Talk Business Magazine September 2014 | Page 132

ADVICE Eye for business Using the analytics available, now you can not only tell who is viewing your film, but whether they watched the video all the way through KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE some consultancy or training to support you as you get started. If you opt to work in partnership with a professional video production company, they can sit down with you to create a video strategy, even if you only plan on having a single film. Everyone, including yourselves, will need to know what you want and who your video is for. You don’t have to come to the table with a fully formed idea, you should expect help with that, but before starting to think about the finer details, you do need to think about a few things, namely; KNOW YOUR PURPOSE It sounds simple, but what is the purpose of your video? Do you want awareness of your product or service, increased traffic to your website, higher sales, improved communication with your customers, or even to train your staff?Whatever the purpose, you have to know the core reason you are making your video. Who is going to view your video and how? When creating your strategy it’s important to consider who it is you’re targeting and how they are most likely to view it. Online, at conferences, as part of a presentation? Is there a particular demographic you want to reach? What style of video and content will this group of people respond best to? Does your viewer know your company already or is the video intended for a new audience with no prior knowledge? Being clear on this allows you to think more creatively about your subject and platform. light, and incorporate those elements into your brief. MEASURE RESULTS There has never been a better time to measure the results of video as part of your marketing strategy. Very simply, you can see the number of views the video is getting online, but using the analytics available, now you can not only tell who is viewing your film, but whether they watched the video all the way through and if not, where they stopped. What did they do after they saw the video? Did they contact you? Did you make sure that there was a call to action at the end of the film, so they knew what they needed to do? Is this part of an Adwords, LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter campaign? What is your budget for the campaign and what are the KNOW YOUR STYLE With your purpose, audience, results you require? Having taken all of the above and platform pinned down, into consideration, there are a you can have a bit more fun and think more about the kind few final bits to consider before of style you want. Remember you decide video is something you want to consider, and though to always think about start planning your strategy your audience and what they will respond best to. There are or grabbing your camera. Be realistic about what a video can so many different emotions that can be conveyed through achieve for you. It can attract video. You could use comedy, an audience, bring them to you, persuade them that you are or a documentary style, a someone they want to talk to, character and sketches, or a but once it’s achieved it’s still more classic, corporate feel. down to you and your company There are a wealth of tools available that can be employed, to convert these new leads into business. and that’s before you’ve even I believe video should thought about shot design, form part of any successful sound or narration. Put your social hat on, think business’s marketing plan, as an engagement tactic that supports about sharing and spreading your goals. But, producing the wor