Video production planning isn’t the forte of most business owners and managers. But proper planning has the potential to prove just as meaningful to the company’s success as its product or service. There is no shame in admitting you aren’t certain where to start the video production process. If you are unsure as to how to produce video marketing content, don’t panic as you are in the same metaphorical boat as most other business owners.
The most successful entrepreneurs, managers, and marketing professionals stress the importance of planning video production well ahead of the actual video shoot. Follow these five tips for planning a video production and your video marketing content will help move prospects through the sales pipeline, steering them toward an endpoint where they take action in the form of a purchase, rental, or word-of-mouth recommendation.
Video Production Planning
1. Define the Sequence Before Production
Pre-production should be carefully organized into a series of repeatable steps your team can replicate for each video marketing project. Write out the steps of the pre-production process before getting to work and the stage will be set for the creation of video content prior to the actual recording.
Part of the challenge of creating a well-defined sequence of steps for video marketing pre-production is establishing concrete objectives with realistic outcomes. Take a moment to consider the overarching aim of creating the video content. Most businesses create video marketing content to catalyze online and offline traffic from those with a legitimate interest or need in the product or service. Once you have a clear goal in mind, your attention can shift toward financial challenges and the recording process.
2. Establish a Realistic Budget for Video Marketing Content
Video marketing content can certainly be captured on a smartphone, yet, relying on simple consumer technology to create marketable content is a risk no business owner should take. Instead of attempting to handle the entirety of video marketing content on your own, lean on the experts for guidance.
Set a budget at the start of the process then honor those financial limitations throughout the video creation process. Such a measured and practical approach ensures your team can move forward in full confidence knowing the money spent on content creation results in a net positive return on your marketing investment.
3. Tell a Relatable Story to Create a Rapport
Ask experienced business owners and marketers about video production planning and you’ll hear testimonials about how the best content communicates stories. Any old story with a beginning, midpoint, and end won’t suffice. Tailor the elements of your video marketing content story to your unique target audience.
Take a moment to consider what your videos must communicate to convert viewers into paying customers. Write a brief script featuring dialogue, characters, a problem, and a solution provided by your value offering.
Though creating a storyboard is often thought of as essential for movie scripts, storyboards are also used for video marketing purposes. Storyboards display images of the individual scenes that comprise the video. Once your storyboard is ready, it is time to shift your attention to executing the idea in the form of an engaging piece of video marketing content.
4. Sweat the Small Stuff of the Video Shoot Context
Location is the mantra of real estate professionals yet context is also vitally important to the artful presentation of video content. Select a location that appeals to your target audience or use a green screen and/or additional tech tools to generate a visually striking filming environment and you’ll immediately capture your target audience’s attention.
If you have a small budget, paying to reserve a filming location at a lavish locale wouldn’t be financially prudent. In some instances, filming video marketing content on-site at your business or another recognizable location is more than enough to create a rapport with your target audience. Don’t forget to prepare for the unexpected by establishing a backup filming site just in case the unexpected arises on the day of the shoot, be it in the form of rain, snow, hail, wind, noise pollution, etc.
5. Execute the Plan
Now that you have a clear plan for video production, it is time to take action. Abide by your storyboard’s sequence down to the last detail, record multiple takes and you’ll have sufficient material to dissect, edit and finalize for presentation with video editing software.
When in doubt, opt to shoot more takes rather than less. A surplus of video content provides an opportunity to artfully showcase the best footage, convincing target viewers to convert into paying customers. And you can even repurpose unused footage to further iterate on your campaign in the future.
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