Video Content: Keeping Quality Up and Costs Down

Video content is designed to capture and hold attention. It’s how we keep our kids occupied on long car trips, and it’s also how we kill time for the last thirty minutes of every Friday watching viral cat videos. 

Video is a compelling medium because it allows us to appeal to almost all of the senses.

It’s the most dynamic way to tell a story, and when done right it can appeal across cultural lines and reach a universal audience. And it’s still - even after all these years - changing the face of marketing as we know it. 

Now, I know this isn’t a new idea. You can Google “video content” and read blogs all day long about the boon of video marketing. You can find lists of dos & don’ts and even watch how-to videos to help get you started.  But what most people don’t realize is how democratized video content production has become. What this means is that in today’s video sphere, there are many quality levels when it comes to creating original video content for the web. This is because video production equipment has become easily accessible -- most everyone has a camera phone and free editing software, which makes it easy for anyone to put together a video project. But with this upswing in production, levels of quality have begun to come down. If the most trending video online was shot on an iPhone, it’s going to be hard to convince your client that stepping up production will have any better results. The truth of the matter, though, is that it does.

Now, as a producer for CultureSpan Marketing, I understand the delicate art of balancing quality production with ever-diminishing production budgets. Most of our clients understand and even want a strong video component. However, as more of their media dollars lead them online toward hyper-targeted video content developed for digital channels, and further away from general market -- meaning less finely targeted -- TV spots (which can also carry a high sticker price), we content producers have to be savvy and more nimble with our clients’ (and our own) production dollars.

My goal for this piece is to help you bold new marketers who are serious about stepping into the realm of video content production get the best product you can while keeping your budgets under control.

First and foremost, quality of production must, must, and must guide your decisions. Sure, if quality doesn’t rate highly on your hierarchy of importance, you can get your nephew who took a summer course in video production to make you a  video. But then you run the risk of having your video shared for all the wrong reasons, or even worse, it may not be viewed at all. Everyone likes to laugh at the goofy viral video of the week, but do you want your video content to cultivate a relationship with the viewer, earn trust, communicate values, move products, or just get laughs? The video content you develop will speak volumes about you and the services you are trying to market. Think of your video content as an investment in consumer awareness. When you view your product in that way, it makes it easier to understand why allocating a reasonable budget is a worthwhile use of resources.

This is a perfect segue into some tips for quality content production.

When partnering with clients to develop TV spots, our clients’ tendency is to shoot for the moon. More shots, more graphics, more post-production effects. “I mean, it’s gonna be on TV, right? Let’s go all out!” they say. If you’ve got the budget, go for it. But if you’re developing content for a highly targeted market via online channels, the golden rule is don’t overproduce. Develop content to fit your needs. You know your audience and you know how best to reach them. If a testimonial is what you need, don’t do a crazy-over-the-top video full of special effects. The K.I.S.S. method is the way to go here. When developing video content, clarity always wins out over flash.

So you may be reading this and saying to yourself, “I’m ready to get off the ship now, Captain Obvious,” but just hang in there with me a little longer. I’m about to drop one last bit of insider knowledge, and this round is on the house. 

Want to make your investment work for you? Design your video content in a modular fashion. Basically, this means that for any video project you develop, you’ll want to have alternate versions utilizing alternate cuts and varying lengths. For example, a recent video project we developed for online use was written in such a way that for one bundled project price we developed a full 30-second video, a 15-second, pre-roll video, and a 10-second teaser clip. That’s THREE video assets for one package price that you can use across multiple online platforms. Now that is a lot of video bang for your production buck.

Even though this is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to developing a branded content campaign, hopefully these insights are helping you to seriously consider making an investment in your original branded content. And hey, if you need a few more tips and tricks, give me a call. We’ll make you YouTube famous in no time!