The average consumer is watching short-form and long-form videos every hour of every day on every platform. In today’s content-driven world, we’re at a point where video is no longer a trend but rather a social normality. For companies and brands looking to connect with their audience on an advanced level, video is an essential piece of your content strategy that cannot be overlooked!
Fueling the Fire
Facebook, a brand known for its ever-changing, trend-based algorithms, is facilitating the growth of video on social media and requiring companies and brands to get on board. With native video posts on the platform increasing in the U.S. by 94% annually, Facebook has amended its ad structure to compel business owners to leverage video in return for the impressions they desire. If a marketer is looking to increase brand awareness on Facebook, they need to embrace video. Otherwise, their content won’t receive the engagement it deserves!
Without a doubt, YouTube has also helped fuel this fire – a fire they arguably started. YouTube reports a rise in mobile video consumption by 100% every year. According to Hubspot , with 400 hours of video content uploaded every minute, the sheer amount of video content on YouTube is overwhelming, yet wholly justified. People are searching and watching YouTube videos at a shocking rate of 1 billion collective hours per day. From tutorials to music videos to streaming for entertainment purposes, your customers don’t just want video content – they expect it and are growing to rely on it.
What Goes Into Making A Great Video?
Unfortunately, video production is one of the most complex and intricate processes in all of inbound marketing. Compared to written content, this is especially apparent. Any company can combine a talented writer who understands SEO with a graphic designer, and they’ve got blogs, e-books, and white papers galore. But video? Video is a different game.
It starts in pre-production.
Before you even begin storyboarding, you need to have a solid understanding of the capabilities and tools available to you. It’s essential to be aware of the budget, abilities, and limitations of your video production software and the team at your disposal. Be sure to establish facilities for shooting and a team of talented writers, actors, designers, editors, and so forth who are essential to complete the project. On top of everything, the most critical aspect of pre-production is crafting the message. No matter how advanced your technology and team are, the quality of the content and story is paramount to the success of the video. A great video elicits a response in its viewers and drives engagement. These factors impact everything from the successful production of the video to your efficiency and ROI.
Next up is production.
Chances are, this is where you may need some outside help. Hands down, skilled camera operators, professional lighting, and sound equipment can vastly improve the quality of your video. From a psychological perspective, videos with higher production quality have a higher perceived value of the message. Consider your audience, buyer personas, or ideal viewers, and use that to gauge the level of sophistication that your video needs. Be creative and use what is available to you to express the message you strategically crafted
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The final stage of the process is post-production.
You’ve put a lot of great work into your video so far, but post-production is where the magic happens. Exciting transitions, graphics, or animation can enhance any video and make it come to life, drastically increasing viewer engagement and ultimately extending the reach of your video.
The part that’s not magic is how long it can take. Post-production is a time-consuming and detail-oriented process. It’s important not to underestimate the length of time needed when building out your initial timeline. Having an experienced editor or post-production designer in your arsenal can prove to be extremely beneficial, especially when working under a strict deadline. An experienced editor can also correct or improve quality issues from the production stage, such as lighting and sound. Subtitles are also a highly recommended enhancement since WordStream announced that people watch 85% of videos on Facebook with the sound off. Subtitles will also ensure the inclusivity of those with hearing impairments!
Need extra help? We built a free, downloadable checklist to help you stay on track!
Outsourcing the Help You Need
Let’s all agree that video production can be a complicated process! For many marketing teams without a dedicated in-house video team, creating a video initiative requires a great deal of commitment. From having the essential tools and resources to the necessary training and skills, it’s easy to see why outsourcing is a standard solution. Outsourcing the video production and/or the post-production work allows your marketing team to play to their strengths in focusing on content creation to market the final video. Not only can it save you time, but outsourcing these processes also brings quality and professionalism to your message and brand.
However you choose to incorporate video into your company or brand’s strategy, it’s well worth it. According to Insivia , 52% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI. Moreover, marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users.
It’s time for you to take advantage of the flexibility of outsourcing! TeamPeople has an international database of 40,000+ freelancers specializing in digital media, technology, and creative work. We can bridge the gap between great marketing and excellent video and take the cumbersome process of producing a video out of your hands.
