If there’s one thing I stress to my clients, it would be to create an outline or script for their video content.
Why?
Because it saves you time in the production and post-production stages and it increases your chances of having your audience watch your video from beginning to end.
The common advice of “winging it” when it comes to online video marketing isn’t something I suggest to my clients.
That’s because when you take this route, you risk going off on tangent in your videos, which can result in your audience losing interest in your video and placing their eyes and attention on someone else’s video or website.
Every second counts when it comes to online video.
People’s attention spans are already limited and they are picky about what they watch.
You can’t afford to lose their interest in the first 15 seconds of your video.
Video is one area where brevity is essential.
With some planning, you can at least make sure that the content you provide in your video provides something of value to your audience in the shortest amount of time.
You want your video to capture the attention of your viewers. You want them to watch your video from beginning to end.
So here are 3 techniques you can use to improve your video content.
1. Plan first, then write.
Get out of the habit of talking in front of the camera without having an idea of what you want your video to be about and it’s purpose is. Before you start writing your outline or script, ask yourself the following questions:
* What’s the goal of this video?
* What do you want your viewers to take away from this video?
* How do you want your viewers to feel after watching this video?
* How do you want to feel in this video?
* What are the most important points you need to share in this video?
* What’s your Call To Action at the end of the video? (leave a comment? Share it? Tweet it? Sign up for your program?)
Once you answer these questions, you’ll have a clearer vision of what type of content you need to include in your video and how you can deliver it.
2. Give “nuggets” or “bite-sized” tips your viewers can use.
Focus on the quality of the content you’ll be sharing with your audience. What would they find helpful? What would you find useful if you were in their shoes?
Always make sure you include something your viewers can take and apply to their own situation, even if it’s a simple tip.
And because you’re aiming to keep your videos brief, avoid lengthy explanations. I know that it can be tempting as you want to share all of your knowledge and expertise to your people – you can still do this, but don’t try to cram it all in one video!
If you find that you have a lot of information to cover, this would be a great opportunity for you to create a video series. You can divide your topic into a 3-, 4- or even 5-part series.
The benefit of splitting your content into a series is that it gives a reason for your viewers to come back for more. You create the anticipation and they will look forward to your next piece of advice.
A good medium is to include between 1-3 points in your videos. If you have more to share, simply create another video to continue with the topic.
3. Include a Call To Action at the end of each video
This one’s important. Make sure to always have a Call To Action at the end of your video.
Some examples you can use would be:
* Sign up for my newsletter
* Share this video on Twitter/YouTube/Facebook
* Leave a comment below this post
* Sign up below to be notified about my upcoming program
* Share your thoughts below this post
* Download my free resource
The last thing you want to do is spend all that time creating an engaging video and have none of your viewers take action afterwards.
Think of your Call To Action as your ROI. It’s a way to measure the results of all your efforts and it creates engagement in your community.
Always aim for quality and avoid mediocre videos.
By incorporating these 3 quick techniques to your online video marketing, you’ll be on your way to creating better content for your videos that your audience will appreciate (and would be more than willing to share with their friends).
And by planning your video content in advance, you’re stepping up your game.
:: YOUR TURN :: How have you been writing the content for your videos? Do you have any tips you’d like to share with others? Share your experiences, thoughts, tips and other comments below.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks, Bianca, I produce a lot of videos so I found these tips very helpful. Do you have any advice for interviews where I may not know the exact ‘take aways’ until after the shoot?
Glad you found this helpful, Sheila :)
For those interviews, you can either film something later on afterwards and add the clip at the end, or you can show it as text (voiceover optional). You can also discuss some takeaways beforehand with the person you’re interviewing.
The good thing is you have some options to choose from ;)
Thanks Bianca, great tips. I’m terrible at remembering the call to action – even though logically i know that’s why we do it! Thanks for the reminder. Sarah
Great advice. Good idea to give bite size amounts of information at a time in each video.
As I was reading this, I wondered who would do a video without a script? I get what you are saying about nuggets and the value….I don’t do videos and I should. How do you think video’s should be different from blogs?
I haven’t yet ventured into doing videos, but this is a definite for the upcoming next few months. Do you know how many seconds it takes for someone to decide if they are going to continue to watch your video? Any recommendation for total length of video in terms of time? Your other tips will be great as I journey down this path. Thanks
Hi Pam! Ideally, you want your video to be around 3 minutes. The longer it is, the more you need to make sure that every second of it matters and is useful to your audience.
I’m not exactly sure about the stat, but I think it’s in the first 5-10 seconds that will make someone decide whether they want to keep watching your video – so you want to make sure that you start strong!
Great advice both for video and for all kinds of other writing, designing, creating projects!
Oh Bianca, every time I read your blog you inch me closer to doing this :o) I wonder how many people are in my boat who love your stuff yet refuse to pull the trigger? I decided that when I get my new computer this year, I’ll start doing videos. But heck, now I have to be organized about it? This post actually gave me some relief, because it put another step in that will make me feel better about being in a video but also make it a little more laborious to execute. But not too much. :o)
Yay, Mindy! I’m so glad my posts are helping you ease into it :) I’m pretty sure there are others in the same boat. It may seem laborious as you read more and more video tips, but once you take the first few steps and develop a practice out of it, it will all become second nature ;)
Ps. I’m planning to create some sort of guide for those on the same boat as you, so stay tuned…
Great article Bianca!
It’s exhausting to seek out educated folks on this topic, but you sound like you realize what you’re talking about! Thanks