In an age when anybody with a smart phone can film something and share it, we are inundated with both good and bad videos from all over the world. Consumers know what they like and what they don’t. They also have a keen sense for when someone’s trying to sell something.
Business Insider recently found YouTube has more than 1.8 billion users every month, with one billion hours of video content viewed every day on the site, according to Forbes. It’s a number approaching Facebook’s more than two billion users.
With stats like this, it’s easy to see just how effective good video content can be in reaching people – be it a target audience or widespread. As PR professionals, we aim to create likeable, sharable, compelling and premier video content that does just that. Here are some ways to make yours stand out:
- Provide value: Is it entertaining? Informative? Some watch videos to take them to another place for a few fleeting moments – whether humorous, dramatic or sentimental. Others watch to learn something relevant to them. Whatever the reason, the video you produce should provide value to viewers – not you.
- Short and sweet: While there’s no one size fits-all length for a video, you’d better keep it short. Microsoft Corp. famously reported the average person’s attention span to be less than that of a goldfish – at eight seconds.
- Know your audience: Identify who you want to see it, and do your homework. Are you making a video for foodies? Learn the hot spots and culinary trends. Healthcare professionals? Share the newest tech advances and cutting-edge ideas. Educators? School yourself on what techniques are most effective in the classroom.
- Trending: Live streaming continues to appeal to viewers as authentic and accessible. Opportunities using virtual reality, 4K video and 360 video also open the door for new ways to tell a richer story, while boosting engagement and brand visibility.
- Campaign strategy: Your video should play some essential part in the overall marketing campaign. Why are you making it? Want increased sales? Want to change someone’s behavior? Want to spread the word about something? What’s the desired outcome?
- Call to action: Getting people to watch was the hard part. If you’ve done your job and gotten the viewer’s attention, consider a call to action. This can be a landing page or a call center where viewers can get more information. While not every video needs one, if you include a call to action, be sure you can accommodate the expected activity. Be ready to take the order, so to speak.
Our friends at Ron Clark Academy – an acclaimed middle school in Atlanta that’s garnered national and international recognition for student success – did a superlative job this week in a video leading up to the Super Bowl that we helped promote.
Heading toward a million views in its first week, “Welcome to the City” promotes Atlanta as an iconic destination using creative dance, electrifying music, great heart – and a cameo from rapper and actor Ludacris.
Video’s popularity continues to soar. Bolstered by social media, this ubiquitous medium can make or break your message. Set yours apart with content that makes an impact and means something to the people watching it.
As senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman specializes in building and maintaining relationships with the media and has an excellent track record of landing significant placements in print and broadcast media including USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Money Magazine.
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.