The Dos and Don’ts of Successful Videography

It would be difficult to find a successful modern marketing strategy that doesn’t include video production. Over the past few years, video content has changed the way people interact with brands and businesses, helping marketing experts drive traffic to websites, communicate with customers and employees, build brand awareness, broaden social media reach, promote events, and more. In fact, video content is expected to account for over 80 percent of all consumer internet traffic by 2020.

Search engines and social media websites have become aware of the demand for video as well. Google, for example, has started showing video carousels on its search engine results page. Facebook is also aware of the seemingly insatiable desire for video content, which is why videos on the platform are given more prominence than other content.

Given how influential videos have become, it’s no wonder that the demand for professional videography services is increasing. But before you plunge in and attempt to incorporate video content into your marketing strategy, there are certain dos and don’ts of videography that you should be aware of to end up with share-worthy content.

Do Have a Plan

Regardless of whether it’s a corporate event, wedding, or scripted promotional video, you should always have a plan with your end goal and the steps that should take you there. Do you want to entertain people? Explain a new product? Promote your event? The clearer you are of what you want to achieve, the easier it will be to achieve it.  

Don’t Hesitate to Check Out Your Competition

To stand out, you need to know what your competition is doing. It’s okay the get inspired by successful video content produced by others—just don’t copy anything. Instead, find a creative way how to compose something original. If you find yourself out of ideas, get in touch with a professional provider of videography services and borrow their experience and talent.

Do Keep Length in Mind

While there’s no golden rule for video length, shorter videos tend to have a higher engagement rate than longer videos, which explains why most viral videos are under 2 minutes. Of course, not all types of video content can be condensed down to a few minutes. Company interviews, in-depth explainer videos, and event coverage are just three examples of video content whose length shouldn’t be subjected to any strict limitations.

Don’t Do It Alone

The biggest mistake most businesses and organizations make when they decide to include video content in their marketing strategies is insisting on doing everything internally. Yes, professional-grade video cameras and other equipment have become relatively affordable, but videography is also about talent and experience, and neither of those can be purchased on Amazon. Marketing teams can, however, outsource video production to a provider of professional videography services and thus ensure project success.

Do Base Your Decisions on Your Audience

Ask yourself the following question: who will be watching your content? Many businesses and organizations convince themselves that someone will watch their content just because they’ve made it. In most cases, they end up with less than a hundred views on YouTube and other platforms, wondering if they made some critical mistake. To avoid this scenario, specify your target audience and create content based on its needs—not yours.

Don’t Publish Your Content on a Single Platform

With its 30 million daily visitors, YouTube may sometimes feel like the only relevant video-sharing website in the world, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Today, virtually all social media networks make it possible to host and share video content, and there are also alternative video-sharing websites such as Vimeo. Just keep in mind that each platform has its own unique specifications, so you might need to create multiple variations of the same content to get the best results.

Do Keep Your Sales Pitch Subtle

Regardless of what your real intentions are, you should always avoid being too salesy. The subtler you keep your sales pitch, the better. Remember who your audience is and try to provide as much real value as possible. Value comes in many forms, and entertainment is among them. Just look at some of the marketing campaigns that have gone viral, and you’ll see excellent examples of how to capture the attention of millions without the use of traditional sales tactics.

Don’t Be Afraid to Include a Call to Action

While being overly salesy is never a good idea, you shouldn’t be afraid to include a clear call to action at the end of your video to increase engagement. An event video can end with a link to the event, a product video can encourage viewers to visit the product page, and a viral marketing campaign can encourage sharing. Apart from driving higher customer engagement, a call to action also provides closure and drives home your message.

Do Hire Professionals

At Promotevents, we know what it takes to produce compelling video content, and we have the equipment, experience, and expert talent to turn rough ideas into thrilling videos. We provide our videography services at an affordable price for all budgets and cover everything from events to corporate video bios to company interviews and more. With over 50 videographers and photographers, we’re able to meet all your video production needs and help you get noticed.