Video affects both the audio and the visual senses and is the best received among the public. In 1941, Bulova was the first brand to leverage the power of video in its advertising campaign. Since then, the popularity of television video commercials has steadily increased.
With the advent of the internet, the upward popularity of such commercials has taken a major hit. Today, video content is highly consumed over the internet. A billion hours’ worth of video content is watched on YouTube every day. Other than YouTube, there are several other platforms, such as Wistia, Facebook, Vimeo, and Instagram, that have significant viewers.
Amidst the rising popularity of videos, it is to be noted that video is no longer the exclusive privilege of Hollywood or news channels. Today, anyone with a smartphone can put together a video to leverage the power of video marketing. This has led to an unprecedented surge in video advertisements.
In such a situation, unless your advertisement stands out in the crowd, your target audience will not even notice it, and it will get lost in a sea of digital content. To avoid such a thing, here is a list of tips to consider while creating video ads in modern times.
Give Your Video A Purpose
Creating a video demands a significant amount of work, and to get the reach you expect, your video needs to give a purpose. While some videos are dedicated to getting people to make a purchase, others center around having people remember your brand name. Sometimes, you may want to create a video to simply associate your brand with a positive business image.
From getting your viewers to download something to contacting you or sharing the video, there are several things you can expect from a video. Before you get down to using an ad maker to come up with a video, you first need to settle on the thing you want to achieve with the video.
Decide on the Type of Video to Create
Once you have settled on the purpose of the video, it becomes relatively easier for you to decide on the type of content you need to create. Here are some options that you may want to consider.
Product Demo Videos
If you are trying to convince your target audience to see the effectiveness of your product, this is one of the best options to consider. Being visually heavy on the usage of the product, they help the viewer envision themselves into using it. This is especially useful if you are launching an innovative product or service that is yet to have any competition in the market.
Consumer Videos
As people are more likely to believe someone who has been in the same shoes like them, consumer videos are an effective way of convincing potential customers into making a purchase. In such videos, try to keep things authentic and briefly introduce the topic. After that, put together a video wherein a (or a few) satisfied customer talks of their experience with your brand.
Educational Videos
Identify a problem that is bothering members of your target group and create a video to illustrate how your product is a plausible solution to that. Also, if you are selling a product that demands prior assembling or experience in usage, you may want to consider this to assist your customers. This will make them better satisfied with your service making them more likely to choose you in their next purchase. Your video should have subtitles so that a larger audience can understand it. The easiest way to add subtitles to videos is to use software.
Behind-the-Scenes Video
If your brand has an existing fan base and sells a premium product, then you may consider creating behind-the-scenes videos to boost customer engagement. In such videos, you can take your viewer through a journey of what goes into the making of your brand. This ranges from anything from an office tour to interviews with your key designers.
Have a Filming Schedule
With better gadgets available, these days filming a story is much easier than in the past. However, creating a high-quality video advertisement will require you to create a filming schedule and be on your toes throughout the filming. Make sure that you consider the following while planning your filming schedule.
Account For Fatigue
Many newbies make the mistake of calculating the filming schedule based on the team’s best capabilities. However, you need to realize that your crew is human and will get tired after a point. It is unfair on your part to expect that the team will have the same energy at a post-lunch session as in the morning. This makes it important for you to account for fatigue while scheduling the ad shoot.
Get it Right on Set
These days, there are several high-quality editing tools such as InVideo that you can use for your post-production needs. However, it takes much longer to fix an error in the editing stage as compared to re filming it. Ideally, if you are unsure of a shot, try to take multiple clips of it. That way, at the post-production level, you will have the luxury of selecting the best shot and creating stellar content.
Plan Your Locations
Planning your ad shooting locations well in advance will help you save a significant amount of money. Sometimes it is possible to shoot multiple clips in a location that gives it an impression of filming at multiple locations. Try to identify such opportunities that will enable you to wind up the shooting in a much shorter time.
Decide on the Shoot Time
While planning the shoot location, make sure you visit the place at a time of the day that is similar to your shoot. That way, you will know the lighting condition and other shooting parameters. As far as possible, try to avoid mixing artificial lighting with natural light. Combining two sources of light at different temperatures will affect the overall video quality.
Thus, you see that the process of creating a video is a long one and requires detailed planning. With the tips discussed in this article, you are now capable of creating a high-quality video that will catch the attention of your target group.