Get More Buy-In for Your Marketing Video
If the $5 million price tag for a 30-second Super Bowl LII commercial tells us anything, it’s that video is still viewed as a powerful messaging tool. Even in B2B marketing, video is promoted as a way to help boost businesses from obscurity to relevance.
Its power and popularity mean video is here to stay. But production trends like 3D motion graphics mean its price may stay steep. Depending on concept, length, graphics, and other factors, a marketing video can cost more than $70,000.
The best bet for the video-savvy marketer is to plan ahead. Taking advantage of pre- and post-production opportunities can turn one video into multiple pieces of content that delivers many returns and stretches your marketing dollars.
Up your pre-(production) game
Your video brief should tell you who the video is for (audience), what the video hopes to accomplish (goals), and what viewers should do once they watch it (call-to-action). It’s an important document that will keep your project focused. But while you’re at it, look for more:
- Are there parts of your messaging that align with other business units?
- Are there minor changes—such as adding captions—that would optimize the video for a trade show floor?
- Is the script written in a way that the video could be broken down for quick plays on social media?
Every screen that can play your video—or business unit that could benefit from it—represents another potential funding source. Having a discussion early on about sharing resources to produce mutually beneficial content gives business units an opportunity to share both their content needs and how they can work together to meet those needs. Decisions can be made about important talking points and sound bites before cameras start recording. It’ll help you plan ahead and deliver not only for your team, but also for your organization as a whole.
Record all the action
It may take a full day to record enough for a two-minute video. Most of what’s recorded won’t be used.
However, “not used” is not the same as “not useful.” Once you have the content you need, ask your subject matter experts additional relevant questions. You’ve already planned for what the business units need. Now’s the time to get the sound that will deliver.
Let company leaders share anecdotes and lessons learned. Even if they’re unrelated to your video content, they could still be turned into a series of blog posts. Inspirational quotes may be posted internally or shared at conferences—and they make great social media snapshots. Bloopers and light-hearted banter play well on channels like Twitter. Customers appreciate knowing there are actual humans behind their favorite brands.
The bottom line: There are audiences ready to receive those accidental messages that generally get left on the cutting room floor. If you’re listening for them, you’re less likely to miss an opportunity.
Don’t go overboard
Video production can be a significant undertaking. There are a lot of moving pieces. Thinking beyond the scope of your own goals might seem like borrowing a headache you don’t need. But the extra effort can pay off.
- Working cross-functionally within your organization can elevate both your profile and your video’s impact.
- Humanizing company leaders offers internal motivation and boosts morale.
- Earmarking content that can be used on numerous channels increases the value of your video’s price tag. You can get one video for $70,000—or multiple videos, blog posts and other shareable content for the same price.
Of course, keep your original purpose at the forefront—it doesn’t help to deliver on someone else’s goal while missing your own.
Still, there are opportunities out there to benefit the video marketer willing to go the extra mile. As we’ve said before, video can stand alone. It can also be the foundation for new content.