Five Secrets of Engaging Video Content

• Updated on: 2017-11-15
• Read original article here

As online marketing becomes more about storytelling, video content has a crucial role to play. Video can add drama, comedy, poignancy and other aspects to a message that is challenging to convey in other content formats. From simple animation to Hollywood-budget efforts, if a video isn’t part of your message, you could be missing out.

Here are five helpful ideas you may not have thought of to help you craft compelling video content and maximize its impact for your brand.

Products transform to superheroes; they can become an essential gadget, while even the most mundane service can save someone’s bacon in a crisis. Many online marketing stories try to weave a little fantasy into people’s lives, and the interactive power of the web makes people want to be more involved.

People are no longer interested in looking at a product or seeing what it does. Instead, we are accustomed to being told a story, according to the storytelling animators from Spiel. Either in live or animated form, brands and creators should strive to embed their product or service in a story where it can play a key role.

Modern web videos still need to play by the rules of websites. Clips can be made with interactive features to link to sites, and have share buttons so people can engage. Incorporate these into your story so they don’t stick out like tacked-on extras.

Most CTAs (almost 96% according to Wistia) are found at the end of a video, but since people are most engaged in the middle of a clip, if you can feature it naturally, why not try it there are see if there is a better response?

Videos also need to be searchable by keywords in the title, appropriate tags, and an accurate description. Use the description to help highlight the story and any key messages.

If your video aims to attract attention, there this is a generation of YouTubers, Instagrammers and other high-traffic individuals who can help promote it. Either by an appearance in the video, or some link or placement, getting onto the internet hype train is a valid tactic for brands, both large and small.

Regardless of the art style, animations can be just as expressive as video and made for a fraction of the cost. They can also open up more creative avenues than most video studios with ludicrous scenes or brilliant moments of clarity and focus when it comes to explaining a subject.

Animators can help create videos where products become the characters and statistics or graphs—lively and exciting, while usually inanimate objects can spring to life to help tell a story or create an intriguing scene.

So many ads and campaigns these days feature retro icons like Kevin Bacon, He-Man and Skeletor, Top Cat and so on. They are all promoting products they have no real relation to, which is one of their key strengths.

People enjoy seeing them in new situations, and when played for comedy (the usual approach), they create great interest, shareability, and people like to see them again and again. While your budget might not stretch to a Hollywood star, your video creation can use nostalgia as a strong pull on even a young target audience.

Video allows any company to brave and show off its products in exciting new ways. Storytelling can stretch from a cluster of tiny animated pixels to a fully rendered scene, generating endless opportunity for creativity. Just remember to follow the basic rules of the web to ensure your videos get as broad an audience as possible.

David Gutierrez started his career as a web designer in 2005. In 2012 he founded a creative design agency. Now it serves clients all over the world across multiple industries with a specific focus on FMCG and Fin-Tech.