video4marketing!

Video’s been huge in recent years, from YouTube’s cats & dogs, branded videos, Facebook’s native videos and of course, no surprise that video is a big weapon used in politics and elections more than ever.

When the government released (obviously rushed) their latest video ad, media both online and offline attacked it as being fake and nicknamed it #FakeTradie Video Ad.

So, if you are a business owner or a marketing / advertising professional, I highlighted a few points, few critical errors that can serve as video marketing lessons to brands, both businesses and organisations, lessons that can be very useful when you approach your next video marketing project.

1. MAINTAINING or ESTABLISHING TRUST

Trust is crucial when it comes to both politics and business, you’d agree.
It’d be hard to find two areas of life where trust would be more important, yet again and again we are witnesses of both brands and political parties playing with TRUST – a commodity that is so hard to gain and so easily to squander.

Commentators and media have been very critical of a few different points in this video (you can watch the video ad just below); authenticity – ceramic mug, silver bracelet, watch… they all don’t have the place in a workplace and environment this trade is supposedly a part of.

Online videos have a big advantage over other marketing content: the human touch it brings to brands. When real people appear in your video it gains the trust of your users and, with competition growing between brands in almost every online niche, this trust can make all the difference.

2. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY in YOUR VIDEO

“He wears high-vis and sits next to a saw.” – questions asked by many journalists and social media commentators. (This point can also go under the TRUST issue.)

When planing or producing your videos, it’s very important to observe any occupational health and safety issues that might arise.
Your video producer might not be aware of any OH & S requirements in your workplace, but a good one will definitely remind you to observe any potential OH & S requirements during the pre production or planing stage.

“Last thing you want is to complete your video, upload it… and after all this hard work only to realise that your worker should not be sitting next to a saw, for example!“

3. CLEAR MESSAGE

One of 3 starting points when embarking on a video marketing journey and creating a video(s) for you brand is your Message (the other two are your video’s Purpose and your Audience).

Some commentators criticised video’s confused message and its inconsistency with the campaign. I’m not going to be a judge on that, I’m not a political commentator, I guess it can be argued that the ad has focussed on a specific, very targeted audience and that the message was delivered in a language that is familiar to that audience.

Still, your video should not attempt to cover more than one main message.
Having a video that conveys ONE main message is essential to ensure your viewers have a clear understanding.

If you’ve got to say more, make another video. In terms of content marketing and also SEO, it makes a perfect sense to produce multiple videos, or video series.

 

“Having a video that conveys one main message is essential to ensure your viewers have a clear understanding.”

4. TELL YOUR STORY – Don’t READ Your Story!

There were numerous calls about presenter (yes, he is a real tradie) waffling, obviously reading from a teleprompter.

For this type of video, again, where trust and authenticity is crucial, you cannot afford to have narration that is not perfect.
Talking down the barrel, straight to camera, can be challenging for most people and if you are not trained actor or a seasoned presenter, you are going to struggle.

This is one of the most important things to get right if you are attempting to make a video in a “storytelling style” – your talent (whether real or hired) has to be persuasive on camera.

Storytelling is one of the most effective ways to make a video and connect to your audience because people crave the emotional and powerful connection that comes through telling a story.

5. DO YOUR HOMEWORK – PLAN in DETAILS

Planing and Pre-Production stage are very important, alongside the strategy which comes first.
So, once you have set your strategy and you know which type of video you are going to produce, do your homework, plan thoroughly.

Little things like a wrong tea cup, a bracelet on your hand, or big ones like “sitting next to a saw” can ruin all your hard work and of course require a reshoot which may be very costly.

Do your homework, plan meticulously, preview the video before an approval. Some mistakes can be spotted in the editing stage and require a reshoot, but even that can cost you extra, at least you haven’t released a video that will hurt your brand.
That’d be way more costly!

Please leave a comment or shoot us a question about your next video project.

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