We’re not shocking anyone when we say that video content marketing is important. In fact, it’s necessary! According to WyzOwl, more than 91% of all businesses in 2023 are using video content as part of their marketing strategy, and more than 96% of marketers consider video content essential for marketing strategy.
In our digital world, sharing a video about your product or service is often the best way to introduce yourself to your target audience and get them to connect with your brand on a personal or emotional level. People don’t like doing business with faceless corporate entities!
But how can you ensure that the money you spend on a video will guarantee a return on investment (ROI)?
At Good Agency, we’ve been producing ROI-generating videos for our clients for more than 10 years. Here are our top 5 tips on how to ensure that your money is well spent.
1. Follow your brand messaging
Your video is not the place to go on a tangent about your company’s history, introduce your awesome suppliers, or share vague, inspirational voiceover like this Audi commercial. (That type of copywriting only works for huge corporations!)
Why?
Because none of that is relevant to your prospective client’s needs! They will lose interest and turn off the video.
Whether you use interviews, voiceover, or on-screen text, your video’s message should reflect the sales/brand messaging of your company or product. This turns your video from just a cute infomercial into a passionate sales pitch where you get to do all the talking.
(If you don’t know, “Messaging” refers to the predetermined statements and verbiage your company uses when talking about the brand—these are often created by the marketing department or by a marketing partner.)
Don’t have any messaging yet? We can help!
As a StoryBrand certified agency, we’ve found the best formula for messaging to be the StoryBrand messaging framework. In the StoryBrand method, you guide your customers from their problem to their solution and ultimate success with no detours along the way. Communicating this journey is paramount to making a video that will generate sales.
This video that we produced for the United States’ largest martial arts franchise is an excellent example of a StoryBranded video. Through interviews, we follow the journey of their customers all the way from their initial problem (lack of confidence and self-esteem) to their eventual success (thriving, successful, and in community)
2. Coach your interviewees
One of the best ways to convey your message is through an interview. In many cases, it’s best to interview several people (such as the CEO and a happy customer).
But just because someone has a positive testimonial doesn’t mean that they should be in your video – in fact, they can actually harm your brand if they are not good on camera! A bored monotone, a nervous demeanor, or a sour expression may actually turn away potential customers. In contrast, showing excitement and energy presents the brand as personable, trustworthy, and qualified.
One thing we like to tell our interviewees is to give 200 percent energy and excitement. On camera, people tend to freeze up and act more awkward than they really are. As such, “giving 100 percent” translates on screen to looking a lot more like giving 50 percent.
Even a simple prompt like “Can you share that again but with a big smile this time?” can do wonders.
3. Pick a song that builds to a climax
Even after a successful shoot, the work has just begun. A poor edit can mean your prospective client turns off the video 5 seconds in, effectively ruining your chances at an ROI. So it’s important to ensure that the edit is carefully constructed. The foundation of every edit is the music.
Picking a song that builds to a climax matters because your story matters.
The customer’s journey from problem to success is, at its core, an emotional one, and music is the layer of pure emotion that guides the story.
Helpful tip: The climax of the song (usually the drop into the final chorus) is the best place to introduce the success of your clients—whether it’s an interview clip of your client sharing how their numbers skyrocketed after using your service, a B-roll clip of smiling, successful people using your product, or the like.
Speaking of B-roll…
4. Don’t use stock footage
Stock footage cheapens your brand. Your audience will know it’s fake and will subconsciously disconnect from what you’re trying to say.
Take the time and invest the money in a couple extra hours for your cinematographer to capture B-roll of your product or service in action.
In this video we produced for Providence Classical School, notice how real footage of their students connects the viewer to the school’s heartbeat. The tangible authenticity creates a better connection with the viewer much more than posed stock footage could.
5. Keep your edit under 4 minutes
Actually, under 2 minutes is optimal. But depending on the story you’re trying to tell and the audience you’re trying to reach, it can be as short as 1 minute or as long as 4 minutes.
A general rule of thumb is the shorter, the better.
Helpful tip: The first ten seconds are the most important since they often determine if the rest of the video will be watched.
Conclusion
That’s it! It doesn’t have to be hard. To recap, here are the 5 tips to creating an ROI-generating video:
- Follow your brand’s messaging. Keep your target audience engaged in the story and turn your video into an effective sales pitch.
- Coach your interviewees. Ensure that prospective clients see the joy that they too can experience if they do business with you!
- Choose a song that builds to a climax. Remind your audience that you’re the guide that leads them toward success.
- Avoid stock footage. Increase the value of your brand and show off your product to qualified leads.
- Keep your edit under 4 minutes. Maximize the watchability of your video.
Follow these 5 tips and you’ll be well on your way to producing a video that will increase your leads and generate more sales.
Need help getting started? We can help! Schedule a call with Good Agency or visit our page for even more inspiration!
