I'm sure you're a nice person. You might even be very extremely charismatic and be really good on video. But if you want to use marketing videos to grow your business and make money in the long run, you should be willing to put in the time and effort needed to acquire some new production skills.
It's a really competitive market, and with big businesses spending a lot of their budget on video production, your only chance to stand out is to constantly improve yourself and learn new things.
Skill #1: Storytelling – Tell your story well
We are genetically wired to love a good story, so you can see why being a great storyteller can really help you improve your marketing videos. In fact, considering the amount of content that exists nowadays, I would say it's almost a mandatory condition.
[ Image Credits: Media Arts Center San Diego ]
No one cares about your marketing goals, but if you can wrap them up in a good story, people will listen to what you have to say. Being a deft storyteller doesn't necessarily mean being a good writer, although that definitely helps. It's about being truthful, creative and able to spark emotion.
Skill #2: Planning – Map things out
If you want things to go as smoothly as possible, it's important to plan all major aspects that have to do with your marketing videos before you actually start production. From the time you write down the first draft of your script to when your videos go public, planning should be your best friend.
Plan your location, your camera angles, the days you're going to shoot on, anything you can think of really.
Skill #3: Editing – It's not as hard as you think
Editing is what makes good marketing videos great. It sets the pace of the story, turning cropped footage into a flowing story that makes sense.
Sure, editing your own videos can be a frustrating task at times, but it's also extremely rewarding. Be ready to cut your script and let go of big chunks of footage, since you're never going to be able to use everything you've shot.
If you're new at this, I recommend working with easy-to-use editing software, such as Microsoft's Movie Maker or Apple's iMovie. Both are free and excellent for basic editing.
Skill #4: SEO knowledge – Do your homework
If your video is good, you need to make sure people find it. Here's where it helps to not be completely clueless when it comes to optimizing your content for search engines. Things like title tag optimization, keyword research and description optimization will help you boost the reach of your videos.
Skill #5: Networking Skills – Yep, you need them too
You might be surprised to see this made it on the list, but you really shouldn't. Just think about it: If no one sees your videos, all your hard work and effort go to waste.
Like it or not, your success is riding on your networking skills, so don't be afraid to show your work to other people to get feedback. Join communities where you know your audience is going to be in. Engage. What's the worst that could happen?
Are you determined to make better marketing videos?
The bottom line is this: If you plan on using videos to market your business (and you have all the reasons to do so), then you've got to have some skills. Even if you think you have some of these abilities already, the truth is that there's always room for improvement.
If you're really serious about upgrading your skills, you should take a look at the rest of my blog and make sure you download my eBook on the video marketing tools you need to create quality content.