We all see so much hype on the Internet with easy button catch-phrases that seem to promise every one can do just about anything, quickly and easily, for free or nearly free, with little to no effort or forethought.
Hmmm. I am here to tell you producing quality video does not fall into that category.
It’s a myth that you can snap your fingers and Presto Chango, any old video will be a Big Success!
DIY videos can be terrific. YouTube is full of clever examples. I’ve accomplished many things outside my skill set by following a YouTube video and I find when I am focused on consuming video content I care about, the video quality is less of an issue…at least sometimes.
There are two sides to producing video – the content and the technical. The technical aspects are what the term “production value” means and when you get that right, it enhances your content. If it's wrong, it can get in the way of communicating the content effectively. ( You've probably seen an un-watchable video or two with garbled audio and a fuzzy screen image. The content may be brilliant, but no one will stick around to find out!)
I leave the technical side to others on my team, but I know from experience, the tech can make or break a project. (BTW, video tech skills go beyond button pushing. Both sides of video production are creative work.)
To get the marketing results you want, take the time to plan your video content and its tech but most importantly, FIRST figure out how video will fit into your overall online strategy. Want more money, more exposure, more traffic? In the long run, you may want all three, but online video campaigns need to focus on one goal at a time.
Here's the key to me: The quality of what you ‘broadcast” or publish on the Internet should be worthy of your name, your message and your brand.
Online video is becoming essential for business today and there are both content and technical aspects to consider to produce quality video. Following best practices will help you make videos that reflect well on you and your business.
Next Week in Part 2, I'll lay out some video production value mistakes to watch out for. Stay tuned!
(I highly recommend Steve Stockman's book to help DIY-ers produce better video, available from Amazon through the link below)