[Edited 11/045/20] Edited in light of COVID19. 

We all know that video content is the most engaging medium that can be used to interact with and present information to your audience. It’s the easiest and most efficient way to present information that will actually be retained. In fact, research shows that viewers retain 95% of the message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text.

This isn’t exactly breaking news- meaning that everybody will soon be harnessing video content as a creative marketing tool, even using it as the focal point around which campaigns will be built.

In an increasingly saturated and competitive marketplace, this begs the question: how can I stand out from my competitors?

There are a number of ways to make your video content rise above the crowd, and these all depend on the type of video content that you are making. Choosing what to make and having a clear vision of that is the first step on the path to making great content- for more information on how to achieve that, our guide to video marketing is a great tool to get started.

For this article, we will break down the approach to making engaging video content into 4 different categories: personality, story, audience and style.

COVID19 Implications

Even though the social distance measures (at the time of writing) mean it would be incredibly logistically challenging to safely film video content using a film crew, actors, and a whole lot of moving parts, we have the opportunity to resonate more with our customer base from the comfort of our own homes with a smartphone to record.

This is a great way to open a direct line of communication between yourself and your customers, where you can share your expertise. The result is that you’ll have more engagement, better brand awareness amongst your target, and you’ll begin to be recognised as an industry expert/leader.

The tips below still apply and will need to be implemented because even if you’re just talking to your phone camera, what you say needs structure and relevance while staying engaging. No one wants to watch a video with someone rambling about a subject they know a lot about, but the way they convey it is so fragmented and unstructured that the message doesn’t translate.

Read on to find out about the essential core components.

Personality:

If you’re making a video where any on-screen presence is required- then personality is key to really selling your quality.

You could have a Hollywood level budget behind your project, but if your subject on camera looks like they would rather be anywhere else, then so will your viewer. At the end of the day, people interact with people, so a robotic and wooden approach will only serve to bore your viewer and make them click away before they even hear what you have to say.

I’ll be the first to admit that being on camera isn’t the easiest thing in the world. Translating your off-screen personality to an on-screen presence is no mean feat. When something like this doesn’t come naturally or straight away it’s very easy to concede defeat and settle for a final product that you know is not a reflection of yourself or your brand.

It might sound corny, but the key with really bringing your personality to video content is to stay true to yourself. If you put on a facade to sell yourself, then your audience will eventually see that.

Ultimately, the best method to becoming relaxed on screen is just to keep trying. It’s a frustrating process at times, but repetition will make the daunting task of being in front of a camera feel like a distant memory.

It also helps to have somebody else in the room to bounce off and interact with. It’s much easier to talk to another person than it is an empty space- so having another presence in the eyeline that you’re focusing on can make you feel much more at ease.

Story:

If your video doesn’t have a story, then there’s nothing to really take away from it.

Now, this isn’t saying that your video content needs complex themes, well-developed characters and an Oscar nomination. However, it does mean that there should be some form of thread to keep the video on topic.

It’s easy to think that you should just get in front of the camera and talk about what you know. You’re the expert in your industry, so wouldn’t you be able to talk about it without a roadmap?

This is where planning can really elevate your video content.

Story can be anything. If you’re talking about the story of your brand or educating your audience on how to solve a particular common issue for them- there should always be some form of cohesive narrative line.

From an essay-style narrative to a more personal feel, almost every video that you see online will have been meticulously planned. By having a thread that lasts from the beginning to the end of the video, you are providing the audience with one cohesive core idea that can be processed as one piece of information instead of a selection of independent ideas that you want to get across.

It’s natural that you’ll have a bunch of ideas that you want to educate your audience with. There’s no need to try and cram it all into one project- instead, you can spread out your content and create more detailed videos that will constantly engage.

Audience:

Identifying your audience is the key to unlocking how to approach your video content.

A well-defined audience helps cater your content in a way that feels personal and unique. This helps you to decide on everything from the length of video to the tone of your content.

Having a clearly established audience in your mind may be seen as limiting in terms of attracting new customers, but having a target to aim for is a much more productive manner of creation. The last thing that you want to be doing is aimlessly spraying ideas around in an attempt to cover every demographic possible.

With a clear goal, you can proceed with confidence, and it is that confidence that will bring in new customers that expand your demographic base. It stops you from trying to do too much at once and potentially alienating the core target audience that you’re trying to reach.

At the end of the day- you can always make multiple videos to cover multiple audiences and increase the effectiveness of your content across the board. It’s a much more engaging way to connect to more people and maximise your sales.

Style:

Adding style to your video content adds that extra layer of flair that can take them from good to memorable.

Let’s define what we mean by ‘style’ in the context of video production: in short, it covers any additions that you can make to the video that helps to make it more of an exciting experience for the viewer.

The fact is that video is the only medium with which you can make use of a whole host of different presentation features all at once. As an audio/visual medium, video presents the perfect opportunity to utilise music, sound effects, graphic overlays and creative cuts to maximise viewer retention.

This is an extremely underrated factor to consider when it comes to video creation- as style can really drive your video content to the next level. It helps make more engaging and shareable content.

Adding a style to your videos is something that can be manipulated to match any tone. The thing to remember is that you shouldn’t have to force your video content to match a high-energy style when the subject matter could not be further from it. Style is about increasing engagement in your idea, rather than increasing excitement.

If you make sure to match your tone- then adding some style to your video will really bring it up a level in production value. It shows that you really care about the content that you’re creating. This will translate across to your viewer, keeping them engaged and ultimately benefiting your brand and your sales.

Conclusion

Video content is one of, if not the most powerful tool at your disposal that can boost both your brand presence and your sales.

In terms of reaching your customers and educating them on who you are, what you do and why you’re the ideal service provider for them- nothing is more effective than video. So why not make it count?

If you’d like more information on how to create engaging video content or how to implement it, KUB is here to help. Get in touch to see how you could be growing your business by innovating your digital marketing strategy.