Have you ever heard the phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words?” In today’s business world, that phrase has taken on a whole new meaning. With the advent of social media and online video, businesses have found that a well-crafted video campaign can be the key to unlocking their growth potential.
While there are many benefits to incorporating video into your marketing mix, it’s important to keep in mind that video production is not a silver bullet. Like any other marketing tool, it must be used strategically and executed flawlessly in order to be effective.
The history of video production is steeped in creativity and innovation, but the history of advertising is just as long. In order to produce a video campaign that will help your business grow, you need to understand how to combine the two.
The History of Advertising
Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, business owners and marketers relied on print advertisements and word-of-mouth to gain new customers. They would design an ad, place it in a local newspaper or hang it on a bulletin board, and hope that someone would see it and be interested in their product or service.
But it wasn’t enough to just have a great product or service – you also needed to be able to get the word out there about what you had to offer. If people didn’t know you existed, they couldn’t very well become your customers.
Newspapers, magazines, and flyers were the primary channels for marketing, with radio ads being a distant second. If you’re old enough, you’ll remember those eye-catching ads that were impossible to ignore. And if you’re not, well, just take a look at this example:
(source: Business Insider)
Just kidding. We know you’re not that old. We thought it would be fun to show you an example of an ad that was popular back in the day. It’s interesting to see how much things have changed, isn’t it? Check out this ad for a more recent product:
(source: The Influence Agency)
Look at the colorful, pink background. You would never see Apple using such bright colors in their ads today. The whole thing is very…2000’s. It was a beautiful time. But why are we showing you all of this? And what does it have to do with video production?
Well, everything. The history of advertising is the history of video production. Where do you think people got the idea to start making commercials? It all started with a single creative mind, someone who looked at the world around them and thought, “Hey, I could make a video about that.”
And so it began.
The History of Video Production
The first commercial ever aired on television was for Bulova watches. It aired on July 1, 1941, costing the company $9.
Bulova wasn’t the only company to jump on the television advertising bandwagon – soon, everyone wanted in. Coca-Cola, 7UP, Ford, GMC, and many other brands quickly began producing their own commercials.
And thus, the landscape of advertising changed forever. The power of television to reach a mass audience was undeniable, and companies were eager to get their message in front of as many people as possible.
The Benefits of Video Production
Fast-forward to today, and video has become an essential part of any marketing mix. In fact, studies show that businesses that use video grow 49% faster than those that don’t. It’s a powerful tool that, when used correctly, can help you reach your growth goals.
But as we mentioned before, video production is not a silver bullet. There are a few key components that you need to have in place in order to create a successful video campaign:
- A clear understanding of your target audience
- A well-defined strategy
- Creative and compelling content
- A call to action
Let’s dive a little deeper into each of these components.
A Clear Understanding of Your Target Audience
The first step in any video production is understanding who you’re making the video for. Who is your target audience? What are their pain points? What are they looking for?
Answering these questions will help you to create content that resonates with your audience and speaks to their needs. Without a clear understanding of your target audience, it won’t be easy to create a video that accomplishes your goals.
A Well-Defined Strategy
The second step is to develop a well-defined strategy. What are you trying to achieve with your video? Are you looking to increase brand awareness? Drive website traffic? Generate leads?
There are eager cinematographers out there ready to give you some beautiful imagery, but if that imagery is not paired with great strategy and execution, you’ll be blowing your marketing budget with no results to show for it.
Nobody wants that.
Creative and Compelling Content
Once you know who you’re making the video for and what you want to achieve, it’s time to start thinking about the actual content of the video. What story are you trying to tell? How can you make your video stand out from the rest?
Remember, people are bombarded with videos every day, so it’s important to create something that is both creative and compelling. Otherwise, your video will get lost in the shuffle and never be seen.
A Call to Action
Last but not least, you need to include a call to action in your video. What do you want people to do after they watch it? Visit your website? Sign up for your newsletter? Follow you on social media?
Make sure that your call to action is clear and concise, or else people will get lost and won’t know what to do. You won’t want to put all of this work into making a video only to have people not take the next step.
Connecting Video Production with Business Growth
In a world where the average person spends over two hours a day watching videos, it’s no surprise that businesses are turning to this medium to reach their target audiences. After all, why wouldn’t they?
Videos are engaging, they’re shareable, and they’re easy to consume. But they’re also beautiful, fun, and often, downright hilarious. Seriously, just take a look at this video. We bet you couldn’t watch it all without smiling.
That’s the power of video – it has the ability to evoke strong emotions in its viewers. It can make them laugh, cry, and everything in between. And when used correctly, it can be a powerful tool for business growth.
Next, let’s look at some examples of how you can use video production to enhance your business growth.
Use Video Production to Increase Brand Awareness
One of the best ways to use video production for business growth is to increase brand awareness. After all, how can people buy from you if they don’t even know you exist?
Video production is a great way to get your name out there and introduce people to your brand. You can use video to tell your brand story, showcase your products or services, and even just show off your company culture.
No matter what type of video you create, make sure it’s creative and compelling. Otherwise, people will forget about you as quickly as they forget about that latest cat video they watched. (And with the number of cat videos out there, we all know how quickly that can be.)
Use Video Production to Enhance Your SEO Efforts
In today’s digital world, SEO is more important than ever before. And while there are a million different factors that go into a good SEO strategy, one of the best things you can do is create videos.
That’s because Google loves videos, which means they often appear at the top of search results. So if you want people to find your website, it’s a good idea to include some videos.
Use Video Production to Increase Sales and Revenue
At the end of the day, businesses exist to make money. And video production can be a great way to increase sales and revenue.
How, you ask? Well, you can use video to create product demonstrations, explainer videos, or even just simple ads. Whatever you choose, make sure your video is creative and persuasive. Otherwise, people won’t bother watching it – let alone buying what you’re selling.
Use Video Production to Tell Your Brand’s Story
It’s not just the emotional response that video can elicit from its viewers that makes it such a valuable marketing tool, but also the fact that it can be used to tell your brand’s story in a way that is both engaging and memorable.
Use various forms of video content – like customer testimonials, employee stories, or even just a simple tour of your office – to give people a behind-the-scenes look at your company. The more they know about you and the more they feel connected to you, the more likely they are to do business with you.
How-To Videos are Key
Another great way to use video production for business growth is by creating how-to videos. These types of videos are not only incredibly useful for your audience, but they also do a great job of showing off your company’s expertise.
How-to videos are the perfect opportunity to show your audience that you know what you’re talking about and that you’re the authority in your industry. They also tend to be very shareable, so if people find them helpful, they’re likely to share them with their friends and followers.
The Bottom Line
As you already know, video is a powerful tool that can be used to achieve a variety of marketing goals. But in order for it to be truly effective, it needs to be done right.
If you’re thinking about using video production for business growth, keep the tips we’ve shared in mind. It’s not often that you get a second chance to make a first impression, so make sure your video is high-quality, engaging, and tells a story that your audience will remember.
If you’re looking for help with your video production needs, contact us today. We would be more than happy to chat with you about your project and see how we can help.
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