Creating Effective Marketing Videos

Check out our top tips, which were featured here in The Business Exchange Magazine!

Ellie Edwards, creative director at Octopus Films, a Bath-based video production company, gives her top tips to keep your video content engaging this year.

Bath video producer Ellie Edwards sat at desk

Keep it snappy

Short (but content-rich) footage is generally better. Studies suggest around 90 seconds is optimum for most promo videos, with engagement often dropping sharply around the two-minute mark.

Pay attention to sound

Audiences are far more forgiving of bad shots than they are poor audio.

Use music

The right music track can enrich video, much like suitable accessories pull together an outfit. It’s best to use credible music libraries to avoid copyright issues -if you’re on a tight budget, choose one which asks for a credit instead of charging.

Plan your narrative before you shoot

What do you want to convey to the audience? Having impressive shots is not enough. To resonate with your viewers, you need a strong message.

Choose a great background

Position yourself somewhere interesting, which reflects what you do. A nondescript office setting is a big turnoff for viewers, so get inventive!

Use the power of recommendation

Ask a satisfied customer to give you a testimonial on film. It’s the most original and persuasive form of video marketing you can harness.

Work within your comfort zone

Talking directly to the camera can be very engaging, but if you find it awkward, don’t force it. Ask someone to sit next to the camera and ask you questions, so your gaze is towards them, which feels more natural and will help you relax.

Re-version your content

You’ve put in the hard work to create great footage, so don’t stop at using it just once. Re-edit it to make shorter teasers for social media.

Include a call to action at the end

Make it easy and straightforward for the viewer to know what to do next.

Use captions

According to Facebook, this increases average video view time by 12%. Captions also boost SEO – they tell search bots what your video content is about, so it can be indexed and ranked within search results.

Read full article here: https://www.tbebathandsomerset.co.uk

A screen shot from one of our event videos, featuring a woman and two horses

I’ve worked with Octopus Films on a wide variety of shoots, and they’re consistently reliable, enthusiastic, creative, collaborative, talented, flexible and always a pleasure to be around. I’d have no hesitation recommending them for all types of filming.

Katy Roberts

Event Producer, SME/CountryFile Live