HubSpot, the inbound marketing and sales platform, conducted research around video content that found 54 percent of respondents (your potential customers) wanted to see video from brands they support. In research reported this month, the company found video is showing up in the coveted "Featured Snippet" location in Google search results.
A late 2017 research report revealed types of content that consumers also wanted to see, in order:
Email newsletters (number two on the list)
Social images
Social video
Blog articles were almost last at 18 percent
PDF content (ouch, last on the list)
Most of the above often will contain embedded videos or links to videos. Video works as a marketing strategy and tactic. Of course, this is not news to just about anyone in business or in marketing. I have done my fair share of creating videos for projects and written about its value as a marketing strategy. Video marketing is great, it is powerful, and it is at the top of most marketers’ task list, for at least the last few years in a row. HubSpot has a Video Marketing Resources page where you can find some excellent guides to get you started and they update the resources frequently.
New video marketing and editing platforms have made it simple to create excellent videos in a fraction of the time it used to take with more traditional tools. I wrote about Animoto, the cloud video creation and editing platform, that makes the process easier and fun here: Video Marketing In 2018 Continues To Explode As Way To Reach Customers. Animoto granted me media access to fully test the platform for my previous post (as well as some others I was working on for a small business blog). It does, as they say in Britain, what it says on the tin - making the creation of videos as simple as drag and drop.
Video is simply popping up as the method by which almost every marketer and entrepreneur and brand is leveraging or, at least, testing. Instagram sees the writing video on the wall: What Is IGTV? How Instagram Influencers And Users Are Using It. There are other platforms, too, such as Promo by Slidely as well as dozens of still image editors that will also allow you to stitch images into a slideshow. Canva comes to mind as one of the leading still image editing and graphic design platforms.
A friend of mine used to read statistics or facts like the ones above and then ask: “That’s great, but just how do you do it, exactly?” Well, let's get to it. For the record, just because there are only three steps listed here does not mean it will be fast or easy to complete them. Also, I share some additional downloads at the end of this post.
Video Script Step 1: Start with a brief summary of what you want to accomplish. Is the goal to get people to buy your product, or download a special report, or head over and read your blog post? Once you have your goal, go to step two.
Video Script Step 2: Okay, so this one is the heavy lifting step. As you were writing your brief summary in step one, you might have already started thinking about who is the audience and what is the exact topic and focus of the video. If you have that part nailed down, start writing it in a conversational style. If you are the narrator, as in just one person talking through how your product works, for example, then you can imagine you are talking to an existing customer. [Click Next Page for the rest of the post.]
You want to script every word that you will say on the video. Do not worry – this does not mean you cannot go off-script later, during the recording phase, but it does mean you put every single word down on paper so that you can read it out loud in step three. By writing every word down, you get an idea of how easy it is to talk too much. But this is not the time for editing, just write. Write as if you are speaking to a friend; one who is going to buy your product or service.
Note, if this part of getting it down on paper is too overwhelming, this HubSpot link offers a free download (you have to enter your contact information) for the Ultimate Video Marketing Starter Pack.
The one-page video script template can help jumpstart your creative juices. If you do a Google search for "Video Script Templates," you will find a wide range of free documents. Of course, HubSpot is at the very top (not how I found them for this post), but there are others, too. Skeleton Productions has a post: How to Write a Corporate Video Script in 7 Steps (free template). The next result is from Basetwo Media: How to Write a Video Script – 4 Script Formats to Choose From (that includes free templates).
Video Script Step 3: Read it out loud with a timer as if you are recording. You may want to do this dry run step several times and it is here that you can start editing your script, adding visual directions as you realize actions or points you want to make.
I have followed these steps (mostly more but sometimes less) each time I have to create a video. This process can be short and sweet for most marketing videos. If you are creating a long video, it is likely to be far more involved than this post can cover.
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