The heart and soul of a marketing video are not the typical bells and whistles. It’s not the diagrams, infographics, or layout. It definitely has nothing to do with how smooth, flawless, or sharp the images are.

Instead, what makes a video truly effective is its content. I am of course talking about its script. If you don’t get this right, you have just wasted your money on creating a marketing video.

How do you write highly effective scripts? How do you outsource it? How can you tell whether the video script that have for your marketing video is solid? It will have the following five hallmarks. Ideally, you should insist on all five.

Tip #1 – Use Plain English – Eighth-grade English has very few five-dollar words. Most words are short, easy to understand and very accessible.

Highly effective video scripts are written in plain English. They don’t try to dazzle or impress the viewer by blasting them with all sorts of jargon terms and acronyms. You come off as somebody who is trying to hide ignorance when you do that. You end up looking like somebody who is trying too hard to impress the viewer.

Tip #2 – Keep It Short – Most people do not have the time of day to listen to a long speech. This is the reason why most people don’t even read online articles. They just scan for keywords. If they see what they’re looking for, that’s when they will read a little bit more of the article. Otherwise, they’re just scanning through. It’s kind of like going through your Facebook feed on your mobile device. You don’t have the time to thoroughly read every link. The same applies to video. Highly effective marketing videos are short and to the point.

They communicate a wide range of benefits tied to the solution the video promotes. They do this using many different signals and it operates on many different levels. It operates on an emotional level, a logical level as well as a conceptual level. You have to understand that the ability to tell a story quickly enables you to communicate clearly in a very short period of time.

Tip #3 – It’s Easy to Vocally Emote – Well-written video marketing scripts are very easy to vocally act out. You just need to read a word and read the next word that follows it in the sentence to instantly know that you have to raise your voice a little bit, sound concerned, sound suspicious, sound excited, and a hundred other emotional signals you can send with your voice.

Great scripts are very clear as to the kind of emotional twists and turns they demand. Bad scripts make you sound like you’re just reading off a TelePrompter or you’re just reading a book. It’s dull, lifeless, and very generic. You run the risk of sounding like some sort of robot.

Tip #4 – Mention Case Studies or Stories – If you are able to tell a story you will be able to connect with people on a very personal note. People are not convinced by just raw data. You have to at least present that data in a form people can engage with. People use a story form to make sense of the world. You should do the same with your marketing videos. By including a case study or tool in the video, you make it clear to the prospect that you’re not just making stuff, but there is some hard science or hard numbers behind the claims of benefits the video is talking about.

Tip #5 – Have an Emotional Call to Action – Highly effective video marketing scripts tie the benefit the prospect would get from buying a product with the call to action. Effective scripts don’t just say, “Click the order button” or “Click subscribe now”. Instead, they talk about the benefit and tie it to that action. For example, the script would say, “Gain the confidence you felt you’ve lost by losing the spare tire around your midsection. Take action today”. That’s much better than just saying, “Click here” or “Click the link in the description below”.

Whether you are writing your own video or having it written by somebody else, make sure the five tips listed above are present in the script.

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Video is an effective form of communication that needs to be integrated into each and every aspect of your existing marketing efforts. ~James Wedmore

Video Marketing: How to Successfully Market to Social Media

Article -to-Video Tools – Using article-to-video tools don’t work well for social media video marketing. On social media, people are following your brand. People talk about it and it starts developing a reputation. These tools may have their place. Keep in mind, however, that they are only regurgitating your written word into a different format. Successfully marketing to social media networks needs more.

Here are three video marketing tips.

• Your Videos Must Enhance Your Written Content – Your video should offer something extra. It needs to enhance your written content. People are getting value from your written content. Its value is taken to a whole new level when they watch your video. It helps the viewer reach their “aha” moment.

• It Must Create a Bond Between Your Text and Your Video Content – Your video should not present information as though your post or article doesn’t exist. In other words, mention your article, post, or social media accounts in your video. Likewise mention the video in your article, post, and social media accounts. That way your audience will realize that you’re giving them something different. It’s the same information but there’s added value. You’re not just distributing the same thing across a lot of channels.

• Engage and Incentivize Your Audience – The more your audience engages with your materials, the more incentivized they feel. They know you are paying attention to them. In your video, you could say something like, “Leave a comment and I will create a video based on the most popular ideas.” That’s how you get your audience to become emotionally invested in what you do. To a certain extent, they become co-creators and partners with you. There’s no better way to get your point across than video.

Successfully market your videos to your social media networks. Enhance your content with videos, create a bond with your audience, and engage and incentivize them to get to know your brand better.

You Might Also Enjoy Reading:

Catch the Video Marketing Wave

The Importance of Video Marketing Even if You’re Camera Shy

Video Marketing Success Checklist

Free Video Production and Marketing e-Course

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Video Content and Production – Every video you create should be unique with quality content. There are some tried-and-true items that all videos should contain. All video production needs to create and follow a plan before they get started. Developing a plan and following that plan is what leads to success.

What All Videos Should Contain:

• Hook – A hook is the first few sentences written to grab the viewers’ attention upfront. It’s what makes them want to keep watching.

• Graphic Intro – Include your channel name, logo, and title of the video. Make it short and sweet.

• Thumbnail – Create thumbnails that speak to your video’s content. Thumbnails give you control instead of relying on the marketing channel to choose for you.

• Search Engine Optimization – Optimize your video’s title with the proper keywords. This will help direct viewers to your video. Viewers will likely not click your video is your title doesn’t tell them what they’re going to watch.

• Ask Viewers to Like, Share, Comment, and Subscribe to Your Channel – Add a friendly reminder at some point in your video to like, share, comment, and subscribe to your channel. This helps you grow your audience quicker.

• Call to Action – Be sure to include instructions about what the viewers should do next. It wraps up your video and shows your viewers what they should do next; make a purchase, give you a call, sign up for a list, etc.

• Audio – Be sure people can clearly hear your voice. Listen to see that you’re not speaking too loud, too soft, or in the wrong tone. Check for background noises such as ceiling fans, people, and outside activities. If you include music, be sure it is consistent with your content and is not copyrighted.

• Lighting – Make sure your video is clear without shaking. Purchase lights for both indoor and outdoor use. Do your research to find out what will work best for you.

The Six Stages of Making A Video

Video creation is unique to the person creating it. Now that you know what should be included in your video, follow this checklist to learn how to put your plan into action.

• Pre-Production – Create an outline and timeline on when you would like to finish each part of the video. Include your own and your team’s schedule, and the time you will need to edit. Make sure to add extra time where it is reasonable to extend, especially during editing time or filming big scenes. Includes items that need to be purchased, if any, for the video – anything you need to come up with for the video and its content.

• Have a Script – A script is a chronological outline of events in the recording that includes characters, dialogue, scenes, and even camera directions. As you read a script, you should be able to envision the video before it is even recorded.

• Filming – Hit record and following your script. Make sure you get every angle you need and that you ensure that your lighting and audio are good as you go.

• Editing – Keep using your script to help guide you to where you want to guide your audience. This will speed up your editing process.

• Upload – Once your video is ready to go, it is time to upload it so your viewers can see it. Remember to fill in all the details in the description box so that search engines find you.

• Distribution and Marketing – Once your video is uploaded, you will need to market it. Creating the video and uploading it are only the first steps. Without marketing, no one will know it’s even there.

Planning your video, making the video, editing the video, and eventually uploading and marketing your video to your audience may seem like a lot of work. (And it is.) However, if you set up a consistent schedule and follow your plan, you’ll get a lot more done than you may realize or think you’re capable of doing.

BONUS: Want to get more detailed step-by-step Video Production and Marketing information? Sign up and get your e-course download.

Know how important video creation and marketing are but just don’t have the time? We can help. Complete this form and we’ll give you a call. We’ll create a Plan of Action to get to you started.

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Creating marketing videos is one thing. Getting exposure to them is quite another. Uploading your videos to one channel will limit that exposure. Here are the channels you’ll get the greatest benefit from as well as “how-to” instructions”.

YouTube – The Obvious Choice

YouTube is the second most visited website on the planet. It also doubles as a search engine because all videos are indexed by Google. To get started:

• Log on to your YouTube account and click the “upload video” tab. It’s located as a dropdown menu under the movie camera icon at the top-right of your screen.
• Click on the “select file” button, locate your marketing video, and double-click on it to start uploading it.
• You can start customizing your video while it uploads. First, enter the video title, and then the video description. Now select or upload a thumbnail. Now select whether the video “is made for kids” or “it’s not made for kids”.
• Click on “more options” and enter your niche keywords into the “tags” field. Additional settings you can configure include language, subtitles, recording date and location, license distribution, category, and comments and ratings. You can click on “next” after configuring these settings.
• In the next screen, you can add video elements such as end screens or cards to promote other content.
• Click on next to configure visibility. First, click on the “publish now” tab and select “public”. If you want to publish your video on a later date, simply click on the “schedule” tab and select the date using the calendar functions. Now that you are done uploading and configuring your video, click on “publish” to finish.

Vimeo – Most Popular Video Streaming Choice

Vimeo is the second most popular dedicated video streaming site. With over 170 million active users, it will help you expose your brand to a more focused audience of content professionals and creative types. It also offers its users an ad-free experience. Here’s how to get started:

• Log into your account and click on the “upload” button.
• On the following page, click on the “choose files” button, locate your video, and upload it.
• Customize your video but entering the title and the video description.
• Click the “privacy” menu button and make sure it’s set to “anyone can see this video”.
• Select the language of your video.
• Enter your niche keywords into the “tags” field and select “all audiences” under “content rating”.
• Click on the “save” button.

Facebook – The King of Social Media Sites

Facebook is one of an extremely active website. The Facebook algorithm boosts video posts that are native to the platform. This means your best choice is to upload them instead of sharing them from other sources. It couldn’t be easier.

• Go to your Facebook account and click on the “photo/video” button located in the “create post” section.
• Locate your marketing video and double-click on it to upload it.
• Add a caption to describe the video into the “say something about this video” field, and then click on the “post” button.

Twitter – The Most Engaging Social Media Site

If your goal is to boost your brand and go viral, Twitter could be your best bet. Super simple to do!

• Go to your Twitter account and click on the “compose tweet” icon.
• Click on the gallery icon.
• Locate your video, and double click on it to upload it.
• Add your video title and description into the text field. Make sure that your title and description don’t exceed 280 characters.
• Click on “tweet” to post your video!

Instagram – A Visual Discovery Website

Instagram is the choice of video marketers from around the world. Users go there for the images and videos. Here’s how to upload a video to Instagram:

• Go to the app while logged in to your account and tap on the “plus” icon.
• Locate and select your marketing video from your gallery and tap on “next”.
• Customize your video using Instagram’s editing options and tap on “next” to continue.
• Enter your caption into the text field, and then tap on “share”.

Tik Tok – The Newest Video Discovery App

Tik Tok a great platform for marketers. It allows you to expose your brand to a gigantic audience. Note that this platform is used mostly by the teenage and young adult demographic.

• Open the app while logged in to your account.
• Tap on the “plus” icon.
• Tap on the “gallery” icon, locate your marketing video and tap on it to select it.
• Click on the “next” button when prompted on the following screen.
• Enter the title and caption of your video into the “describe your video” field. Make sure to add a hashtag symbol before each keyword.
• Tap on “post” to upload it.

Now you know how to add your marketing videos to the top 5 social media channels. Get the most exposure for your videos. Practice makes perfect!

Other Video Marketing Blogs:

• The Importance of Video Marketing Even if You’re Camera-Shy
• Catch the Video Market Wave
• Video Marketing Success Checklist

Need help? Complete the form below and we’ll contact you!

The post How to Add Marketing Videos to Social Media appeared first on Second Self Virtual Assistance.

There are many benefits of video marketing that make it super-important to get involved even if you’re camera-shy. Being camera-shy shouldn’t prevent you from benefiting from video marketing. If you knew that just by adding video to your marketing strategy you could multiply your results, wouldn’t you do it?

Here’s a list of video marketing benefits:

• Boosts brand awareness
• Improves your online presence
• Helps people get to know you
• Enhances social media engagement
• Builds trust with viewers
• Improved search engine optimization (SEO)
• Improve mobile presence
• Helps explain difficult topics
• High return on investment (ROI)

How to Make Great Videos Without Appearing in Them

• Record Your Slides with a Voice-Over – Do a voice-over using your own natural voice. No one can see you and you will be talking about a topic you’re familiar with.
• Create Explainer Videos – Make an effective video without being in it. An explainer video explains a topic to your audience in a short and simple way.
• Tell a Story – When you want to make a video without being in it, focus more on the story. You’ll need to write the story, then perfect it so that it flows well. Get clips, images, animations, and/or text for the story and create it in pictures on MS PowerPoint. Then turn to a video with your voice-over story.
• Use Impressive Photography – Help your viewers to not get distracted from your message. the visuals Find amazing images that either you take or that you buy from a reputable stock photo company. There are many free images for download. Free resources include Pixabay, Pexels, and Unsplash. You can purchase images at those sites as well. Just be careful of copyrights. You’d be amazed at the ways you can combine images to tell a story and get viewers.
• Share Your Screen – When you have something important to teach and sharing your screen is necessary to teach it, then that is what you should do. Zoom.com is a free service that helps accomplish this objective.
• Add Text to Your Videos – To make videos more interesting, consider adding text. It helps to cement the point you’re trying to make in the video. Be careful, though, of adding too much text if you plan to use the video in a Facebook advertisement.

Steps to Becoming a Confident Video Marketer

• Know Your Goal – You may have a goal to build your email list. You could offer a short video-based email course introduced by one video or two, then require an email address to see more. Another goal might be to solve one problem for your audience so that they want you to help them solve a bigger problem.
• Know Your Audience – What are their problems? What keeps them up at night? What excites them? What are their life goals, values, and fears? How does what you do address their issues and solve their problems?
• Develop Talking Points – Write down some basic points you want to talk about. Coordinate your talking points with your video. PowerPoint is an effective tool for creating a presentation, adding your voice-over, and perfecting your presentation.
• Keep it Short and Simple – Shorter videos are better than longer ones. Sixty seconds to ten minutes is a good length. If you need more time, consider breaking up your long videos into smaller ones to create a series.
• Be Yourself – Everyone Else is Taken – It doesn’t matter is your viewer has heard your message a hundred times, you could be the one who helps them “get it” just by being yourself.
• Practice Doesn’t Mean Perfection – Like most things, the more you do it, the more comfortable you’ll become. Be prepared, be confident, and create a noteworthy presentation. However, don’t get so wrapped up in making sure it’s perfect. Otherwise, you may never finish creating your video.

If Your Start Today

If you start today and create just one video per week by this time next year you’ll have 52 videos under your belt, a larger email list, and you’ll be more comfortable – whether you appear in the video or not.

Extra Credit Reading

• Catch the Video Marketing Wave
• Video Marketing Success Checklist

Contact Us

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The Video Marketing Wave

Video marketing is a fantastic vehicle for creating brand awareness, confidence, and trust in you and your products. Videos increase the amount of time a visitor or viewer spends on your website. Therefore, Google loves a well-placed and optimized video.

What Is Video Marketing All About?

• Videos are one of the best tools available that will reach a large number of users at once.
• Video marketing is used to publicize and market your services, brand, and products.
• According to the latest statistics, 72% of people prefer to learn about a product or service by watching a video instead of reading about it.
• More than 70% of surveyed consumers say that a video was more likely to persuade them to make a purchase or contact the company.

How to Advertise Your Videos for Free

• Promote your videos on social media
• Send your marketing videos to your email subscribers
• Comment on other niche channels on YouTube

The Most Important Metrics to Track

• Goals and results
• How many people view your video
• Social sharing and comments
• How many times viewers watched your entire video
• Click-through rate
• Conversion rate
• Bounce rate and how much time was spent on a page

Do’s and Don’ts of Video Marketing

DO

• Include a powerful intro
• Be fun
• Use a catchy title
• Use keywords to tag your video
• Make short videos
• Be the expert – instill confidence
• Use a good microphone
• Ask your followers questions
• Include a Call to Action
• Use tutorial videos
• Add “share” buttons” to your video
• Pin your promotional video to the top of your Pinterest and Facebook page

DON’T

• Don’t be boring
• Don’t be so preoccupied with perfection that your video never gets completed
• Don’t forget that production quality matters
• Don’t completely focus on sales
• Don’t forget to use analytics
• Don’t forget to add your video to all social platforms
• Don’t be disappointed if you don’t immediately get the results you want
• Don’t promise anything you can’t deliver
• Don’t make your videos too long

Give video creation and marketing a try. Use it to promote your business and products.

Check out our Video Marketing Checklist. Find out what to include in your video, how to keep them engaging, and the different kinds of videos to create.

Need help with your video creation and marketing? We can help!

Need help with your video creation and marketing? We can help! Complete this form and we’ll get right back to you.

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Video marketing success is not hard to achieve when you know a few facts. Find out what to include in your video, how to keep them engaging, and the different kinds of videos to create.

What to Include:

• Attention-Grabbing Intro – Build your brand-recognition by starting your videos with a great intro.
• High-Quality Images – As visual learners, most people learn more and are captivated longer by images.
• Recommendations – When you find a great product that you think your viewers will like, add a recommendation.
• Call to Action – Be sure to include a CTA at the end of your videos. Include a link to a corresponding landing page, web page, or any other resource you want them to visit.

Engaging Videos

• Start with a Specific Topic – Get a clear picture in your mind of what you’re going to talk about. This keeps you on track and will be more engaging your audience.
• Jot Down Talking Points – Consider 3 or 4 talking points you want to make during your video. Stick to your script.
• Tackle the Highlights First – State your most important points first. Your viewers will know right away whether they want to continue to watch. They will also see your best points first.
• Choose Your Time – Consistency is key to a successful video channel. Choose a specific time to add or update your videos and stick to it.
• Not So Fast – The pace and pitch of your voice are important. Speak in a normal tone at a conversational pace.

Types of Traffic-Driving Videos

• Sneak Peek – These teaser-type videos can be about anything from blog promos to Coming Soon listings.
• Tutorials – Teach your viewers something specific. At the end of the video, provide a link to a corresponding blog post, sign-up form, landing page or webpage.
• Make a List – Create a video that gives lists for a particular topic. Give your viewers a link that goes to a corresponding post, page or video with corresponding information.
• Hacks – Provide tips that simplify your viewers’ lives. For example, “My #1 Hack for Cleaning Your Oven”.

Video marketing complements your email marketing efforts. It encourages likes and shares as well as clicks to your website. Search engines love them, too!

You might also enjoy reading:

7 Ways to Create Great Videos Even if You’re Extrovert-Challenged

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Video has been a source for entertainment, marketing, and learning for several years. It’s become extremely popular in both live and prerecorded formats.

Live Video Format

Every Smartphone takes high-quality video giving you the opportunity to host your live video from just about anywhere.

YouTube Live and Facebook Live are increasingly popular with users and media. The purpose of live video is to build relationships. You can show yourself as a real person while giving an inside look into your business.  Live video also gives your target audience an opportunity to ask questions in the chat box. Live video lets you show your expertise by providing immediate answers to viewer questions and positions you as an authority in your field.

How-To Content

About 75% of what people search for on YouTube is how-to information. You can learn everything from auto repairs to how to play the guitar.  

How-to videos are a great way to market your products and services. Decide on a topic such as “The Escrow Process”.  Create your video using videos and animations or screen capture.

Screen Capture Videos

Screen capture videos give your viewer an opportunity to visually see what process you are teaching.  Showing the process “in action” is an ideal way to drive demand.  Making a PowerPoint presentation is a simple process to create and makes following along easy for your viewers.

Prerecorded Videos

There are countless marketing uses for prerecorded videos. If you’re camera-shy, public speaking and appearing on camera is nerve-wracking.  By prerecording the video, it takes away the apprehension. You’ll have the opportunity to edit out anything you don’t like. 

All you really need for a good prerecorded video is a good microphone and slides for your audience to follow along.  

Educational Videos

Online education is booming. There are now many popular education sites where you can offer to teach paying customers certain skills or give talks about various topics. Many of these sites prefer video content, so if you have a lot to teach, this could be a perfect opportunity to show what you know and make more money.

In all five of these video marketing trends for 2019, the most important thing you need is content.  Viewers will forgive an imperfect presentation as long as they learn from it.  The more often you create and promote videos, the smoother the process will become.

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