Mistakes You Should Avoid with Web Video Production
If done properly, web video production is a great way to increase your marketing exposure, communicate with employees and grow e-commerce sales. All too often, businesses create sub-par videos that end up detracting from their online presence, instead of cultivating brand awareness.
Let’s look at some common mistakes made with web video production and how your company can avoid creating a bad video.
Not Seeking Professional Help
As a video production company, there are certain situations that make us squirm. At the top of that list is the sometimes-fatal mistake many SMBs make — trying to write, produce and edit their own videos. This mistake usually starts off with a statement, something like…
“We need a new online marketing piece, so let’s make the video ourselves. How hard can it be?”
And thus, they make the mistake of underestimating how hard it is to tell a good story, and how important a good video production quality is to your company’s online presence. Sixty Seconds Video Marketing sums it up best in their blog post Mistakes You Should Avoid In Video Production, “For a professional and effective video production, unless you are do-it-yourself oriented, you need a professional video production company to help you handle the job.”
Hiring a professional video production company is well worth the cost and may even save money in the long run.
Make sure you request bids from multiple companies and review demo reels, so you choose the right company for your video.
Also, make sure you schedule and budget for a pre-production meeting to go over the script, locations, and other production elements. This keeps the video firmly in your hands while making sure your business gets the professional help it needs. He’s a sample from a recent project we produced…
A Bad Script
Nothing’s worse than sitting through a bad company training video. The situations presented don’t feel realistic and the dialogue comes off as fake. Attention from employees and managers waivers and the entire purpose of the video is diluted by its poor quality.
Avoid poor storytelling by creating an effective and interesting storyline. Make sure your dialogue isn’t overly written, and story situations are genuine. You can rely on a production company to craft a script for you — but they may not know the intricacies of your product.
The best way to avoid a bad script is to thoroughly edit, then re-edit your material, making sure it is short, concise, and conveys what you want to accomplish with the video. Collaborating with your video production company in this phase is critical.
It also needs to be engaging and have a human element. No one wants to watch a dry, sales-based pitch, no matter how interesting the product. Making sure you’ve got your story dialed in before ever rolling the camera is a solid way to ensure success with your video.
There’s No Clear “Why” To Your Video
Understanding the WHY to your video is essential to your success. Trying to cover too broad a range of topics inevitably leaves your video unfocused and boring.
Pick one or two essential reasons why you are creating the video, then build from there. Do you want to highlight a new product, or mention a new service? Be clear about the why, before you begin you talk about what the video should look like or what story the script should tell. Figure out the ‘why’ part first and everything else will follow.
