Creating Successful Online Videos

1. How-To Guide Creating Successful Online Videos Executive Summary Most humans are visual learners. If you give people a choice between watching a short instructional video and reading a manual, most will choose the video. Confirming the popularity of video as a form of content are these numbers: a mind-boggling four billion videos are viewed daily on YouTube, and 60 hours of new video content is uploaded every minute. These numbers are more remarkable considering that video was traditionally one of the most challenging forms of content to create, at least in a quality fashion. It was also one of the most expensive. Just over a decade ago, bandwidth issues challenged online video adoption. All of these barriers are gone. We live in a world of social media, 4G mobile data speeds, easy to use video editing and publishing tools, and most of us carry video-capable smart phones. Publishing online video continues to get better and easier to produce. Smart brands are exploiting online video as the channel to engage customers when other channels are ineffective. They provide an opportunity for your audience to see your brand as something more than a faceless corporation. Online video represents a way to expand and lock in a new audience for your business. © 2013 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

2. How-To Guide This How-To Guide explains the purpose behind creating online videos for your brand, provides a list of key factors in a successful video, details how to measure your success, and outlines an action plan on how to start creating successful online videos of your own. Benefits There are many compelling reasons to produce and publish online video content. In this section, we’ll examine the most prominent reasons: Value: oVideo production was once the exclusive domain of experienced professionals with expensive, high-end equipment. This made the cost of video very high compared to other forms of content. oAffordable cameras, even those on the newest smartphones, are now capable of producing high quality video. oEditing software is relatively inexpensive and sometimes even free. oEditing software is also user friendly and easy to learn. Permanence: oWhen posted online, the video is available for viewing indefinitely, until you decide to remove it. © 2013 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

3. How-To Guide oA single video shoot can yield material and clips you can use repeatedly or repurpose. oOlder video can have a certain nostalgic value or retro feel that viewers relate to or appreciate. Shareability: oSocial media makes posting video online very easy. oOnce posted, social media sharing mechanisms help online video find its intended audience. oLikes and sharing activity serve as a gauge for the effectiveness and popularity of all content, including video. Reach: oPutting videos online makes them accessible to virtually anyone. oEveryone with a smartphone is a potential viewer of your video content. oOnline videos can increase your website’s search rankings. oVideo attracts visitors to your website and your social media channels. oProspects and customers will view video content, even while spurning other forms of marketing content. © 2013 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

4. How-To Guide Key factors of successful videos To understand the ingredients of a successful online video, consider what has made you favor any video content you’ve seen. For most of us, we value videos that are clever, helpful, inspirational and in almost every case, not too long. While we’ll tolerate videos that lack production quality if the other ingredients are present, we prefer quality when we can get it. Keeping these criteria in mind, let’s consider where to place the emphasis when it comes to producing online video content: Quality: oMake sure the lighting is adequate so that the subjects (people or things) of your video are easily recognized. oOptimize the audio environment. Subjects that are too far away from the camera microphone will risk having their audio wash out. Too much background noise will compete with your subject’s audio. oAvoid “shaky camera syndrome”, which makes your video look amateur. Set the camera on a solid surface if you can, or invest in a tripod. Context: © 2013 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

5. How-To Guide oAs with developing any content, understand who the audience is and produce content that addresses their needs and interests. oDon’t assume that viewers of your video have the necessary background to know your brand or what you do. oProvide appropriate explanations and background information. Length: oBe as concise as possible, but don’t sacrifice clarity. oWillingness for viewers to consume video content is directly related to its length. A two-minute video will enjoy far more views than a 10-minute video. oFor subjects that you can’t cover in a single, short video, instead of producing one long video, produce it as a series of shorter videos. Recycle: oYou will typically shoot far more video than you’ll use. Save all your video content for potential future use. oAnalyze your most successful videos. Often, you can capitalize on their popularity by updating and re-releasing it, producing a sequel or expanding on it © 2013 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

6. How-To Guide Be brave: oDon’t fear the production process. Current cameras and editing tools are easy to use and don’t require lots of technical savvy. oPractice shooting and editing to get comfortable with the process and to evaluate the quality. Your initial efforts may not impress, but with a little time and effort, you’ll produce quality video. oThere are lots of good resources on producing video, on video! Use YouTube to search for instructional videos that will help you learn the process and the tools. oDon’t be afraid to take creative risks. Playing it safe all the time may seem comfortable, but the most memorable videos are the ones that surprise us, and show us something we didn’t expect. Measuring success As with any marketing activity, it is important to measure the success of your video efforts to determine what is working and what isn’t in order to improve our online videos. Online social media provides an excellent channel for online videos, helping establish and promote a video. With social media, we have the means to do more than simply speculate © 2013 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

7. How-To Guide on the popularity and reception of an online video – we can measure many things about it, including: How often is a video being viewed? What is the duration of the viewing time? (Does the audience quit watching before the end?) Are viewers sharing the video online? Who is doing the sharing and how often? Are viewers commenting on the video, and if so, what are they saying? Is the video getting discussed in other forums? Is the video increasing sales? Is the video attracting new customers, members or clients? If support oriented, are related support inquiries decreasing? Are you receiving more job applications? These are just a few methods of evaluating the effectiveness of your video. Favorable responses to any of these indicators would suggest that your online video is working, representing your brand well and increasing its reach. © 2013 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

8. How-To Guide Action Plan: Creating your video Here are some basic steps you can take to successfully create online videos for your brand: 1)Define your goals oDetermine what you want to achieve with your online video content. Examples include: improve SEO, brand awareness, gain customers, etc. oStay true to the goals you set for you online video content. It is easy to stray down a creative path and produce content that is not aligned with goals. 2)Identify your audience oWho is your target audience? Study them to understand what they know, what they need, who influences them and how they like to get their information. oLearn which social media channels they prefer so that you don’t put your video content in the wrong place, or produce it optimized for the wrong channel. 3)Create a budget oEstablish a budget for equipment, lighting, software, training and other production expenses. © 2013 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

9. How-To Guide oIf you will use acting talent, can existing staff play the roles, or will you need to hire professional talent? Budget for outside talent if necessary. oIf you plan to shoot video on location, plan for the costs to transport staff and equipment, as well as any needed permits to complete the shoot. 4)Be creative oBefore shooting a single frame of video, spend plenty of time developing concepts. Collaboration with a team will stimulate the creative process and yield the best ideas for video. oGet inspiration from customers. Poll the sales team to get their input on customer sentiments. Read social media posts and blog comments. Get the customers’ perspective on what will resonate in a video. oTake the most promising ideas and create storyboards – a summary of the scenes, dialogue or narration for a video. Weigh the creative value of each idea with the production challenges and cost to choose a concept. 5)Be consistent oNo matter how creative your video content, consistently represent the brand and its positioning well. Always make sure that your customers can instantly recognize your video content. © 2013 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

10. How-To Guide oPromote your online video content through all your communications channels. Blog about it, post it to social media, include a link in company emails, use QR codes on printed materials, etc. oUnless you’re a large, well-recognized brand, don’t expect 10,000 views the first day you post video online. Give your video content time to find its audience. oConstantly monitor the video you post to track viewing and sharing, but also comments. Responding to comments in a timely manner encourages greater engagement. Bottom Line A successful online video can help generate buzz for your brand and increase your audience. The costs are reasonable and the tools make video accessible to businesses of all sizes. With a little effort you can produce video that will add some “pop” to your content mix. Take appropriate creative risks to make your videos memorable, and keep them as short as possible. The use of video is one of the best ways to help your customers get the picture! © 2013 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.