Video has never been more accessible to your audience. Here are 4 elements that will greatly increase the opportunity for success.
It's tempting to jump into using a tool like Camtasia or ezvid and start creating your own storytelling video content right away. We believe this will not work for the vast majority of marketers and product managers who choose to go this route. Below are 4 essential steps to perform prior to getting started.
It's a Different Video World
When Actionable Research posted it's first flash "walk-out" video in 2005, we were one of few websites that used flash video to offer a narrative of that kind about our firm. At that time, video was still tough to get into the hands of our target audience, and storytelling was mostly accomplished through text narratives or clever static graphics by everyone, except for companies with the largest marketing budgets.
Today, video and motion graphics are everywhere, and the tools to create and deliver them are becoming more accessible to the non-video expert community. While we recommend enlisting the assistance of an experienced video digital marketing firm to create great storytelling with video, these services are not affordable for everyone, and as such, it will make sense for some businesses to create narrative video assets on their own.
Just because the tools are easy to use doesn't mean it's easy...
Even if you are working with a firm who will create your assets for you, it still makes sense to go through these steps (at least heed one and two) prior to your turning over the project to a professional.
1. Do Your Research.
I am a marketing research professionals and may be biased, but the most important component to insuring success is to develop your narrative with your key personas in mind. If you have not yet developed personas for which your marketing content is to be developed, it is strongly recommended you pause and go through the steps to create these personas. Hubspot has some excellent resources available for review regarding personas here.
While there may be plenty to talk about in a narrative, understanding which segments of your audience are most interested in different components of your product or service value proposition is a critical piece of knowledge to have prior to beginning. Once you have determined which messages are most relevant to each audience segment, you are armed with the information to make sure your storytelling is optimally relevant to the group or groups you are addressing.
2. Storyboard, Edit, Storyboard, Edit, etc.
The storyboard is nearly omnipotent in terms of its ability to help you conceptualize the project. Editing the storyboard in a collaborative way using marketing, sales and product engineering/R&D staff as stakeholders and team members is extremely productive.
This is not to say creation by committee is the way to go. Be sure to establish expectations prior to soliciting input so everyone understands how their input will be used or not used. This may be obvious to many of you, but it is much easier to just assume everyone knows how their suggestions will be integrated. While it can be challenging in some environments, it is an unskippable step in most environments, in our humble opinion.
3. Specifically Tag Value Proposition Statements that Address Each Persona in Your Narrative.
This does not mean every persona will be covered in every video asset you create, but taking an inventory of which messages will resonate best with each audience you plan to address will enable focus and insure nothing is left out.
For example, supposing you are offering a service that can be utilized by both consumers at home and small businesses. The consumer audience will very likely have different value proposition nuances than the small business audience, even if the service generally serve the same purpose. By making sure your narrative specifically addresses each of these audiences' hot buttons, you are intentionally making sure the storytelling is relevant and flows for each audience.
4. Create Two Versions Once You Have Your Storyboards Completed.
It has been said that it is easier to write a long essay, presentation or story than it is to create a concise, short one. This is just as true when creating a narrative video. Having multiple versions at the outset will make decision making concenring what stays and goes much easier when you are knee deep in the production.
This is also when it may be wise to consider creating more than one asset, with each focused on a targeted persona or audience. While not everyone has this luxury or requirement, it at worst is a big time and money saver during production, and at best offers the opportunity to increase relevancy of your assets.
Actionable Research Can Help
Actionable Research specializes in getting to the primary value behind our clients' products and/or services, as well as determining which segments of your audience or personas respond best to different claims or benefits.
Arrange an opportunity to speak with Actionable Research to receive a free market research plan prior to developing your particular video project.
More Information: