Ways to Improve Your Video Marketing

 

You know that visual storytelling is paramount to any marketing strategy. Maybe you’re already implementing video into your current marketing repertoire. But is it any good? How good? Does quality even matter? 

 

Taking videos from good to great is a holistic endeavor. If you’re serious about video marketing, there are no gimmicks that will save you. It’s going to take time, patience, and a strong commitment to doing it right, but the opportunities are enormous. 

 

Hone your skills and perfect your craft. Trust the process. The results are worth it.

 

Here are the 3 stages of production and areas of focus that will elevate your video game and take you from idea inception to final product. Check this list against what you’ve done, are doing, or are planning. Don’t be intimidated. If you’re going to do it, do it.

 

The 3 Stages of Film Production: A Step-by-Step Process to Video Marketing Success

 

Pre-production

 

Producing

Create a plan for everything. Organization is the invisible glue that holds everything together: shoot schedule, shot list, project timeline, creative meetings, location and tech scouts, casting, equipment prep/test, crewing up… to name a few. 

 

Direction

Production value matters, but creativity matters more. You must have a strong and compelling vision. A successful video will trigger visceral reactions. It’s hard to define what a “good” video is, but it’s an experience. It looks, sounds, and feels a certain way. It has style. Does your video grab your attention and never let go? It’s also important to remain consistent with the brand, its assets, and brand guidelines.

 

Coordination

This entails a lot of the workflow and all logistics. When done right, the result is an efficient and effective final product. Proper production coordination sets up principle production for success and continues through that stage as well. 

 

Principal Production

 

Producing

If the producer has done their job in pre-pro well, they theoretically don’t have much to do on set. However, there’s always room for improvement. Focus on making the crew happy, inspired, and well-fed. Inject positivity into your team and be ready to put out little fires when they spark.

 

Direction

Be confident in your vision and ensure the context is clear to the rest of the team and ultimately your audience. This is also about keeping up the energy on set and communicating the vision successfully.

 

Execution

Good gear paired with an experienced and cohesive crew makes all the difference and also has a lot to do with the tone of the shoot. This takes a long time to cultivate and it isn’t always easy to find in production companies and freelancers. You’ll have to trust the people you choose to collaborate with and always be learning and developing your production workflow.

 

Coordination

The coordinator keeps everything running smoothly, providing support where needed, and staying ahead of the ever-changing situation.

 

Post Production

 

Producing

At this point, the dynamic of the project (and usually the relationships within the collaboration) has changed. The environment has gone from on set to on a computer. This is where continued focus on the result matters. Staying close with the client and post team helps manage expectations throughout the process.

 

Direction

The vision has to be seen through to the end. A healthy post-process involves the director’s guidance to make sure every frame is on brand and on point.

 

Editing

Good video editors know the technical side of the craft and can work quickly if needed. Really good editors also understand nuance and context when it comes to the brand and their core audience, and can use intuition to make creative and thoughtful edits. The best editors can do all of the above as well as bear the emotional impact of the post process, demonstrating patience and flexibility when faced with constant revisions and changes. It’s an arduous and time-consuming process that often goes underappreciated because of general ignorance of the video editing process.

 

There’s a lot more to making great videos but focus on these essential elements as a starting point. A video project takes multiple people working in tandem, especially for longer and more complicated videos.

 

If you don’t have an in-house team or can’t hire a video production agency, take a realistic look at where you are in terms of capacity and what the best move is. A small budget doesn’t mean you’re screwed. Limitations in resources make creativity more accessible. As the popular adage goes, “Comfort kills creativity.” Shoot for the moon all day, but also be realistic. Pragmatism will get you far. 

 

No matter what your budget is, you’re responsible for the timeline and the final product. Like any other skill, the more you repeat the process, the easier it will become. When it comes to video production, experience is the best teacher. Now the work really begins.

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