You wouldn’t eat a steak raw, would you? So why would you create or watch a “raw” video? Imagine you’re at a fine dining restaurant and the video is the steak. You know that before you get your meal, the chef plans out the entire thing. The chef and his staff prepare the appetizer, steak, sides and dessert. The next steps are to cook, season, add garnishes, plate the meal and then serve it, right? The same preparation, care and effort to make that meal goes into video production.

There are many things that have to go together in the right way for a video to be good and have the potential to be great. Though the steak is the main part, the parts that go together to make it the center of attention get overlooked. The same happens with video. 

In today’s world of video marketing, the market’s flooded with content. Stand out! It isn’t enough to have one video. One video in a month long ad campaign can begin to lose appeal to your viewers after 1 week. They’ve already seen it. So why would they keep watching it for 3 more weeks? They will more than likely skip it or scroll past it.

Give your target viewers reason to watch your videos. Help them to connect with you and share your videos with others. There is a gap between you and your viewers. In the Mix Media Group can help you bridge the gap. Together, we can use these elements to create videos that your viewers will want to watch. Let’s go over some of these overlooked elements of video production.

Time is Money:

Spend it wisely. If you value your viewers’ time, you become valuable to your viewers. Keep your content “short” and “to the point”. You need to be able to capture your target viewers attention in the first 3 seconds. That’s it. That’s all the time you get. Thats how much time it takes for a viewer to decide whether they are going to watch your video, or not. If it doesn’t capture attention right away, the person it reaches will more than likely skip your video.

“Snack-size” content builds awareness. Your target viewers will use the Call-To-Action to take the next step. Use the marketing funnel to get your viewers to your larger content or to the next step, if it’s to “buy now”. We can assume that the restaurant video was 30 seconds in length. But, how do you fit so much information into a 30 second video? How do you inspire someone to come to your restaurant and enjoy your food? That’s why we recommend using good storytelling and all the elements we are talking about (and many more).

We recommend you keep your videos short. Having more short videos with Calls-To-Action is far better at producing results. Better than having one video over a long period of time and hoping for the best. Publishing your content this way will lead to more viewers and increased watch time. Plus, a higher “click-through-rate” in your Call-To-Actions (CTAs). Doing things this way will get you the results you’re looking for. That’s our purpose for your videos. To deliver results.

Purpose:

Videos should always have a purpose. Have a clear message to your viewers. Tell your story, but inspire a “Call-To-Action”. What point are you trying to make to your viewers? What action do you want them to take after watching your video? Spending time to refine your message into a script and sticking to it, gives your video purpose. There are many steps to take in making a good video stand out in your respective markets. Scripting is among the first. The same thing applies like when the chef plans the meal. There is purpose in that meal because of the planning.

Call-To-Action:

Why is this important? Who are you trying to get to watch your video? What do you want that person to do after watching your video? Think about what should happen after your target viewer watches your video. What step should they take next? This is your “Call-To-Action” or CTA. In the restaurant example, the goal is to get people in the area to come into the restaurant and eat the food.

Let’s say there was a video ad placed on social media and other platforms. What inspired people to come to this restaurant? Did the video ad try ONLY to sell good food. No, Any video can do that. The video more than likely sells an experience. The experience offered to the customers. But, how did the Call-To-Action fit in? The CTA was more than likely placed near the end of the video or is visible somewhere during the entire video.

The CTA tells the viewer what to do next. Viewers with interest in this restaurant need help getting to the next step. You need to tell them what to do. Let’s say the CTA said something like “Come to our restaurant and enjoy a fine dining experience”. It creates a sense of urgency by saying “for a limited time, get 10% off”. That’s what a Call-To-Action does. It inspires your viewers to take action.

Content is King:

Create content that people want to watch. Content is the substance of the video. It’s why people are watching videos. If your content is good, then your video will most likely get shared. That’s the general idea of how many videos get so many views. Having good content and viewers sharing that content with other people. So, what is good content? Good content in the restaurant is the experience and the food. People go to that restaurant because they want good food and to feel good.

Good content in videos are things that people want to watch. Product Reviews, Unboxing Videos, Education and Entertainment videos are some examples. Most people watch YouTube to research products or services they are unsure about. Their goal is to learn more so they can make a better decision about whether they want to buy or not. People search for videos that give some value to them. Usually, this is for a specific kind of content that they want to learn from or for entertainment.

Distribution is Queen:

Nowhere to place your videos? Know where to place your videos! YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Google Drive, HubSpot and your Website. All these are great platforms to host your video. Knowing where to place your videos and how to reach your target viewers is a crucial step. Facebook and YouTube are among the most popular.

But, did you know? You can also put your videos on streaming services. Roku, Amazon Firestick, Google ChromeCast, AppleTV, iOS and Android Devices are some examples. Enhance your viewers’ experience. Make sure your videos can reach them no matter where they are or what device they use.

The best part is, advertising this way puts YOU in control. No more guessing how your ads are performing. The metrics are there for you to see anytime you want to look at them. Transparency in your metrics allows for customization in your ad campaigns. No one likes wasting money. So why wouldn’t you want to market this way? All you need is a good video to get started.

Consistency:

Consistency = Professional. Same look. Same sound. Same color. Same schedule. Create “good” content, not the “same” content. Think about the message you’re sending your viewers if you put your videos out at random. It comes off as unprofessional.

Once you have a steady influx of viewers, they are now expecting you to come out with a video on a regular basis. You have set that expectation for your viewers. Like the people you do business with, you have to meet or exceed those expectations.

The best way to stay consistent is to plan out your content ahead of time. Set content goals and reach those goals. In the restaurant, we can assume that they have dinner specials on a weekly basis. The specials may change, depending on the season or time of year, but the interval remains the same.

We recommend publishing larger video content once a month. Smaller video content at least every two weeks. Publishing micro-content weekly or even 2-3 times a week is okay, as long as the content is good.

Video Length:

The shorter, the better. It’s ok to have larger video content. But in marketing, you only have a short amount of time to capture attention.

Use shorter videos to “funnel” in your target viewers. It’s far more effective at getting your target audience to do what you want them to do.

Micro-content is better placed on social media to create awareness. Get attention with “snack-size” content.

Use micro-content videos to entice your target viewers to watch your larger videos. This is more effective at getting your target viewers’ attention and the results you want.

The length of micro-content can range from 6 seconds to 60 seconds. It’s taken from the larger content wherever your video lives.

Video:

Like the steak, it’s the center of attention. So why not tell a story? Your story. A Good video tells a story made from good content.

Create good content from all your research, planning, writing and scripting. This all needs to happen long before hitting the “record” button on your camera.

A good video is easy to watch, follow along and keeps your viewers’ interest for the whole video. A great video will make you want to watch more, and isn’t that the idea?

Lighting:

Set a mood for your video. The use of lighting adds depth. It helps your target viewers to better understand the context of your message.

No matter what kind of video it’s for, a commercial, real estate, interview or music video, good lighting is key. Set the tone for the kind of video your viewers will want to watch.

If we assume the lighting is soft, it creates a pleasant atmosphere. If we assume the lighting is harsh, it creates more of a waiting room of a doctors office, which can be unpleasant.

Good lighting helps make your videos look professional. People will more likely watch professional looking videos than not.

Music Choice:

Pick the right song. Like Audio and Sound Design, the right music will take your content to the next level. Match the song to fit the video. If you have an upbeat video, then use an upbeat song. If you are watching a sad or serious video and a happy song plays in the background, it ruins the whole experience.

Pair the steak with shrimp and it makes sense. Pair the steak with popcorn and it feels odd and doesn’t make sense, like what you see in the picture above. When the song matches the video, it’s easier and more enjoyable for your target viewers to watch.

Audio:

It completes the picture. It’s half of the viewing experience. The steak is incomplete without the appetizer, sides, plate and silverware. All the things that would allow the steak to be more appealing and enjoyed with ease. The same applies with Audio.

Audio carries the video. Good audio fits the video. It’s mixed well and mastered. Its consistent and helps your viewers feel the emotion you’re trying to convey. Never overlook audio in any video production.

Sound Design:

Its the audio “x-factor”. Sound Design creates a 3-dimensional space for your videos. Immerse your target viewers into what they are watching by adding that “x-factor”.

Make them feel like they are actually a part of the video. To the point that the only thing missing from the experience is the smell and in this case, the taste.

The sounds of a steak sizzling, patrons enjoying dinner and laughter are all an audio “x-factor”. This would help the restaurant’s target viewers to take action in the CTA.