seconds, as this is when engagement begins to drop off.
As a general rule of thumb, keep your videos less than 3 minutes long.
Be Sure to Add a Call-to-Action at the End of the Video
Ultimately, be clear about what you want them to do next. If you’re trying to sell a product or service, add a call to action at the end of the video. Words such as “visit our website” or “call now.” You can also include a hotlink within your video directly to your website.
Bottom Line
Video production is a powerful way to increase your brand’s visibility and connect with potential customers. It’s easier than ever to create videos, whether you start from scratch or use a production company to help you hit your objectives.
Which route is for you? Only you can decide—but regardless, there are plenty of tools to guide you as a beginner through the process.
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