Now that such a high percentage of online traffic is being driven by search engines returning video in their results these days, having your own corporate video on your website is essential. It’s quite possible that in short time from now that reading articles, such as this one, will be a thing of past. In fact, it’s likely you’ll be ‘watching’ this message rather than reading it. Why is that? Well video makes up 61% of internet traffic at the moment, and is set to make up 80% of internet traffic by 2019. Online video is quickly becoming a key tool for satisfying the viewers’ information and entertainment needs; so, businesses that fail to include video in their internet marketing strategies do so at their peril.

Video is a great way to showcase your business.

However, let’s be clear, not just any old video will do. Although almost any old video will get you found more easily in search engine results, however, what is equally important is the impact that video has on the viewer. Just remember that every aspect of your on line content should reflect a positive image of your company, and you only get a few seconds to get that desired message across before viewer decides whether they are going to watch longer or look for another option. So getting the message, style and target right are vital.

To help you avoid some of the most obvious video mistakes, here are our favourite tips:

1. Plan
Making a video without a plan is like going shopping whilst hungry, that is without an ingredients list or end recipe in mind. The result will be lacking in focus and won’t create good engagement nor promote a positive image for company development.

2. Script
An unprofessional, ill thought out script can ruin the entire tone of an otherwise solid video concept. A video script is not the same as writing blogs or newspaper articles; video scripts are a distinct skill and they are the blueprint for the production as well as the key messaging platform for your essential points.

3. Information Overload
Facts, figures and the history of your company going back to the year dot may be fascinating to a few, but will be a turn off to many. Video is a visual communications tool, so don’t bog it down with too many graphs with tiny print and detailed analysis. Keep in mind the desired results of someone viewing the video and tailor the message to achieve that goal. Keep it to one clear purpose, and if you have more than one purpose then consider making more than one video!

4. Write A Story
Storytelling is essential for any great video, so make sure you have a strong beginning middle and end. We don’t want to get boringly repetitious of course but it is important to reinforce your message in a way that flows seamlessly from beginning to end.

5. Who Are Your Audience?
This is about tone and appropriateness. Don’t do anything on video that you wouldn’t be happy doing in front of your CEO or even your mum or dad. Cracking knock knock jokes in front of a team of sales representatives may be okay, but may not be okay when viewed by a group of senior oncologists.

Understanding the tone that is appropriate for your video audience applies to everything in it. The key to getting this right is understanding your audience, so do your research and target carefully.

6. Be Professional
Video may look easy but remember the old saying about ‘A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing…..’ Just because it ‘looks’ straight forward don’t get lulled into a false sense of ease and think, ‘Oh we could just do it ourselves and save money for something else.’ If you can’t do video well, professionally and at high quality, which includes all the elements of sound, vision, look, feel and messaging, then you run the risk of coming across as unprofessional. It’s a subtle thing, but with so many factors in play such as location, lighting, sound, script, delivery to camera, equipment nuances, editing – a host of variables here that are forever growing – well, the list is endless….it’s far too easy to do a mediocre job and ruin what could be a powerful marketing tool. So invest in an experienced video production company who can give you a top quality product both within your budget and targeted to your audience.

7. Who to work with for Video?
If you can, working with someone locally is a good option, they are far more likely to either know something about your business already, or be able to get a faster and more in-depth understanding of your business than someone you don’t meet till the shoot day. And with the internet it is tempting to go wild and ask every video production company in the country to put forward a pitch; it’s a waste of your time, and theirs. Ultimately, you will only remember a few of the proposals in any detail and more than likely you’ll end up confused. So do your research and pick a the 3 or maximum of 4 candidates, ask for recommendations from people you know locally and look for samples of the video companies real work as opposed to showreels, as well as testimonials about how they’ve produced for others. Seeing is believing in many cases, and if someone is willing to go on camera saying a video company was good, then the chances are they were good! However don’t worry much about whether they’ve made a programme about your particular widget before or not, a skilled video producer will know how to get to the essentials of your message and make something unique for you.

8. Budget
If you haven’t a feel for what you would be comfortable spending then don’t ask video companies to pitch, yet. Video is a bit like a concertina, it can be made to fit many shapes and sizes but knowing the kind of spend involved helps to get the ideas into the realms of sensible rather than off the chart. There is no point asking for a Rolls Royce video if you’ve only got the budget for bicycle. You can get something for most budgets, but be clear about what you can spend and then listen to the advice of experienced video producers as to how that budget can be used to best effect. If you don’t have the budget, then no video is better than a bad video.

9. Delegation
Only have one or two key people who are authorized to have the final say on content, style and delivery. You cannot make a good video by committee, if there are too many people all demanding that their section is the most important etc., you will end up with too much information that is unfocused and boring. Nobody wants to watch that sort of video so have clear lines of sign off and keep the end audience in mind. However, as you’re paying professional video makers to work with you, do listen to what they say and be prepared to take on board their experience when deciding for or against content cuts or artistic elements. Everything is important, but for good video somethings are best left unsaid!

If you'd like to explore ways in which Take One could help you with your next video project, just give us a call and we'll arrange a free discovery session to plan your story.