In this post, we’ll go over some important details you need to consider before you begin producing your instructional video. Then, we’ll cover the different aspects and options of the video itself. 

What is the Purpose and Who is the Target Audience for the Video?

The first questions you should askyourself are: What do you intend to accomplish with this video, and who is going to watch it?

Is this a how-to video meant to provide step-by-step instructions on how to use your company’s product or service? Does it need to be a longer in-depth series of tutorials on using software? Or is it meant for internal use? Are you training employees with a specific skill, or informing them about company policies and practices?

Once you know who you’re making your video for and why, then you can begin to plan how you’re going to achieve it.

How Long Should an Instructional Video Be?

One of the biggest considerations is the length of your video. As a general rule of thumb, shorter is better. People typically prefer instructional videos to be under 20 minutes in length. And the 3- 6-minute range is ideal, according to TechSmith.

Once a video exceeds 20 minutes, viewer retention drops off steeply. That being said, sometimes the learning objective calls for a longer video. If that’s the case, it’s better to break up a longer video into smaller segments.

Work Off of a Script

You need a script. This applies to voiceovers, on-camera lines, and visual text. A script will help you stay organized and figure out how long your video should be and what elements it needs. Even if you’re just planning to do a screencast, it helps to have your talking points mapped out. Ad libbing will only lead to mistakes that require retakes and consume more of your time.

The script is where the structure of your video really takes shape. Start with a clear outline of the main points you want to cover, and organize them in an order that fits with your topic. After you have the main idea, you can flesh out specific wording. Remember: you are telling a story.

Looking at Examples

1. Explainer Videos

A common type of instructional video is an explainer video. It provides information about a specific topic. In other cases, it may explain a company’s service or product.

The following example is an animated explainer video for a digital marketing consultancy company. Its main objective is to explain how it assists clients with their small businesses through digital marketing strategies.

The structure of this video is built around a story about one business owner, Rob. Introducing a character and telling a story is an effective approach to getting information across. It is a simple structure that introduces the character’s problem (lagging sales for his business), then the solution (going to the digital marketing consultants for advice), and, lastly, the results (increased online visibility and sales).

A video like this does not try to explain every aspect of the company’s service. Instead, it provides a general overview of the service it provides, highlighting a few examples, while moving the story along.

This video was created with animation software developed by Toonly. There are several animation programs available with similar features, including Vyond and Powtoon. These types of programs are meant for beginners and provide stock characters, settings, and props to quickly make engaging animated videos that look professional.

The majority of the information in the video is delivered via voiceover, while the animation grabs the viewer’s attention and delivers a few details using text supers.

In this case, the video serves as an advertisement for a company’s service, but the style and approach could just as easily be applied to other use cases.

For more information about creating animated videos, check out our previous blog post on the topic.

2. Screencasting

Screencasting is a low-cost production method for creating instructional videos that aim to demonstrate computer software or website functionality. Essentially, a screencast mimics the experience a viewer would have on their computer using a specific program or visiting a given website.

A screencast lends itself to showing a linear process such as step-by-step or how-to instructional videos, as well as more in-depth tutorials. The easiest way to screencast is simply by hitting the “record screen” button with free programs like QuickTime. Accompanied by recorded audio, screencasts are a relatively quick, easy way to demonstrate a process. They also don’t require much editing.

Screencasting is so easy to produce, you may be tempted to jump right in and start creating a video on the fly. However, writing it all out beforehand and scripting the audio will make for a much better video. For more tips on how to screencast, see our blog post on how to make a professional screencast video.

You will find it useful to have reference points, such as an outline that accompanies the video so viewers can skip ahead or go back, and so they’ll be able to easily navigate to specific steps or sections. This is especially useful for longer videos.

Screencasts can also be used for advertising purposes by educating your viewer about your product.

The following example utilizes screencasting combined with still images to demonstrate usage of a workflow management program.

The video uses still images and a voiceover to introduce three main areas in which the product is able to help the viewer. This is a good way to provide a polished looking intro before going into the screencast.

The screencast begins with a demonstration of one of the program’s features, spending less than a minute before moving back to still images. For demo video purposes, it’s useful to break up a screencast with fresh looking images and keep the pace of the video moving along. This process is repeated until all three features of the workflow program are shown. 

3. Recording a Live Speaker

Recording someone on camera showing how to complete a process or explain a specific topic is a more traditional approach to making an instructional video, but it is also potentially the most labor intensive (and expensive) if you want to do it right.

It can also be as simple as hitting “record” with a smartphone camera, but the results will typically look amateur.

The following example is a video recorded with a person on camera providing management advice for onboarding best practices. 

The structure of this video is fairly straightforward and simple. The person on camera states the intent of the video is to introduce the company’s service, which is providing consultation on workflow management for the onboarding process. She then goes on to explain different aspects of the process, breaking up her talking points into groups of three.

Most of the video uses footage of the speaker, with some b-roll of office workers. To cut back on production costs and reduce the need for animation, the company’s workflow strategies are displayed on a white board placed in the shot behind the speaker. Apart from being informative, the whiteboards make for useful footage that gives interest to the visuals. Aside from that, there are some very simple animated transitions between shots.

Choosing a Style and Format That Works

Hopefully seeing these different examples of these instructional videos gives you a better idea of the options available to you. Ultimately, choosing a style and format that works with your budget and objective is integral when providing the information you want in the most effective and engaging way possible.

The post For Instructional Videos, Success Starts With Structure appeared first on SproutVideo.

According to a 2020 study from the Capgemini Research Institute, 79 percent of consumers make purchases based on sustainability. This trend is only accelerating, as Millennials and Gen Z age into the prime marketing bracket of 25- to 45-year-olds. According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, 71% of Millennial and 67% of Gen Z respondents said addressing climate change should be a top priority to ensure “a sustainable planet for future generations”.

Consumers are deciding which companies they support based on hard evidence of eco-friendly policies, rather than greenwashing advertising campaigns that merely pay lip service to environmental concerns. 

The difference between greenwashing and making valid claims of environmental responsibility about your business is the focus of a new paper released this month by the American Association of Advertising Agencies, more commonly known as the 4A’s.

“Consumers are starting to push even harder, requiring that brands go beyond just touting their environmental efforts, to actually proving that those efforts are resulting in real change,” the 4A’s study says. “It’s increasingly clear that just slapping the word ‘green’ on your package labeling and promising to recycle is no longer going to cut it with most consumers.”

The writing is on the wall; environmental sustainability is important to consumers and needs to be a part of your brand’s messaging for long-term success.

In the rest of this post, we’ll go over how to avoid the pitfalls of greenwashing. We’ll also clarify what makes a business environmentally sustainable, and how you can align these values with your company’s marketing strategy. 

What is Greenwashing?

Greenwashing is a deceptive marketing strategy in which a company claims to be environmentally friendly to generate positive public perception, while in reality its claims are unsubstantiated or outright false. In other words, greenwashing in marketing is talking the talk but not walking the walk.

The phenomenon of greenwashing occurs across nearly every industry, from automotive, to fashion, to agriculture, and more.

The recent advertising strategy of multinational oil and glass conglomerate BP is a prime example of greenwashing. In the early 2000s, BP, formerly known as the British Petroleum Company, rebranded itself with the registered trademark “beyond petroleum”. It also redesigned its logo with a yellow and green sunburst pattern that remains to this day. These cosmetic changes, which borrow the visual language of environmentalism, are soft examples of greenwashing. However, they do not actually present false information about the company’s environmental policies.

More problematic for BP are its claims that it is committed to developing clean and renewable energy. In 2019, the environmental organization ClientEarth filed a formal legal complaint against BP with the Organisation for Economic for Co-operation and Development (OECD), which works to set standards for economic policies and to promote global trade. 

In the complaint, ClientEarth said that BP’s advertising campaign misled the public on its commitment to green policies. ClientEarth claims it did this by focusing on its low-carbon energy products, while still committing 96 percent of its annual spending on fossil fuels. The legal challenge was upheld by the UK’s OECD office, and BP subsequently ended its low-carbon marketing campaign in early 2020. 

This is an example of an environmental watchdog taking a major corporation to task for greenwashing, but social media is also another avenue for backlash over false or misleading claims. In some cases, a company’s own social media strategy can turn against itself.

McDonald’s Twitter campaign highlighting farmers in the fast-food giant’s supply chain serves as a cautionary tale.

“When the company launched the Twitter campaign around the hashtag #McDStories, it hoped to give customers and suppliers a venue to share positive stories about the farmers who produce ingredients for Big Macs and Chicken Nuggets,” the authors of a paper in the Journal of Business Ethics wrote in 2013. “Almost immediately the Twitter verse pushed back with a flood of negative #McDStories about food poisoning, low labor standards and animal welfare concerns at the fast-food chain. Within hours, the embarrassed company pulled the campaign.”

Numerous other examples can be found with companies like Chevron, H&M, Coca-Cola, Volkswagen, Nestlé, and Lululemon, to name a few. 

Regardless of where the greenwashing takes place, be it print, television, or online, critical takes on social media platforms will drive public perception in ways that will ultimately damage the offending brand. It’s also important to note that younger consumers are much more active on social media. And this group can exponentially multiply the negative consequences of greenwashing. 

The lessons from BP or McDonald’s marketing missteps are clear: Greenwashing does not escape public scrutiny. The public relations damage might be manageable for megacorporations, but similar situations could be a death knell for small businesses and start-ups. Therefore it’s important for your company’s marketing team to keep these lessons in mind when crafting your own message. 

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How Environmental Claims are Monitored and Measured

In order to avoid greenwashing and to market legitimate environmental claims about your business, your marketing and communications teams must understand how government agencies and private sector associations classify and award certifications for green policies.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s Green Guides provide guidance around making environmental claims in advertising, and clarify usage of third-party certifications that acknowledge a company or product’s green attributes. The Guides themselves are not enforceable laws, but serve as standards upon which the FTC could potentially mount a legal challenge against a company suspected of a violation.

As a marketer, it’s important to be aware of what environmental claims your company is making in its advertisements, and what evidence there is to support those claims. It is better for your team to discuss these issues proactively beforehand, rather than letting them happen in a courtroom or on social media after the fact.

The Guides go into detail about the different types of claims that are commonly made in advertising. These include general environmental benefits, carbon offsets, and certifications and seals of approval. The majority of other claims apply specifically to material products. Recyclability, toxicity, and usage of renewable energies or materials are all factors that consumer watchdogs and government agencies carefully scrutinize in this category.

More guidance on environmental labels and performance standards is available through the  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also maintains an index of ecolabels for agricultural products.

Business associations also set standards for environmental claims. The Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division has noticed an uptick in complaints about false environmental claims it has received.

“Once you see something become a priority for consumers, the response of course is for the industry to offer products that meet that demand, and I think that is why we have seen an increase in challenges to environmental claims, a high-profile issue that a lot of consumers are concerned about,” said NAD VP Laura Brett.

Leveraging Green Advertising for Your Brand

Damage from greenwashing is not isolated to companies that produce material products. If your company provides a service, (such as producing digital content), it may have very little environmental impact. Still, there are ways for your company to promote an environmentally conscious existence and message.

If your company supports an environmental cause or organization, it’s important to highlight that relationship. Of course, it’s also imperative for your company to vet whatever cause or organization it supports. Otherwise, a supposedly good deed could become a liability. Well-established organizations that are widely featured in major media outlets are typically safe choices. Make sure to do your research.

Advertising your company’s commitment to environmentalism, either through its own behavior or its support of environmental organizations, is a great way to tell your customers that you’re aligned with their increasing desire to be green. Just make sure that the commitment is more than just advertising.

The post What Your Business Needs to Know About Greenwashing in Advertising appeared first on SproutVideo.