It's not video. it's a story
Daniel Fleming
Managing Director | Aperture Media
It's Not Video, It's A Story
Every media marketing agency in Ireland will tell you that video is “where it’s at”. If you look at what statistics project, you’ll see that video content is taking over the web at an exponential rate.
- By 2017, online video will account for 74% of all online traffic (KPCB).
- 55% of people watch videos online every day (MWP).
- 65% of video viewers watch more than ¾ of a video (Syndacast).
- 54% of senior executives share work related videos with colleagues weekly(TubularInsights).
The list goes on and on. Though the statistics seems impressive, the question remains – what does this really mean for your business?
In my opinion, it’s a great opportunity to tell your brand story online. There has never been an easier way to get engagement and build up traction for you and your business. The important thing to remember however, is that it is a story. Whether it be an Instagram update, a Snap, Facebook live or an Online Ad, be sure to have an objective before you post.
Like all stories, your video needs to be told in a clear and concise manner. It needs to have a beginning, a middle and an end. In other words, it needs to have structure.
Obviously, you don’t have to write a script if all you’re doing is updating your Instagram story – but even at that, a little thought can go a long way in building up traction and driving up engagement rates. Showing your audience some behind the scenes footage is a sure way to get them excited about the front end of your product or service. It’s a good beginning to your story.
However, this changes once you decide to take a more serious approach towards producing video. If you invest time and money in a “shoot and go” type camera, the best way to get bang for your buck is by planning ahead. This means sitting down with a pen and paper and answering the following questions:
- What’s the objective of the video?
- What is the topic for the video?
- What is the key message?
- Who’s the target audience and why should they watch the video?
- What result do we want from this video?
Answering those questions is a good start in saving yourself from producing aimless content that doesn’t stick. Weather it be a vlog you wanted to start, an online show or even just showcasing your product or service through video, answering those simple questions will guide you towards a story structure.
On a larger scale, I get approached by clients on a weekly basis saying they want to create online video ads to promote their business. The first question I always ask is, you guessed it, what’s the objective? You’d be surprised the amount of times this throws people off. A lot of the answers I get tend to be fuzzy or simply that they want to create video because they heard it’s “where it’s at”.
But I can’t stress enough, how important it is to have an end goal in mind from the start. Do you want this to create leads? Is it a brand awareness video? Is this a call to action video? Each one of these objectives can dramatically change the structure of the story. And no matter how great the production quality of your video is, it will always be the story that sells.
If you are already producing video content or are about to make that leap, be sure to think things through before you hit that record button or call someone up because you want a video for your business. In the noisy world of todays world wide web, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to hold on to the audience’s attention.
Every video that goes live is an opportunity to connect with your audience, and every video posted without an objective is that opportunity lost.
Tell Your Story
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Whether you have a query about a commercial or corporate video project or simply have a couple of questions about our work – get in touch, we’ll help anyway we can.
