Video Marketing Guidelines

As the web video phenomenon shows no sign of abating, savvy brands are putting video at the forefront of everything they do. The old adage 'a picture paints a thousand words' is even more appropriate for video, with concepts, ideas and sales messages put across so directly the viewer can't help but take it all in. As with all marketing techniques there are several ways of doing things. Here are five of the best marketing tips that should help ensure your video works for you.

Not all company directors or glamorous junior female staff make good presenters. Whatever your message ensure whoever fronts or voices the video hits the right tone. You may have a particular staff member who's just right, has a great voice, a friendly persona and inspires confidence among viewers. You may need to hire in a professional or you may not even need a presenter at all.

Every video must have a point or story. It must set the scene and explain the concept, preferably with an example. It should also have an ending. This can be done using a script or careful use of pictures in the right order so that the first picture strikes an impression and holds the viewer's attention.

Pictures can show the exact product or service being offered, or they can be used to illustrate a point. Careful graphics such as whiteboard doodles are a particularly good way of explaining a concept that's hard to understand. Captions can replace voice-overs and reinforce the point. Make sure the pictures look good. Pictures of empty offices or computers aren't very inspiring, whereas pictures with real people in them are far more engaging and authentic.

Your website needs to be kept fresh and up to date. And so does your video content. One video every three years is no good. Make a series of short films (no more than 90 seconds each) using one concept per film and roll them out over a planned timescale. That way your viewers will have a reason to come back and the search engines will like what you do and place your site and your video higher in the rankings. Make sure your video is properly optimised in the platform so that it will land on the top page of any search.

Use a video platform such as YouTube or Vimeo and share it in as many digital places as possible. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Google+, on your blog, on your website, email it to your customers and ask them to interact with it. Have a digital marketing broadcast strategy for the video planned out and monitor its progress.