Producing video content: Before you hit Record
Image by Karl Gunnarsson
While keywords, organic links and other practices SEO companies leverage on bring in search engines to make your site easily discoverable within their results pages, it is the inherent value of the content that keeps human readers coming back for more. This means that the content has to be appealing to the audience, compelling enough to generate interest and include information they can benefit from.
Consistently valuable posts inspire loyalty that keeps the site visitors satisfied and well within your domain. Loyalty to the site means loyalty to your brand, and that can easily translate to a steady climb atop the search rankings and a significant boost to both brand development and your client base.
Written content has always been a stable platform and it’s easier to optimize too. On the other hand, you can have a better chance of standing out in the crowd if you also spruce every post with multimedia. Creating videos have proven to be a great way of doing just that while giving your audience a new way to consume your message. You can also add an option to download your archive of videos so they can still view them even on-the-go.
In a previous post, we shared a handful of suggestions you should consider when planning a video for your audience. Here are a few more to add in your checklist to make sure what you’re doing is actually watchable.
Of Pans and Zooms
It’s great if you’re well versed in video production and in possession of professional-grade equipment, but if you lack these trappings it’s good too. A lot of meme-tastic videos online don’t have those either, and yet they’ve managed to get ahead and get noticed across the saturated noise online. It’s the context of your message and the antics you let lose that will catapult you and your brand to fame.
Case in point: Internet-famous YouTube sensations like ShayCarl and Hot For Words, among many others, started with just a decent camera as their weapon of choice. Never underestimate what a little ingenuity, a clear vision of what you’re trying to accomplish and a lot of imagination can do for you and your brand.
Lighting, Lighting, Lighting
Humans are visual beings, and whether we admit it or not, we are drawn to aesthetics. So nearly what sways us is what we find visually stimulating; the eye candy condition, if you will. But really, you don’t need to have a face made for Tinsel Town, just makes sure you or your subject are illuminated enough to be visible onscreen. This can easily be remedied by finding a well lighted room within your home or office or shooting during a bright day should you decide to record your video outdoors.
It’s in the Audios
Sometimes, one of the first things that turn viewers off and step away from videos is bad audio quality. If you sound unintelligible, no one will listen to you and so the message is lost and down the drain your credibility, brand and its reputation will go. While the built-in mic would be somewhat okay for some indoor footages, it’s always best to invest on a good quality microphone.
Are We There Yet?
We are in a world populated by the Nintendo Generation, a legion of consumers that need constant stimulation, it’s important to capture and keep your audience’s attention long enough to broadcast your message. As such, it’s recommended to set a certain video length and stick to it. You can do 30 minutes or maybe even an hour for podcasts and Web videos, or you can leave the length to the completion of the activity, especially if you’re doing a product feature, a how-to or you’re covering an event.
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RSpears @ August 24, 2010
