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Using Video for Business: Video Content Basics
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You’ve been paying attention.

You know you need video content to market your business. To engage with customers. To reach more prospects. To communicate with your global company. To showcase your products.

But where do you start? A panel of TVs showing images. Image from iStockPhotoOftentimes, mid-sized companies like to DIY (do-it-yourself) - headed up by a Marketing Director or even the President or CEO.  But you still need content creators.  A production company that can be the extension of your marketing department. Filming. Editing. Recording voice overs. Crafting a polished video or film that reflects your company. Truly capturing what your company stands for. Its culture. Its personality. You need video content that successfully resonates with your clients, customers and prospects. A good video production company that can deliver this is a valuable resource.
The term ‘Video Content Marketing' is now one of the latest buzz words in the emerging field of Content Marketing, defined as ‘the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire and retain customers.’ Remember: it has to be valuable, relevant content.  And that’s only one way your business can use video to reach all types of PEOPLE you interact with - employees, distributors, advocates and yes, customers.

Photo of a man on the phone at a keyboard at his desk. Image from iStockPhoto
In our global world, video can connect you with people across the world.
 

Video possibilities for your company include:

• A company overview
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• Interviews.
• Social media videos. (Customer engagement, loyalty programs, or special offers.
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• Product demos and showcases
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• Sales & marketing videos, testimonials.
• Commercial advertising for TV & Web
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• CEO addresses to shareholders or employees
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• Public addresses for PR
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• Brand awareness messages.

The list is vast.

So, why should you invest in video for your company?  Because the metrics say the ROI on video marketing is killer. Don’t take it from us, take a look at industry-leader Brightcove’s “Analyzing the ROI of Video Marketing." Their first point?

Why Video?
"Before we get into the data, let’s consider the basic question: How can firms use video to successfully influence buyers in the Hidden Sales Cycle that defines the new buyer’s journey? The answer may be found in that old expression: “facts tell, but stories sell.” Perhaps more than any other media in the modern content marketer’s arsenal, video is inherently a story-telling medium (at least when done well). In Aberdeen’s November 2012 report Video and Collaboration in the Sales Cycle: Fighting the Forgetting Curve, we noted that video helps both marketing and sales cut through the clutter with a differentiated voice, thereby increasing both information retention and the perception of the quality of the message it delivers. With so many companies now adopting content marketing, competition for buyers’ attention may be more important than competition for their capital. Impressively, as seen in Figure 1, Best-in-Class companies are more likely to use video in their content marketing mix than any other media.

One factor that may contribute to the rapid adoption of video is the reduction of cost barriers. It wasn’t that long ago that producing high-quality video content required high-end camera and sound equipment, as well as perhaps a specialized studio or employment of a production company with access to state-of-the-art video editing and effects technology. These help to be sure, but sophisticated video capture and editing capabilities can be had for relatively modest cost, meaning that many freelancers and regional agencies can provide excellent, professional quality video content without breaking the content development budget.”

So, now that you know video can deliver great returns-on-investment, next you need to start the brainstorming process.  Your team should discuss the following relevant questions:

• What are the needs of your organization?
• What are your goals for your video?
• What is your video's target market? Who are you trying to reach?
• What do you want your video to say?
• What level of production value are you striving for?
• How should you present your company?
• How will you promote your video?

The answers to these questions will direct and inform your company’s path for creating great video content that can reach your target audience. Now what? Download our USING VIDEO FOR BUSINESS Success Kit for a more in-depth discussions of the process.

Download our Success Kit e-Book USING BUSINESS VIDEO 

Using Video for Business topics discussed include:

Chapter 1: Video Content Basics.
Chapter 2: Types of Videos to Use for Business.
Chapter 3: A discussion of where and how and to use different types of video.
Chapter 4: I want to market using video… Now what?
Chapter 5: Finding and choosing a great production company.
About Miceli Productions PHOTO + VIDEO