In this article, we will learn how to make B2B marketing videos that convert views into leads. We’ll also get an overview of what makes a good lead generation video, as well as some tips for creating compelling content for your LinkedIn lead generation strategy in general.

By the end of this article, you will be able to:

• Understand how marketers use videos effectively
• Demonstrate knowledge about effective techniques for making high converting marketing videos for LinkedIn
• Discover which types of marketing videos work best to generate traffic or sales
• What the elements of a successful LinkedIn video are

How to Get Started Using LinkedIn for Business Marketing Campaigns

LinkedIn has become one of the most powerful platforms when used correctly. It allows marketers to build their brands, establish authority around specific topics, attract clients, recruit top talent, and increase sales. But like anything worthwhile, it takes time.

Even though the platform has more than 740 million users, only 2% post content regularly. And when they post, it tends to be text and photos, but not usually video.

Video content is the easiest and quickest way to convey a message, regardless of how complicated or inaccessible you think your product is.

Once you’ve got enough interest and engagement within LinkedIn, start creating valuable content, or maybe even brand yourself as an industry thought leader. There are plenty of ways to make this happen.

1. Create Long-Form Video Content for Your LinkedIn Lead Generation Strategy

LinkedIn is an excellent place to grow your network and generate leads. You can do this by publishing high-quality content that provides value to your target audience. LinkedIn videos are perfect for this because they allow you to showcase what makes your business different and how it can help solve problems for potential customers.

If you don’t know what your marketing videos should be about, think about what you want to be known for. What’s your unique selling proposition? Then follow those steps and create content with actionable advice that people can use in their daily lives. It should also be content that you’re an expert in. Given the opportunity, you could be talking about it for hours.

Also, you should have a strategy about how to deliver your message in video form. The optimal way to create long-form video content on LinkedIn is to do a series of live videos that become your signature style.

2. Produce Detailed, Relevant Content on Your LinkedIn Feed

It’s very important to produce high-quality content that people can use. Most of your content on LinkedIn should be pieces of training, explanations of how to use certain products, brand stories, and customer video testimonials. This is the type of content you want people to see when they first get in contact with you. It’s what serves your lead generation strategy best, it should be your staple content.

Given that the upload limit time on LinkedIn is 10 minutes, your macro content should be no more than five minutes. Very targeted pieces of content can even be less than two minutes and still be effective. Many companies have chosen to create short marketing videos to show how their work has changed the lives of their clients.

Once these “video business cards” are created, they are shared on LinkedIn periodically to ensure the brand stays top of mind for consumers, and LinkedIn leads continue to get generated.

3. Post Short-Form Videos on Your Feed to Attract as Many LinkeIn Leads as Possible

Most of the content posted on LinkedIn should be short-form, mainly coming from your longer type of content. The main advantage of micro-content is that it catches people’s attention and helps you stay top of mind. It shouldn’t be longer than three minutes because most people wouldn’t be interested in watching videos longer than that.

There are two types of marketing videos that you could post on LinkedIn: native videos created directly on LinkedIn, and video ads, which are sponsored videos that appear on users’ feeds. The most effective ones are native videos because they attract people’s attention more effectively.

Microcontent should be whatever you want it to be; from tips, techniques, information about how to get a quick win, the possibilities are endless. The ideal case would be to tell a personal story in a unique and memorable way. But it is very important to tell a story related to business because ultimately, LinkedIn is a B2B platform.

4. Optimize the Content You Post to Maximize Your LinkedIn Lead Generation Strategy with Video

One of the most important aspects of sharing videos online is to make them as relevant and compelling as possible so that your account creates traction in a matter of days. Follow these guidelines, and you’ll be on the right track.

• Write a compelling headline that will hook viewers into watching your entire video.
• Always include a call to action at the end of every LinkedIn message so people can easily click through to learn more.
• Create engaging thumbnail images: Use relevant keywords when creating these thumbnails because search engines will rank them by relevance.
• You need to have a strong elevator pitch at the beginning of your video, which means describing your brand in just two sentences.
• Never spam links throughout your video. People hate getting spammed on Facebook and YouTube, so be careful not to do that here either.
• Keep your audio quality good enough to listen to while driving.
• Make sure your video loads fast and plays smoothly.
• Always add text overlays to explain specific terms. These are important to understand before going live.
• Lastly, try uploading multiple short videos instead of one long video. This way, you’ll keep engagement higher.

Final Word

LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals and is the perfect platform to generate leads. Video marketing can help you communicate your message or brand message in a way that is more appealing, entertaining, personal, and easier to understand.

Sales professionals should create marketing videos to explain their products or services instead of just writing about them. These videos can help move prospects into the sales funnel effectively.

The post 4 Tips for Making B2B Marketing Videos that Drive LinkedIn Conversions appeared first on SproutVideo.

Sometimes interview videos don’t work out the way you expected. There might be inclement weather, or someone got sick. Maybe the lighting is terrible or someone forgot the “hero” prop. Or maybe you start editing the footage and think, “Wow, this is one boring interview.”

We can’t do anything about Mother Nature or forgetful crews. But we can certainly talk about things you can do to produce interviews people actually want to watch. And it all comes back to the basics: Location, lighting, audio, framing, and B-roll.

Throughout this post, we’ll be examining each of these basics aspects of filming to help you improve your next interview video. (And no, you won’t need to hypnotize anyone in order to get them to watch.)

Back to the Filmmaking Basics

It’s rare for a video shoot to go absolutely perfectly. But no matter what the challenge is, it’s the filmmaker’s job to pick up the pieces and make something a client, manager, or customer will enjoy watching.

That’s especially true when it comes to interviews. You can control the lighting and atmosphere (more on that in a bit), and you can use your natural charms to make your subject comfortable and encourage better answers from them. But that’s only a start.

Think about the best interview you’ve ever seen. If you sat and watched the untouched footage, there’s a pretty good chance you wouldn’t last 5 minutes into the video. 

It’s all too easy to lose interest when a project isn’t the most exciting to shoot and edit. And when that happens, we often fall back on habits, like the things we learned in Videography 101.

So yes, everything on that list might feel like an elementary part of filmmaking. But sometimes building blocks are the things we take for granted. All you need is a simple trick to get new ideas. And what could be simpler than modified versions of the oldest tricks in the book?

Don’t Obsess About the Location

One of the biggest complaints about interviews is where they’re shot. In most cases, you’ll be in an office space. But your locations might vary; they might feel like a cold and grim hospital room, or an abandoned downtown loft.

If you fixate on the challenges of the location, you could overcorrect or, worse, you might give up on trying to deal with it and slap a bandaid on it in post-production.

This is where the “lemons out of lemonade” idea comes into play. And set design is going to be your favorite lemon to use, because it gives you at least a little creative control.

Is the space a little too busy? Find anything not nailed down and move it. Is it too empty? Beg, borrow, or steal props from any other room you can access. You use lighting or white balance to create a tone or guide the viewer’s eye, but you still need to establish visual interest in the very first frames of the video.

The unfortunate thing is that you won’t always have the opportunity to scout a location and choose it beforehand. That’s why you want to focus on finding a good spot as soon as you arrive on set for a project.

… But Do Obsess About the Lighting

If you’re working with a client, lighting is the hill you should choose to die on (if you have to). It’s not always easy to explain the concept to someone, but how you light a scene literally sets the tone of the entire production.

The good news is you don’t need thousands of dollars of equipment to have a good interview lighting setup. But you will want to use the tools you do have, whether that’s your own gear, or nearby windows, or your DIY diffusers.

Take advantage of natural lighting when possible. If you can’t get a location with nice windows, use your own lighting to recreate a natural vibe.

Here’s an extra tip: By placing your lights outside the windows, you can get ahead of the clock before the weather or lighting changes. The set gets to keep its natural look, and you don’t have to deal with a hundred adjustments if the sky becomes overcast or midmorning becomes midafternoon.

Plan to Deal With Audio Early

When you’re heading to scout a location (or taking stock of the situation when you arrive to shoot), you’ll want to pay attention to the audio as well as the visuals. Nothing’s worse than shooting an entire interview, starting to edit the footage, and discovering an awful A/C unit humming along in the background.

You can do a lot of magic to clean up footage, and you should always have a backup mic to capture audio. But if you don’t check for ambient sounds, you run the risk of ruining all the hard work you did to transform the client’s cube farm into a swanky penthouse.

There are dozens of resources out there to help point you on the right track, from choosing the right microphone for the project to capturing better audio in less-than-ideal circumstances. Audio is a related but still different artform, and the more attention you pay to it, the better the final product will be. 

Frame Each Angle With Care

Once again, make sure you’re taking advantage of the effort you put into the previous topics. 

The cool view from a distant window or the weird lamp behind a couch provides visual depth; that sort of thing matters when you’re setting the scene and adding some visual interest. But if you’re not framing your subject front and center, the viewer won’t appreciate any of the  background…because they won’t be paying attention anymore.

Sure, people will appreciate the cinematic qualities of your set. Just don’t forget that they’re watching the interview to hear what the interviewee has to say — not to appreciate your clever production design.

There’s a reason framing is often a thing we associate with our favorite filmmakers and directors. Applying similar concepts to interview videos is an easy way to elevate the entire project.

Capture More B-roll Than You Need

Knowing how to conduct a video interview is something that comes with time. But even if you’re not the best conversationalist, you can pair the subject’s answers with b-roll footage that establishes the idea and emotions even if their answers don’t clearly state them.

There’s a saying that you can never know which angle you needed until the shoot is over.

So, just get every shot you can. It might add a little time to post-production, but that’s a better problem to deal with than getting compelling interview content with no b-roll visuals to match it.

Why People Love Interview Videos

Our cultural obsession with interviews is a strange thing. People will spend hours each week listening to podcast interviews, or watch every interview that features their favorite social media personalities.

For a civilization that (as a general rule of thumb) can’t wait to get out of school, we’re all happy to learn from expert or entertaining voices. Think about the importance of TED Talks, or talk shows on YouTube, or the rise of educators on Twitch.

We love discovering new things and hearing stories, and interview videos combine information and emotion with visual elements that help tell people’s stories. So even if your next project or client job seems like it could be a nap-inducing interview, think of it as a challenge that you can transform into a piece that could inspire or change someone’s life.

There aren’t many better “calls to action” for a filmmaker than that, huh?

The post How to Produce Interview Videos That People Actually Want to Watch appeared first on SproutVideo.

The best way to set your company apart in the recruiting marketplace is to highlight your company culture. Company culture can define the tone for your work environment and has a substantial impact on employee satisfaction within their role.

If you have a great culture, show it off in a video! Having a company culture video is a great way to present the best parts of the company to potential candidates – especially when trying to recruit Millennials and Gen Z’s. It’s a strong addition to any recruiting landing page and a great way to show that your company is down to earth.

Keep reading for six tips for leveraging your company culture with video to drive successful recruitment campaigns.

Video marketing as a tool to display your company culture

We constantly consume video content on different devices throughout the day. Companies already use video to market products, so it should be a natural transition to use video marketing for recruitment as well.

A great advantage of using video is that it has a higher retention rate. A viewer will remember 95% of a message delivered in video but only 10% when reading it as text. If you want your company culture to be a deciding factor for why candidates choose your organization, be sure to present it in a memorable way.

There are many different directions that you can take with your culture video. However, in order to stand out, you need to follow a few guidelines to promote your employer brand, and encourage candidates to choose your company.

1. Tell a Story

One of the most important factors in creating a successful company culture video is to tell a cohesive story with it instead of just piecing together clips.

You have a lot of choices when deciding what story to tell. You could follow a day in the life of an intern or a senior director. Or, center your company culture video around company values by interviewing different employees’ takes on them. If your company values a strong work-life balance, highlight your team’s input on how it works hard and plays hard.

Your story doesn’t necessarily have to relate to the work day. For example, Basecamp shows a video of different team members doing a taste test between two different coffee brands. This may not give a ton of insight into the company’s work, but it gives viewers an idea that the company is not just focused on their work.

Regardless of the story you present, make sure it is relevant to both your culture and audience. You don’t want to isolate a viewer (and potential future applicant) early on. Research what your target applicants care about, and build elements of it into your video.

2. Elicit a Feeling

Emotions help influence what we buy. If you want a potential candidate to buy into your company as a great place to work, it makes sense to use your video to elicit specific emotions.

There is a variety of methods you can use to help trigger emotions. Two video elements, which work hand-in-hand, that have the biggest impact on emotions are the music and the tone carried throughout the video. The tone of the video can be set by the music, the different video shots, and the tone of voices carried throughout the video. Importantly, you need to ensure that these two factors are reflective of your company culture.

Is your company culture playful and lighthearted? Use a humorous tone and upbeat music to reflect this. Perhaps even consider using shorter scenes to keep the video more fast-paced.

Maybe your culture is a little more serious. You would use slower music and longer, in-depth interviews to show this. Talk about how your company supports the team in their work. Use longer scenes and include more panning shots to help convey this tone.

Before creating your company culture video, identify which aspects of your culture you want to highlight and decide what emotions you want your viewers to experience while watching your video. Having this vision before production will help ensure a more cohesive message.

3. Honesty is the Best Policy

Considering the popularity of Glassdoor and other online forums, your future candidates probably already have a decent grasp on your company culture. Your video will not be groundbreaking information to them, but you can use it to help to frame the narrative around your company’s work environment.

When creating your company culture video, it’s important to first perform an internal assessment on how management defines your culture and how that culture actually plays out in the office. If there are major discrepancies between these two, make sure to discuss it and find an appropriate approach for your video.

Try to show off the real culture of your business. This will help ensure that the candidates you’re interviewing are culture matches because they are able to make a preliminary decision about your organization before even applying.

It’s important to note that company culture is much bigger than the ping-pong tables and nap pods. Although these are fun perks, think about why you offer these perks. Perhaps the ping-pong tables signal a desire for employees to have fun while working. Think about how your core values have influenced your culture, and vice versa.

The truth is going to come out about your culture regardless of your video, so do yourself a favor and be honest about it from the beginning. This will help ensure that your video is a worthy investment and is working to further your brand identity.

4. Use Your People

A great way to humanize your company is to use your own employees in your company culture video. Let the voices and faces of your video be the ones that are seen around the office everyday.

Your employees are the heart of your culture, so it makes sense to use them in the video. Interview different employees about what the company values mean to them. Include a voiceover of someone describing different accomplishments. Add video clips illustrating the team working collaboratively and spending time together outside of working hours.

Your employees should be your biggest ambassadors, so give them a platform to speak about why they chose your company and why they stay there.

5. Be Unique

Spoiler alert: your company culture video is unlikely to be the first one a candidate has seen. Many companies make use of these videos to appeal to potential candidates and boost conversation surrounding the work environment.

Put your own creative spin on your company culture video. It’s important to highlight what makes your company unique and why someone should want to work for you.

Have fun and be true to who you are as an organization. Your company culture video should reflect the personality of your company.

6. Have a Purpose

Finally, ensure that there is a definite purpose behind your video. Don’t just make this video to tick it off a checklist. It’s an important tool you can use to highlight your company culture—you should use it as such.

In order to figure out the purpose of your video, think about your company’s mission. Think about why people should want to work for you. Use your takeaways to guide the direction of your video in order to see the best results.

Identify what makes your organization unique and run with it!

Prime Examples

There are many companies that have done an amazing job to use company culture videos to enhance their brand (and some that didn’t work quite as well). These three brands are a great place to start your research on creating your own video.

Dropbox

The file hosting company Dropbox uses puppets to help showcase their company culture. The video emphasizes the positivity and work-life balance apparent in the workplace. This fun video makes you view this company in a new light outside of its product.

Starbucks

The coffee giant does a great job using their company culture video to highlight the impact that partners can have early in their careers at Starbucks’ corporate office. From interns to the rotational leadership development partners, the video’s creator interviews different employees who highlight their experience and the happiness that comes from their work culture.

Shopify

Shopify uses a quirky, out-of-the-box approach for their company culture video. The video highlights the recruiting team taking the phrase “how to draw an owl” a little too seriously and follows the aftermath. Shopify does a great job of showcasing their unique culture through this video.

Getting Started

Culture videos are great assets to add to your recruiting toolbox. With many free video editing software tools for beginners, the barrier to entry is quite low. It’s a unique way to introduce potential candidates and others to your work environment.

However, in order for these videos to help grow your brand, make sure that you let your company’s personality shine through. You continue to work at your company for a reason. Let your video help convince your future team members to do the same.

If you’re looking for a way to share your company culture and recruiting videos, look no further! Get started with a 30 day free trial today.

The post Six Tips to Showcase Your Company Culture with Video appeared first on SproutVideo.

You have probably heard it dozens of times by now: if you aren’t leveraging video content to help grow your business these days, you are going to be left behind by the competition.

But beyond the general advice that you “must have video”, how do you best utilize the content you produce to achieve the results you need? How can you ensure that you will squeeze every bit of value from your video productions, making your investment in their quality worthwhile?

In this post, we’ll walk you through common pitfalls to avoid, as well as a strategy for success to maximize your video ROI.

Common Problems That Impact Video ROI

In our experience, there are some common issues that crop up time and again when companies get started with video production projects. Here’s our breakdown of what can go wrong, and how to avoid these types of problems.

Overwhelming Options

If you are new to the world of video content marketing and branding, the options can be overwhelming at first. The production process itself can seem opaque, with an endless assortment of vendors to choose from, equipment names that may mean nothing to you, and seemingly infinite platforms and formats to consider.

You may have dipped your toe in the pool with the simple idea of “I’ll make a video, put all of my messaging into it, and set it loose in the wild”. For many companies, this is as far as they get during the planning stage. Then, when they run up against obstacles or have trouble tracking the returns their videos provide, they get discouraged.

Cutting Corners

The first alternative that may come to mind is to try to reduce cost of your video productions. The reality is that you shouldn’t cut too many corners when it comes to video. Often, these shortcuts will end up costing you more in the long run.

For instance, shooting at a lower quality will quickly make your video look dated. Bad lighting, poor audio, or shaky footage can also torpedo an otherwise sound idea for a video.

Getting More Out Of Your Project

Instead, sometimes the best way to maximize the value of your video production is to create more than one video from the same footage, and to plan for that goal from the very beginning. While this may not work with all video productions, it can be a powerful tool in the right situation and result in more effective videos that target specific people in your audience.

With that in mind, here are a few tips to get you started.

Start With the Audience

Who specifically you are talking to, and what interests them?

To produce a video that resonates, you need to understand your audience. It may even be worth your while to create specific viewer personas to help you finesse your messaging.

Compile information about viewer demographics, location, devices, and any information you can find about where they like to hang out online. Do they read certain publications? Which social media platforms do they use? What kind of content does well on those sites?

The more details you have about your intended audience, the more likely you’ll be able to produce an engaging video for them.

Craft Your Messaging Carefully

Now that you know who you’re talking to, consider what you want to say to them.

One of the most important pieces of advice when it comes to producing videos is to pare down your messaging, especially if it’s a broad overview or general branding video. One mistake businesses make when they’re new to the world of video production is cramming all of their talking points into a single video and then dropping it onto their home page.

This doesn’t work for a number of reasons. First, by diluting each message with other messages that may not be relevant to the viewer you are engaging, you are weakening all of them. Also, your video will likely run too long for modern internet attention spans, especially for viewers mismatched with your format. For instance, C-level viewers at a large corporation will want a video they watch to be much shorter than a detail-oriented engineer might.

So what do you do?

Identify Your Key Viewer Personas

For most businesses, there is an assortment of archetypal viewers that you are probably aware of through your own market research. Here are some examples:

• High-level viewers – these could be CEOs or they could be the average customer who just wants a mile-high view of your offering.

• Edification viewers – these people may be more interested in what your customers or professional reviewers have to say than anything else.

• Technical viewers – these viewers want to get into the nitty gritty of what your company does or how its products and services work.

Once you have some target audience members and interests mapped out, you can jump into the most important phase of any video production: planning.

Map Your Messaging to Your Viewers

For each kind of viewer, pick a few pieces of messaging that you absolutely must convey to them. This could be as simple as how you want them to feel about your brand, or it could be as detailed as specific technical aspects of your offering that are vital for a customer to understand.

The most important thing to do is to make sure you are matching these pieces accurately with the archetypes you have identified in the previous step. Here is a general breakdown of concepts and common viewer archetypes, though yours could be different:

• High-level viewers – brand “tone”, emotional story, establishing visual language of your business.

• Edification viewers – show customers getting results, show real world examples, show smiling, happy faces.

• Technical viewers – product shots, detailed close-ups, shots that show process or “how to”.

Viewer Venn Diagrams

Once you have these kinds of details mapped out, you can start to look for overlap between them. This can be covered in the scriptwriting phase, or it may be useful to do it through rough storyboards or shot lists.

A good video production company should be able to assist you with this part of the planning process, but you may find it beneficial to do a pass on your own. After all, no outside vendor is going to know your business and your product or service as well as you. Being able to hand them a list and show them exactly what you want is going to be an invaluable resource.

So what kinds of elements of a video might overlap between these viewers? Showing customers achieving results and their smiling faces lines up well with creating a brand tone and emotional story, for instance. Detailed close-ups and product shots can establish visual language as well as show real world examples of customers using your product.

The more you look at your messaging in this way, the easier it becomes to see multiple purposes for all of the shots you will need to acquire on the production day. Once you have some experience with this process, you’ll be doing it automatically when you create video concepts.

Writing the Script and Bringing the Shot Lists Together

Now that you have a list of shots that coincide with each audience, you can begin writing your scripts. This could include anything from questions to ask existing customers in order to capture sound bites to a voiceover script—in fact, it will be probably include both for this process. Take your shot lists and place them alongside the different voiceovers and you will start to see a blueprint emerge.

You now have three scripts: the high level “emotional branding” video, the customer-focused video and the technical video. Each will use many or all of the same visuals, each spun in different directions by voiceovers or sound bites.

Design a Roadmap With Your Content

One final piece you will need is the roadmap for sharing your content. Since you have gone through the trouble of planning out videos that target and appeal to specific viewers, you want to be intentional with where and how you share your videos.

Short, promotional videos are ideal to share on social media. There, they can build brand awareness and help you reach new audiences. Whether you’re using your videos in ads, or sharing them with specific groups or hashtags, you can be very targeted while still reaching a broad audience.

Your longer videos that tell more of your brand story likely belong on your website or blog. A professional video hosting provider will offer the tools you need to ensure the videos help bolster your on-site SEO, while engaging viewers and keeping visitors on your website. Tools like custom post-play screens or email capture can help continue the conversation once you catch their eye.

Producing the Video and Managing Scope

This is where a professional video production company comes in. After sharing your plan with them, it will be up to them to ensure the logistics of shooting and the scope of the required footage is manageable within your budget and time constraints.

Adjustments to the scripts and shot lists may be in order, but by collaborating with a vendor that is familiar with the ins and outs of the process, you can agree on a schedule that isn’t too ambitious while still covering enough bases to capture the shots you need. This includes discovering which shots will work as both long takes (for demonstrations) and shorter snippets (for pure visual flare or emotional resonance), and building those into the schedule with multiple end uses in mind.

Final Thoughts

This process will not replace all kinds of productions. Some very technical videos may take a long time to shoot, for example. Sometimes capturing just the right footage for high-level content takes a type of artistry that can’t be rushed.

But for the right kinds of projects and with a well-thought out plan, creating multiple videos out of a single project can be a great way to maximize your investment in video production and ensure you’re talking to the right audience with the right message.

The post How to Maximize Your Investment in Video Production appeared first on SproutVideo.

Testimonial videos that feel rote, generic, or coached aren’t going to inspire trust in your brand — quite the opposite. If you want to create testimonial videos that customers really listen to, you need to improve your techniques.

In this guest post from D-Mak Productions, we explore six trade secrets to producing compelling testimonial videos.

1. Prepare a list of questions beforehand — and make sure they’re the right ones.

To build a testimonial video, you first need to ask your customer questions. Your customer’s responses will build up the content of your video.

Asking the right questions is critically important. Give your customers something to go on, but don’t lead them too far. A testimonial has to be in their own words and their own voice.

Here are some open-ended questions you can ask that are neither too general nor too leading:

• What problems were you having that eventually led you to contact us?
• Which products and services were most interesting to you, and why?
• How did our product and service change the way that you do business?
• What were you concerned about when reviewing our product or service prior to purchase?
• What would you tell others who are considering our product or service?
• Was there anything that surprised you about our service?
• What made you the happiest about our service?

The key is to ask specific questions that inspire a conversation. Do some research on your subject beforehand to come up with unique questions that really get at their use-case or experience. Once you get the conversation flowing, you’ll have a much easier time getting the clips you need.

2. Structure your testimonial as a story

Your primary goal is to tell a story. All engaging videos have a storyline. In this situation, you’re telling a story through your customer. All stories have a beginning, middle, and end.

For a testimonial, the beginning is defined by their problem. What issues were they experiencing that led them to seek out your solution? What impact were these problems having on their life?

Next, you get to the middle part, which is the hunt for a good solution. How did they find our solution? What were their primary concerns moving forward? Did they buy your solution immediately, or did they need to think about it? Did they buy from someone else and have a less than desirable experience? Why did they ultimately decide to commit to your solution?

Finally, explore the ultimate impact your solution had on their problem. What were the things they expected — and what were the things that they didn’t expect?

For instance, in this example testimonial video for MDS Medical, we structured it to showcase the problems participants were facing upfront. As the video progresses, you get a clear sense for the value they ultimately received from attending the event.

Personalize the experience

All of the questions above seek to personalize the testimonial experience. They give your customer something to talk about, while also creating a frame for your customer’s story.

Don’t be afraid to ask additional questions as your testimonial video is shot. There may be some answers that you just didn’t expect or some things that you feel need a follow up. The more content you have when shooting your testimonial video, the better. It’ll give you more options when you’re editing it later on.

3. Scout out your location beforehand and choose wisely.

A testimonial takes a while to shoot. Find a brightly lit area that doesn’t have a lot of traffic or a lot of background noise. Practice shooting ahead of time, so you can figure out whether there may be any issues with the angle you’re shooting, or with the amount of noise from passersby. A bright, outdoor area is often preferred: it’s professional, lively, and engaging.

In this example, we filmed in several different locations for this testimonial video, which allowed us to give viewers a better sense of the entire event.

We were able to set up and film different vantage points efficiently because we took the time to scout the locations ahead of time.

Of course you can always shoot at a customer’s business, or even your own business. Just make sure that the background isn’t cluttered and that your customer is comfortable.

Most of all, you want a setting that feels natural; don’t use green screens or any other visual or digital tricks, because it’ll make the entire video appear to be inauthentic.

When scouting a location, pay special attention to the time of day, and the amount of light that you’ll get; lighting is one of the most important aspects of a video production. If you need to, get the appropriate licenses and permits in advance. Always remember that just the day of week can radically alter how busy a location is.

4. Record in high quality or hire a professional video production company.

Your testimonial needs to seem authentic, but that doesn’t mean it can be shot on a cellphone. It’s important to invest in high quality recording equipment, which can be either purchased outright or rented by the day. The higher quality your shoot is, the more professional the end result will be. A professional testimonial video is going to feel as though it has far more authority.

There are some advantages to hiring a professional video company rather than attempting to shoot on your own. It can be less expensive; a professional video company has reduced overhead because they already own all of the relevant equipment and have staff standing by to assist.

A professional video company can also streamline the process of optimizing and editing your video, as they can do this all in-house from the shots they filmed. And, of course, you usually have as much control over the process as you’d like. You can advise the company regarding your vision for the testimonial as it is shot and edited.

Read this post for more on whether you should hire a production company or film it yourself.

5. Avoid “artificial” testimonial videos by engaging your customer without coaching them

What makes a testimonial feel artificial? Usually, it’s when it seems as though the subject is being fed their lines. Generally speaking, people will automatically lose interest in whatever they’re saying.

Common pitfalls for testimonial videos

There are a lot of reasons why testimonial videos might feel “coached.” Here are a few of the most common issues:

• Giving them a script. Even if the script is written based on the customer’s own words, its still going to sound stilted. Instead, have them talk to you as though you’re having a normal conversation.
• Running identical repeated takes. There’s a limit on how many takes you can run and still have your customer sound authentic. As you run multiple takes, try to vary your questions and approach. You may get different answers each time, some of which may be more exciting than others.
• Prepping them on what to say. Try not to tell your customers what to focus on, or what you want them to say. It’s easy for these talking points to become a common thread through testimonials. Eventually, it will seem as though all of your testimonials are coached. Additionally, it burdens your customer with something else they need to think about when shooting.
• Feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes a customer just feels overwhelmed by the process. After all, many people haven’t been in front of a professional video camera before. Try to distract them by talking to them one-on-one and easing them into the shoot. Let them know what they can expect in terms of what’s going to happen and which questions are going to be asked. Then, try to let everything else follow naturally.

Some preparation is OK

Make sure your client has a clear picture of the overall process well before the shoot, and then progress from there with the tips above. This will allow them to feel prepared without being coached.

For this testimonial video, we were able to obtain highly specific and valuable sound bites by asking open-ended questions. We did not coach the subjects, but rather gave them enough to go on to get the ball rolling.

You want their words to be as extemporaneous as possible, as these words are going to feel the most legitimate. If you’re writing all your testimonials yourself, they’ll likely all start sounding the same — they’ll sound like you.

6. Make sure you’ve actually met and exceeded customers expectations before having them film a testimonial.

Don’t ask a customer to film a testimonial and then ask them whether they were happy with your service. The truth is that most people just want to help out, and even if they thought your service was mediocre, they’ll still jump on board. Unfortunately, they won’t have the best or most engaging things to say.

Instead, make sure you’ve met or exceeded a customer’s expectations, and then ask them to film a testimonial. A customer who was truly blown away by your company is going to have unique, interesting things to say about your business, their expectations, and the end result.

Your goal is to find customers who truly want to champion your business. Ideally, customers who are excited about the products that you offer and who want to bring other customers in.

Choose your testimonial subjects very carefully. Look for customers who have already brought other customers on board through a referral program or word-of-mouth. They likely have good things to share about your business.

It can be tempting to bring anyone to a testimonial when you’re trying to build up your content. However, a single unique, insightful, and funny testimonial is going to be worth much more than a few bland, generic ones that don’t adequately convey how your company is different.

Difference is the key: any company can provide a product or service. The customer needs to know why they should choose your company.

Key Takeaways

Once you’ve been able to apply these techniques, you should be able to get natural sounding, engaging, and exciting testimonial videos for your prospective customers.

Ultimately, remember:

• Authenticity matters more than anything else. Make sure your customers are truly excited and able to convey that in their own words.
• After authenticity comes quality. Film your testimonials with professional-grade equipment or hire a professional to do so.
• After quality comes preparation. By reviewing your questions, site, and equipment beforehand, you can reduce any risks.

Have a question about putting together a compelling testimonial video? Get expert advice in the comments below.

The post Improve Your Testimonial Videos With These Six Secret Techniques appeared first on SproutVideo.

For that reason, video production companies rely on freelancers with highly specialized skill sets. Since freelancers are typically hired per project, on-boarding these new team members presents its own challenges.

In this guest post from Melty Cone Video, they share their expertise in hiring freelancers. Here are their tips for consistently promoting great working relationships, efficient working environments, and ensuring smooth shoot days.

Determining Which Freelancers to Hire

Freelancers fill gaps in your teams’ existing expertise and enable you to achieve a better end result. It’s almost always worthwhile to hire someone specialized in a particular area than trying to do everything yourself.

Most video producers have a basic idea of the crew members required to make a high quality video.  For every job, we typically hire “department heads.” Here’s a rundown of their titles and typical responsibilities:

• Directors of Photography (DPs) – responsible for artistic and technical decisions related to the visuals being captured
• Key Grip – responsible for assembling and maintaining all camera supports
• Electric (Gaffer) – in charge of the electrical wiring and setup for the production
• Makeup Artist or Key Makeup Artist – tasked with applying and touching up makeup to the cast
• Art Director – responsible for the visual style on film, including props and the set
• Sound Mixer – captures the audio on set

Depending on the production, you may need additional specialties like special effects, prosthetics, animation, and more.

From there, each video production entails an intricate conversation related to the creative framework, the budget, and the support each department needs to function smoothly. Generally speaking, you hire a department head at a minimum, and supporting crew members underneath them as needed.

Balancing Crew Members Across Departments

In most scenarios, more crew members supporting a department head means faster setups, smoother transitions on set, and a quicker pace overall. In the most literal of ways, one person isn’t doubling the time it takes to do something by going back and forth carrying equipment from point A to point B – he or she has an assistant helping out.

On the other hand, more crew members and freelancers means more money spent from the budget. Finding the right balance between budget and departmental needs is the key to determining the number of freelancers for a production.

Taking a Top-Down Approach

In general, producers are smart to follow a top-down approach when allocating budget and resources. First, determine the department heads you need based on the scope of the project. Then, we recommend having in-depth conversations about requirements with those department heads.

For example, say a video script includes a lot of shots and camera movements, but not a lot of props or work to be done to dress the set. It would not make sense to allocate the same budget and staff to your camera and Grip and Electric (G&E) departments as to your art department. You’d be shortchanging your camera and G&E teams, and overkill on the art department.

Stick to the Project Requirements

The note on budget is an important one to keep in mind. For department heads, they may understandably lean on the side of preferring more support and more crew members.

However, in producing videos for businesses, it’s imperative to view the project as a whole in terms of the desired end result. Will there be graphics? Are there elements in post-production that hold more weight in the video? Does the client value sleek cinematography over acting, or good acting and simple camera setups?

In that regard, it’s smart to walk backwards with your department heads to determine the ideal scenario of support and resources across all teams. For example, if a DP wants two camera assistants and six G&E crew members, but your budget is limited, a compromise might be best.

You could hire two camera assistants, four G&E crew members, and two Production Assistants that specifically help everyone in those departments. That way, the production is more economical, but you aren’t necessarily losing out on efficiency in terms of manpower.

Of course, it’s important to not stifle a production. If the schedule is aggressive, it’s not wise to leave a DP without a lot of support and expect them to both capture amazing footage and move incredibly quickly.

Clarity and Transparency With Freelancers

The basic foundation of hiring freelancers is simple communication of three things – role, rate, and date. Many times, simply referring to the role is enough for a freelancer.

For instance, a Best Boy Electric (BBE) and a Producer both know the expectation of a BBE on a crew. They don’t need to have a conversation related to what types of clamps the BBE will use. If a Producer reaches out and mentions that role, the rate, and the date from the start, in total clarity and transparency, that freelancer enters the production knowing that the boundaries of his or her job are rock solid for the dates committed.

Text to Hire?

Compared to normal hiring processes, hiring freelancers is often absurdly quick and informal. It might just be a 10 minute conversation, or a few text messages.

We reach out to freelancers, confirm details, and expect them on set.  Following the principles of clarity and transparency help smooth that out. Importantly, it conveys the impression of a professional working environment on a production.

That same conversation should take place with every crew member, down to each individual PA. Although brief, it mirrors the same environment as a conversation with HR when accepting a job in an office environment. The terms, pay, and specific role are clearly stated upfront.

That type of attitude is pivotal for a production where everything has to go completely right. A client doesn’t want to hear that a production fell apart because freelancers and crew members were upset. A client wants to show up on set for a video produced for their business and immediately feel like operations at hand are buttoned up and running smoothly.

The number one rule with hiring freelancers is clarity and transparency. Freelancers want to feel that the world they’re stepping into is the one they’ll encounter, consistently, for the rest of the production.

In some scenarios, we need to elaborate on details beyond role, rate, and pay. Those conversations are usually specific to department heads. Sometimes, they also apply to other people who will play a large role in defining the video production.

Drafting “Deal Memos” With Department Heads

Some freelancers involved in a video production will end up investing a lot of time and energy into the production. Whether they’re communicating amongst the team, communicating with clients, or engaged in the creative vision of the production, their effort can go above and beyond.

Accordingly, they will want to feel that the terms of their work is adequately reflected in some type of formal agreement. This is where a deal memo comes in. It’s essentially a contract for a professional that reflects the specific terms of a production.

When to Put a Deal Memo in Place

The best example of the need for planning and drafting deal memos is directors. When it comes to business video, directors speak with clients to tap into their vision, and tailor a video to their needs. They communicate their best understanding of a project to the department heads working underneath them, including the director of photography, art director, and more.

In that capacity, they regularly plan to commit time beyond a certain amount of shoot days. They prep, scout, speak on conference calls, and meet up with department heads on their own time. They also put a lot of effort into the post-production of a video to ensure the end result reflects their vision. For that reason, their deal memo has to be one that expansively and efficiently encompasses their commitment and leaves them feeling confident in their rate.

Setting the Rate and Detailing Duties

Many times, directors forgo a specific “day rate” on a project and negotiate a rate for the whole project. Though a “rate” might be bid per shoot days, these directors know they will be on preproduction meetings and investing extra time. Therefore, they’ll want to feel like the rate as a whole encompasses all of that effort.

In addition to locking a rate, a deal memo also details the specific duties of the freelancer. For example, a deal memo for a director would stipulate their creative responsibilities as well as their day-to-day job requirements.

As mentioned above, directors are almost always on pre-production meetings with clients to walk them through the vision of the shoot. In videos made for formal business contracts, every step is communicated. Following this, deal memos may specify these types of more formal commitments, such as the pre-production meeting, for the director.

Some crew members and freelancers might be on the same page just by mentioning the role name. However, significant roles, like directors, frequently require more elaboration in the deal memo to outline their responsibilities. Ultimately, the deal memo should clearly define the freelancer’s role, their time commitment, and their rate.

Happy Freelancers Means Happy Clients

Most producers and production companies can point to a familiar network of freelancers they hire on a regular basis. They may even have an informal relationship wherein both parties can chat over dates and already trust each other on rates and roles.

With other freelancers, being clear and transparent means encouraging the type of atmosphere that’s going to bring the best out of freelancers. Within stable bounds, with role, rate, and dates defined, they’ll bring the professionalism every business video production needs. When freelancers are happy, quite frequently, the end result of the production is a client that is happy.

The post How to Hire Freelancers for Business Video Production appeared first on SproutVideo.

It has a lot to do with human psychology. Video as a medium is more engaging than other mediums, tugging at our heartstrings and captivating our attention better than anything else. If you’ve ever cried at a movie, you know what we mean! And, when you use it in your marketing efforts, a lot of these same effects carry through. The difference? That emotion and connection can ultimately help convert a viewer into a paying customer.

In this guest post from our friends at Lemonlight, we’ll take a look at just why video is such a powerhouse and how you can use that to your advantage.

1. One minute of video is worth 1.8 million words.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, video is worth over a million!

Think about it – at 30 frames per second, you get the equivalent of 30,000 words’ worth every second of video. Multiply that by how many seconds long your video is, and that gives you a good idea of how many words your video is worth.

This is anecdotal, of course, but it gives you a good idea of how much more impactful video can be that just images alone. After all, how much could you communicate in 1.8 million words? Even though you’re not literally saying that much (your average minute-long video is about 120 words long), you’re communicating so much more in thoughts, feelings, connections, emotions, memories, and more.

Think about the 60,000 fallacy, an often-cited statistic that claims our brains can process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. Sounds incredible, right?

Though this stat has yet to actually be proven true, it does justify something we so deeply believe to be true – that visuals are more engaging and more powerful than any other form of digital communication. Even if we don’t actually process visuals that efficiently, there is proof we process images faster than text. An MIT study showed the human brain can identify images in as little as 13 milliseconds. Combine that with audio and live, moving images and you’ve got one powerful marketing tool.

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2. Video stimulates numerous senses – telling a more extensive story than just images or words alone can.

Because video is both visual and auditory, it tells a more evocative, memorable story than any other medium. And more than that, evoking these senses to their fullest, for instance using very specific, bright colors, or relatable dialogue, can covertly influence a user’s behavior, sparking memories or nostalgia, fear or curiosity. This emotional response out of your viewers is what fuels their passion and builds a stronger bond between them and your brand.

According to the University of Southern California, an emotional response to an ad has far greater influence on a consumer’s intent to buy than the ad’s content does. So you’ll want to use all the tools at your disposal to get those emotions running.

Not only does an emotional response illicit action, but it also keeps a user watching. Build an emotional rollercoaster – viewers are more likely to continue watching an ad if they experience emotional ups and downs.

Take a look at this video for Robert F. Kennedy High School in Los Angeles. They create a strong emotional connection between the viewer and the students, faculty, and the school’s mission to help students succeed.

3. Video helps create concrete associations.

More specifically, your video should create a strong association between the viewer and your brand.

If someone sees a green mermaid, chances are high they’ll think of Starbucks. If someone hears “I’m lovin’ it,” they’ll think of McDonald’s. These associations are built through branding, and there’s no more effective way to communicate your branding than through video. And there’s no better guarantee of purchase than high brand recall.

How do you do this? Yes, these brand associations take a long time to build. It takes seeing your ad campaigns over and over again before they begin to stand out. But video is one of the easiest ways to reach your audience and one of the most memorable.

The secret? Include characters in your videos that represent your target audience. Seeing characters who look like themselves can help viewers picture themselves using your product or service. Work on creating an aesthetic and make sure all of your marketing collateral follows this same aesthetic. Keep your brand colors, your logo, your style, and more, the same (more on that below.)

Whether it’s a physical association, an emotional association, or an association between the viewer’s pain points and the solution your company offers, your video will help trigger a feeling of belonging within the viewer, one that could turn into a sale.

4. Video helps people remember your brand.

The biggest benefit of creating these brand associations? Developing brand recall and loyalty!

Viewers retain 95 percent of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10 percent when they read it in text. That means people are remembering more of what they see than what they read.

That makes video one of the best mediums for not only cementing your users’ brand associations, but for helping them actually remember your brand.

It seems obvious that video would help users remember things – its visual nature helps your brand stand out, like the logo, color, aesthetic, and style. When you do this over time, you create a visual identity, one that becomes the cornerstone of brand recall.

But it shouldn’t take seeing something that reminds a user of your brand to help them remember you. Once these associations are built, your brand will be top of mind. Now, your job becomes helping the user think of you when they’re faced with a problem you solve. Do this by driving home your branding in connection with your purpose.

Take a look at how Angel Fire Optical does this in their brand video. They portray strong visuals, bright colors, and energetic audio to not only communicate who they are as a brand, but make you think of them next time you need a set of prescription sunglasses.

5. Once a viewer sees your video, they’ll begin to see you everywhere.

It’s called the frequency illusion – and if used strategically, it can lead to a huge lift in your marketing efforts.

Have you ever seen a commercial for something, say a pair of shoes, that didn’t necessarily stand out? You don’t think much of it, but then suddenly, you start to see that pair of shoes everywhere. It’s a phenomenon that occurs when you notice something for the first time and then it seemingly begins to surround you in ads, conversations, on the street, everywhere you look. You’re either going crazy, or maybe this new pair of shoes really is everywhere in the blink of eye?

Turns out, two things happen. One, our natural selective attention kicks in without our knowing it, which makes something like a commercial stand out subconsciously. Second, our confirmation bias kicks in, which confirms our opinion that, yes, everyone is now wearing these shoes, and yes, it’s weird.

In marketing, you can use this psychological trick to retarget your consumer. Show them a video on your website, then show them some banner ads, then, show them social ads. Create consistent brand messaging across distinct channels and you’ll help usher users along the buyer’s journey and, before you know it, your visitor will start to seek you out for more information.

Video is no doubt a powerful tool. Use these video psychology tips to make your viewers feel special, answer their questions, and keep them engaged. The more you get to know your audience, their behaviors, and their likes and dislikes, the more prepared you’ll be to create a stunning video. Better yet, the more likely your viewers will be to convert!

The post The Psychology of Video: Why Video Makes People More Likely to Buy appeared first on SproutVideo.

However, that doesn’t mean the stories told about these products have to be boring. In fact, using video, you can demonstrate the exact opposite. The key to success is to use powerful, emotional connections to sell something that otherwise might be seen as dull.

In this guest post from Bold Content Video, we’ll examine four different campaigns that managed to deliver exciting videos about relatively boring products, with key takeaways for your own business.

Poq – Making Technology Feel Real

Poq is a business-to-business, app commerce company that vastly simplifies online sales for their clients. Their product creates easy-to-use templates clients can customize to sell products online.

Their market is wide.  Anyone in retail knows that modern consumers expect an easy-to-purchase experience. Thus, most online retailers have a website along with an app, where customers can save card details, delivery information, and more. This is where Poq comes in. They design the templates for their clients to use within apps to sell products.

Now, explaining what exactly Poq offers could be very dry, none-the-less wordy. In fact, the best way is to not really explain it at all. Rather, it’s to show how their services can positively affect their clients.

The story the advertisement tells is character-driven, making it the opposite of a traditional product video. The viewer is subtly walked through the process of how Poq’s product is used because it is tied into the story. The payoff at the end (where the main character is given the dress) makes the story memorable, and resonating to the viewer.

You can get an insider view of how Bold Content produced this video for Poq on their blog.

Tip: Telling how the product can help the client, not what the product does.

Dove – Relatable Protagonists

This advertisement from Dove is a great example of a promotional video that uses a social experiment to connect with the participants in the video, and through them, connect with the viewer.

The ad features multiple women who described their features to a sketch artist, who then drew their face. The process is then repeated with a stranger describing the same woman, and a second sketch being drawn of them.

The genuine reactions from the women after viewing their portraits carry through to the viewer. Using a voice-over of reflections from the women drive home the message of the video. Dove’s brand is tied in with a call-to-action at the end of the video.

The video features characters that fall under their target market, which makes them ideal to connect with potential consumers. The social experiment is intriguing, and hooks the viewer from the start. The emotional impact then keeps them engaged.

The overall message of the video is especially relevant in today’s culture. The portrayal of women in the media has been challenged more strongly in recent years, along with the treatment of women in the media industry. This video is very much about exploring different meanings of beauty, and empowering women by encouraging them to see beauty within themselves.

Tip: Make sure your target audience can relate to your protagonist to increase authenticity.

Extra Gum – Unexpected Uses

This product video from Extra Gum is an excellent example of how to promote a product by finding a creative new use for it. The video focuses on the love story of a couple, in which gum wrappers are used in their ultimate engagement.

Everyone is already familiar with gum and its use—you chew it—so how do you make a new gum product video interesting? The creators have demonstrated a new way in which someone can use not the gum, but the wrapper it comes in.

A relationship with its ups and downs is something most people can relate to. This video takes an every-day story and creates significance through the use of the product. Intrigue is created when the viewer sees the male lead begin to write on every wrapper.

The payoff at the end: finding out the gum wrapper is being used as sketch paper to capture each little moment the male lead finds important. While the story features the two young lovers, the gum wrappers end up having a huge significance in how their story evolves.

Tip: Tie in your product in an unexpected manner, and weave it into your story (as a bonus, make it the “hero” of the story).

84 Lumber – Taking a Stand

84 Lumber made their Super Bowl debut back in 2017. This video was so powerful because it told an important story that reflected the current political climate in the US. It put a face to those affected by this climate. The video then tied in 84 Lumber at the end of the video as a savior. 84 Lumber took a stand, but through their story about the child and mother seeking asylum, they created a human connection.

The most interesting thing about this promotional video is that 84 Lumber is a business-to-business company. They tied in their company’s offerings to the story. This allowed the video to become more than just a promo about a company that sells wood.

Tip: Relating current events to your business, and how your business makes an impact, can resonate with audiences.

These product videos have multiple functions: entertainment, brand awareness, and sales development. Yet, they all have one thing in common. They primarily use storytelling to create an emotional connection with the viewer. The product appears in the video almost as a second thought.

They are all carefully crafted, memorable stories. Importantly, they also include a call-to-action that contextualizes the concept and gives the viewer an avenue to learn more about the product.

This approach to a product video is much less in-your-face-sales, and additionally creates a sense of trust. The best product video shows the benefits of using a product through relatable, memorable characters.

The post How to Create Effective Product Videos with Emotional Storytelling appeared first on SproutVideo.

How would you handle a film shoot featuring a member of the British Royal Family? We at Bold Content Video have recently wrapped a project doing just that.

In fact, our set was packed with VIPs, as you can see in the behind-the-scenes photo above. From left to right: Radio DJ Roman Kemp, Former Professional Footballer Rio Ferdinand, The Duke of Cambridge Prince William, Journalist/Influencer Carl Anka, and Musician Loyle Carner.

While it may seem incredibly daunting to conduct such a high-profile event, with the right tips, it will be simpler than you think. Keep reading for our suggestions to help your next VIP (or Royal!) shoot run smoothly.

Some Background…

This film project was a collaboration between ourselves and the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a charity aimed at combating male suicide in the United Kingdom. We have been working together on a campaign called the #BestManProject, which encourages men to be supportive to their friends, and to speak up about how much their best mate means to them.

The shoot with Prince William also included other high-profile speakers such as Rio Ferdinand, Roman Kemp, and Loyle Carner. Not only was there Royal pressure, but additional celebrity pressure as well.

Here’s the end result of our video shoot:

Unique Factors to Keep in Mind

Working with a VIP of any caliber requires some special considerations when planning your shoot. Whether it’s a CEO, expert guest, or celebrity, you’ll have more to juggle, and more pressure to get it all exactly right.

By learning from our experience, you’ll have a leg up on the competition when the time comes.

Confidentiality

The very first thing that stood out about this shoot was the heightened secrecy. Our Production Manager, Joanna, was one of the few people in the company that knew all of the details of the shoot.

She testified,

‘Confidentiality was extremely important. It sounds dramatic, but I can’t downplay it—shoot information was a National Security Issue.

All of the information such as the shooting location, times, even the fact that Prince Williams was going to be there at all needed to be kept under wraps. If the location was leaked to the press, it would not only disrupt our shoot, it could also have put our crew and talent in danger.’

While this may seem melodramatic to you, this was our reality. The security of the set was our responsibility. Breaking confidentiality equalled breaking the trust of our client, so we cannot emphasize this enough.

Palace Reviews

Another aspect that was familiar to us but also much more heightened was our client reviews. Anything and everything we published online that contained footage or stills of Prince William had to be approved by a representative at the Palace. This included any social media posts we wanted to make on the day-of.

Security

While logistics are always taken care of prior to a shoot, the security involved on-set could have caused us a lot of trouble. We got lucky, with the filming location being a closed set. However, were we in a public space, we would have had other challenges such as security checkpoints that our staff would have needed to navigate.

Before you read about our detailed tips for success, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot, and some pointers from the crew:

Tips for Success

Based on our experience, we’re confident you can easily manage a shoot with several VIPs. The key to success is to be heavily prepared, with every minor detail accounted for. Here’s a breakdown of the factors we identified that allowed us to pull off a smooth shoot with all these VIPs.

Delegate Tasks

As with any client project, one of the most important things to make clear is each individual’s responsibilities before, during, and after the project. Making an agenda or task list for staff can go miles towards making sure everything gets taken care of in a timely manner. A group Google Doc could be useful in keeping others accountable and giving the mediator an overview of progress. Daily meetings and constant, clear communication between parties is important to this transparency, as well.

Communication

As they say, communication is key. Working between numerous employees in our company, CALM, and the Palace, it was easy to cross wires. We established a specific chain-of-command when it came to questions and/or information
sharing. We had one person at CALM who communicated with the Palace, and one person at our office that communicated with CALM. This streamlined any concerns or questions we had, and ensured that our queries reached the right
person. Again, this is where Google Docs can be helpful. It allows for documentation of communication and ensures there is no overlapping of responsibilities.

Plan Ahead

We have found from working with other celebrities in the past, oftentimes their time is extremely limited. This was no exception with Prince William: we had exactly one hour in which we could film all of the content we needed. Therefore, it was crucial that we have everything possible prepared ahead of time.

Our in-house director, James, mentioned how he and the crew arrived on-set several hours early: ‘With the first [equipment] turnover scheduled for 4:30 pm, we arrived at 10:00 am to go through both setups and do plenty of crew rehearsals switching between both.’

Obviously, a call-sheet is a must, but we recommend having this call sheet out as soon as is possible (within security restrictions) to give the crew time to brainstorm any issues they may need to remedy prior to shooting.

Dress Code

Although you will certainly be briefed beforehand, make sure you check in with the Palace/your VIP’s representatives on the dress code. For example, we had planned to dress formally, in suits and ties, but in fact we were instructed to dress smart-casual. Meaning: no ties! This was because Prince William himself would not be wearing a suit.

We recommend dressing in layers, and keeping a thing or two in your bag just in case. For men and women, wearing a blazer over your shirt can smarten up your look and is easily removable. Ties, shoes, lipstick, or jackets are all other items you could bring with you to make an easy adjustment if needs be.

Logistics/Security

Though we did not have this challenge, security has the potential to be a large component of the day. You will need to arrange the usual such as crew parking and equipment transfer, but you may also need to navigate security checkpoints.

Providing your staff with ID badges or lanyards may be a good idea if you will be pressed for time. This way security can easily recognize them as someone who belongs on set. Additionally, uniforms are another way to identify your crew, provided they adhere with the dress code.

Interview Do’s and Don’t’s

As with any celebrity, there are going to be questions you may be burning to ask, but shouldn’t. Pre-approving your questions with the Palace/VIP representative can help avoid any awkward queries.

For example, we double-checked with the Palace to make sure it was acceptable to ask Prince William about Prince Harry’s recent engagement. This discussion needs to take place no matter what VIP you have attending to make the day run smoothly.

Read this guide for ensuring a great video interview if you need additional pointers.

Streamline Your Post-Production

After a high-profile shoot, everyone involved will want to share that they were involved. This will probably include your company’s social medias. We had to get approval from our charity partner in addition to the Palace before we could release anything. Having a communication protocol in place helped make this process quicker. This benefit was really two-fold. It not only streamlined our social shares, but we were also able to produce ‘official’ edits much quicker.

There you have it! Your tips for success:

1. Delegate Your Tasks
2. Communication
3. Plan Ahead
4. Check the Dress Code
5. Logistics/Security
6. Interview Style
7. Streamline Editing

In short, most of this is no different from how you would go about any other shoot. As mentioned in the video above, you treat your talent (in this case, Prince William and company) respectfully, just as you would any other talent.

You will want to brainstorm any possible malfunctions (Murphy’s Law) and plan accordingly, just like a normal shoot. Check the dress code, check your interview questions, and check your photo/video releases. Logistics may be a bit more tricky than usual but, with open communication, you should know exactly what to expect in terms of security.

You now have everything you need to put on a successful film shoot with a Royal, celebrity, politician, or other VIP!

You can learn more about the #BestManProject here.

The post How to Handle a Royal VIP On Set appeared first on SproutVideo.

Video marketing can offer excellent return on investment. That’s especially true if you keep your production costs low and set up your advertising campaign correctly.

However, some of the biggest gains in conversion rates can actually be derived from the editing process in post-production. Simple changes can result in an even higher ROI.

In this post, we explore five tips you can easily use in post-production to ramp up your conversions.

1. Text overlays

Incorporating text into your video is a great way to reinforce your core message. It can also help with viewer comprehension, retention, and engagement. Finally, adding text improves accessibility, and helps you reach anyone watching without sound.

Instead of just adding subtitles, use text overlays which coordinate with the type of video you are doing. Subtitles are often a great idea to include with nearly any video. However, text overlays are more flexible, and can be used in more creative ways.

Here are two types of text overlays you can easily implement when editing your video.

Cinematic Text

Cinematic text is simple to do, and adds emotion and drama to your video. Often, this is comprised of simple white text on a black background. You could potentially add a subtle zoom effect to create some motion. If you go that route, the title will appear in the center of the screen, and will slowly zoom in for a couple of seconds.

This type of text is excellent for video titles. Give the video a catchy title, and display it on the screen in the first three seconds of the video.

The result will be very similar to the onscreen text you see at the beginning of any Hollywood movie (like the opening credits), hence the name. The cool thing about cinematic text is that it can be easily handled in post-production by using any video editing software.

Cinematic text can help increase conversions because it drives viewer engagement by heightening the sense of drama in your video. It’s not appropriate for all types of videos, but if it matches the style you are going for, it can make a difference.

Animated Text

Animated text is more involved than cinematic text. It works particularly well for fun, upbeat videos, or a fast-paced video clip. You can use unique fonts, have the text flying in from different areas of the screen, and you can also get creative with the colors and sizes you use for each word.

A great tool for creating animated text is Adobe’s After Effects. There is a learning curve, but it’s really powerful once you get the hang of it.

A great shortcut is to use a template for animating text in After Effects. This is perfect for beginners, or anyone short on time. Find the animation you’d like to use, place it in your video, and edit the text. It’s as simple as that.

Our friends at Motion Array specialize in templates for animated text. Other great options for templates include VideoHive by Envato, and Videobolt. There are plenty of other options out there, but these are a great starting point.

Other video editing programs often have basic templates built-in. For instance, iMovie has some basic options for animated lower-thirds and titles that can work well for simple use-cases.

By adding information and interesting motion to your video, animated text can help engage viewers and convince them to keep watching. Use animated text to reinforce your value proposition to help convince viewers to buy.

2. Call-to-Action

It’s all too easy to lose sight of what you would like viewers to do after watching your video. What is the one specific action they should take? The answer is your call-to-action.

Here are four simple approaches to building effective, high-converting calls-to-action.

Approach #1

At the very end of the video, briefly recap what the whole video was about. Make quick a summary of your message, no longer than ten seconds, and insert it at the end of the clip.

This can be done by taking bits and pieces of the whole video, and editing them together. Or, it can be an entirely different clip filmed specifically for this purpose. Alternatively, you can build this yourself in post-production by using text to recap everything.

Treat this as your chance to up-the-ante, and really hammer your points home. Emphasize the benefits viewers will receive, rather than product features or pricing. Your viewers should be left with a crystal clear picture of the advantages they’ll gain by using your solution. This highly effective sales tactic works particularly well for retail goods.

Approach #2

Tease viewers by providing the majority of a solution, but omitting the most key part of it in the video. By building up anticipation, you’ll increase the likelihood they’ll be curious to see the final solution.

So, in your video, leave out a small, but essential, piece of information which viewers absolutely need to know. Then, use your call-to-action to instruct them on how to obtain the information. They could make a purchase, join an email list, enter a contest, etc. The right option depends on the specific aim you have for your video.

Approach #3

Offer a special incentive to viewers to watch your video by displaying a coupon, discount code, or clue to a contest at the end of the video.

By rewarding them for taking the time to learn more about your product, you’ll help drive sales and improve brand affinity. You’re likely to succeed because you’re tapping into people’s innate desire to win, or get a special deal.

Approach #4

Once your video concludes, viewers are likely at their most engaged, and excited about your product or service. Point them in the right direction by using a custom post-play screen to display a clickable image, HTML form, or text with a link to a landing page.

This last approach doesn’t actually require any video editing. It can be setup after your video has been uploaded to SproutVideo’s hosting platform.

Read this post for more ideas on creative ways to use a post-play screen for your call-to-action.

3. Use B-Roll Footage

Regardless of the type of video you are making, you can never have too much b-roll footage on hand. You can use customer testimonials, service demonstrations, a product close-up, introduce your team members, or show off your finished projects.

Using b-roll footage in this manner helps viewers grow comfortable with you, and reinforces your brand identity. By building their trust, your viewers will be more likely to convert into subscribers, fans, followers, or customers.

If you don’t have any existing b-roll footage, here are 25 ideas for interesting places you could film engaging b-roll. If you can’t create your own, here is a guide to finding stock footage for free, and incorporating it into your videos.

A cut away to b-roll is one of the most fundamental video editing techniques because it can help you tell your story in a more engaging way. There are two main methods with which you can incorporate b-roll into your video.

B-Roll On Top

The first method is by simply inserting the b-roll footage on top of your main footage track. This will cut away from the main video to the b-roll while still playing the audio of the main footage.

This technique works well if you want to keep the video shorter while showcasing more than just the main footage.

B-Roll In Between

The second method is great if you want to add a more cinematic look to your footage, and don’t mind if your video ends up being slightly longer. The idea is to cut the main clip, and insert the b-roll footage in between the two halves of the main clip.

The main difference from the first method is that the b-roll has its own time slot in your video edit. It’s not just playing on top of your main clip’s audio – which might be someone talking, for example.

This means the b-roll will have its own audio track. You could add some nice background music, or someone else talking. After the b-roll, you go back to the main footage without skipping a beat of it.

4. Keep It Short

It’s a well-known fact that attention spans are waning as distraction levels are increasing. We’d like to believe attention spans are longer than eight seconds, however, you’ll still want to keep your video as succinct as possible.

Keeping it under a minute or two can be challenging, but there are a few tricks you can use to achieve that.

One of the most important things is to be organized in your approach to video editing. Create a video editing guide or storyboard that lays out the scenes of your video in detail. You should have everything written down: which shots to use at which times; when the text needs to come in and what it should say; when the b-roll will cut in, and so forth. By having a clear layout of the end product you want to achieve, you’ll be more likely to keep your video down to size.

Another easy way to shorten your video is to use fast transitions, and cut out any pauses. Eliminate those pesky “ah’s, uhm’s”, or even words or phrases that can be skipped without altering the message. For example, “OK, now let’s look at how to use the service” can become “Let’s look at how to use the service”.

Yet another way to shorten your video, but without cutting anything, is to alter the pace of clips. Time lapse or fast forwarding are creative techniques that save time while still showcasing certain shots that need to be in the video.

For example, if you are doing a workout video which consists of doing three sets of the same exercise, you can play the first set at normal speed, and then fast forward through the remaining two sets as you use a voice over or a nice soundtrack on top.

By keeping your video down to size, you’ll increase the likelihood viewers will actually watch the whole thing. This will help drive conversions because you can be sure your message is to getting across.

5. Make it Look Professional

Lastly, you’ll want to make the video look as pleasing to the eye as possible. It will be more difficult to turn a viewer into a customer if the quality of the video is not up to par, regardless of how valuable the information is.

Video editors often get stuck with mediocre footage, to say the least, so taking good care of it in post-production is essential. Luckily, most of the problems can be fixed or improved relatively easily with modern-day tools.

The exact way to use the techniques described below depends on the editing program you’re working with. These are relatively advanced video editing techniques, so if you feel a little lost, leave a comment below with the specific program you’re using, and we can try to point you in the right direction.

Brightness

The most common problem you want to watch out for is the lighting. This is especially true for videos shot indoors, because many small cameras perform badly in poor lightning. An example of poor lighting can likely be found in your office: harsh, overhead fluorescent lights do not translate well on camera.

If the lighting is too bright or too dark, you’ll need to adjust the brightness and the contrast. Footage that’s too bright will appear washed out. If there isn’t enough light, you will get grainy and murky footage.

You can fix this by adjusting the brightness and the contrast. You can also add more sharpness to the video. Here is a video walk-through of how to do so for Final Cut Pro 10 and Adobe Premiere Pro:

If you’re working with Final Cut Pro, you can also follow this guide to correcting the image. If you’re using Adobe Premiere, use this guide instead.

Color Grading

You can make your videos look much more alive, or if give them a more cinematic look, by applying a bit of color grading. This will help bring out the colors, and combined with the brightness tweaks we made above, it will give your video a polished and professional look, even if it was shot with a smartphone.

Here’s our guide to color grading from Adobe, which includes a nice background primer on color grading. And, here’s a guide to adding a color correction from Apple for Final Cut Pro.

Color grading is a finely tuned art. It can be hard to get it right. Start with small tweaks to see what works for your video.

Summary

So there you have it, five easy and actionable post-production tips which you can start applying right away to improve the conversion rates of your videos or your clients’ videos. You may not need to apply all five in each and every video, but make sure you double check each of them on your next video editing project.

Questions? Other ideas we should add? Please share in the comments below!

The post 5 Post-Production Tips That Will Increase Conversion Rates appeared first on SproutVideo.