Had I Been Writing This at the Beginning of 2020; I Would Likely Have Got the Ball Rolling By Talking About the Many Benefits of Video Marketing, Including a Few Pointers for Success.
I would probably have gone on to hint at the costs of splashing the cash to ‘do it properly’. And I most definitely would have closed the piece by dropping a few less-than subtle hints about which professional video producer to use… ahem, JMS Group.
Professional video producer setting up a shoot. Photo by Kyle Loftus from Pexels.
But here we are—2021—the year humanity found itself tethered together by jury-rigged webcams and video streams. YouTube bloated with tutorials on optimum laptop positioning, LED ring lights, and Zoom webinar etiquette. Many people came to better appreciate the importance of good quality video as a means of team communication, and as a powerful marketing medium.
Against this backdrop, an article extolling the effectiveness of visual communication would be preaching to the choir. Need I continue explaining the benefits of video marketing to anyone? We all get it now, right?
Furthermore, a great number of people have discovered that acquiring a workable level of proficiency with professional video tools is neither expensive nor especially arduous. Heck, Adobe Creative Cloud recently began advertising on TV; the top-end apps pros have been using for decades are now available to anyone for a monthly fee… the secret is out of the bag, and some business professionals can swiftly self-produce videos that meet their own needs. Indeed, immediacy and relevance do often trump production value. Selfie-shooting a video in an Uber between meetings might nail the communications objective just fine; Gary Vee is the poster-boy for communicating effectively with low-to-no production values—though few people are gifted with his ability to spontaneously riff to camera in such an engaging way.
Professional video producer capturing an interview. Photo by Rodrigo Souza from Pexels.
So, this raises a question: If videos are now so technologically simple to create, what do career video producers still bring to the party?
Answer: Professional video producers understand the powerful art of communication. They’re skilled at separating important information from extraneous noise, then optimising that information for clarity and impact.
I am sure you have now attended enough meandering and unfocused webinars to discern the difference between someone who understands how to communicate with gravitas, and someone who merely understands PowerPoint.
Professional producers grasp the critical importance of structuring a narrative in the most effective order; knowing how to strike just the right chord to get viewers to react, understand, or act. Good producers have always known that a compelling story structure—delivering the right information, at just the right moment—is an infinitely more important factor in the success of a production than basic technical considerations.
A professional video producer will begin the creation process by carefully defining the client’s objectives, conceiving of an appropriate creative approach, and writing the most effective script. Strong scripts are tight, emotive, and connect with the audience. Viewers will be guided through the video in a logical order, their questions will be answered as they begin to form, a ‘big reveal’ might happen at just the right moment. The video will build toward a solid—compelling—summary and come to an end with either a rousing call-to-action, or poignant food for thought.
Not least, a professional can dedicate the time it takes to do the job properly. Carefully considered, well-produced, videos require a greater investment of time than many entrepreneurs can allow for. Additionally, an external producer will be able to bring an outsider’s perspective to those who are close—perhaps too close—to the objectives of the production.
Bottom line: Delivering professional production values and delivering on communications objectives are two very different things. Purchasing decent equipment and figuring out how to edit footage together does not—by default—create videos that will achieve the desired outcome.
