Video is the most popular type of content watched across the world in current times and the craze for Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube are the live examples of it.
People today prefer watching videos rather than reading text or analyzing the story portrayed through images. So if you are new to social media and don’t have any experience with video marketing that you are in the right place.
We at Buffalo Soldiers are here to share the best practices that will help every beginner to have a knack over videos and become the professional you are aspiring to be.
These are the top 8 tips that will help you understand and implement video strategies better.
Plan your goals
This is one of the most crucial steps for every video marketer. If you have clear goals in mind it will help you portray it very well through your video. However, if you yourself are confused with what you wish to convey to the viewers it will be a blunder.
So if you want to avoid such unpleasant situations plan your goals properly. To make it more clear, divide your goal into 3 major segments, goal, audience, and emotions.
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Outline your goal
Does it mean identifying what you want to achieve?
Whether you want to advertise your business, contribute towards the society, share information or knowledge or increase the time spent by an average user on your website.
Answer these questions honestly and you will clear 30% clarity on your goal.
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Identify your target audience
It is important that you figure out the target audience for your video because your audience will decide how your video should look like.
To get a better understanding of your target audience, answer the following questions. Do you want to cater to existing customers, tap new customers or enhance the overall customer satisfaction? This exercise will help you think in the right direction for your video.
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Understand the emotions
Emotions are the success formula behind every video that becomes the new trend over the internet. Therefore it is essential to understand the power of emotions. If you identify whether your audience prefers watching emotional, happy, sad, fun or anger related video that helps you script your storyline on the same emotion that reaches their heart and connects them more strongly to your brand than before.
So if you have clarity in mind regarding all the 3 parameters discussed above, you are good to go ahead with video marketing.
Arrange the setup
Background plays a very important part in conveying the message you want to portray through your video. So broadly, there are 2 options available to shoot your video, it can either be a natural location with a real-life setup or an artificial set which we mostly encounter while watching films and Television shows.
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Real Background
It includes real-life background like offices, streets, environments which we see all around us. But before shooting the video, try to analyze whether the natural background will enhance the message you wish to portray or not. If it satisfies your requirements then you are good to go to the next step of video marketing.
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Fake Background
These backgrounds are difficult to create especially for a beginner and require a lot of resources and money to get the desired outlook. However, these backgrounds give the best consistency and the feel that you created in your minds for the video.
Use available devices
Since you are a beginner, it is better you create your initial videos either from your camera which is there at your home or you can use your smartphone to shoot the video. Thanks to the technological advancements, you get the best quality cameras installed in your smartphones at an affordable price which is a good option for a beginner to start off rather than investing huge sums of money in buying a professional camera.
Make sure you have an audio recorder
While shooting from your camera works, make sure you have a separate audio recorder to record the dialogues and music required in the video. This practice will enhance your video by ensuring clarity in voice and avoiding unnecessary background noises.
Ensure proper lighting
Lighting plays a big role in enhancing the overall look of your video and prevent it to become dull and boring. One of the best way to ensure this is to use natural lighting. As it is soft and cinematic and gives the perfect natural look that makes your video outshine from others.
So it is important to follow these tips to get the best lighting in the video:
- Shoot outdoor on a cloudy day as clouds act as a natural light controller.
- Shoot morning scenes one hour after the sunrise to get the best combination of warmth and cooling breeze.
- To capture the yellow sky, shoot one hour before the sunset.
- If you are shooting indoors, select the room which gets the maximum amount of natural sunlight.
- Also use additional lighting like table lamps, ceiling lights, etc.
If these lighting tips are kept in mind while shooting the video, it will enhance the entire video.
Shoot in small segments
It will lead to perfection as there are fewer complexities in a shorter segment and provides an opportunity to reshoot the same if it does not turn out well. It is also helpful in post-production works and prevents the video to get an uneven and choppy look.
Edit your videos
Use the grid format while editing which helps to position the video at an ideal intersection. Ensure that there is no negative space in any scene and close-ups are cropped properly.
Post them on the internet
Once you are done with all the above 7 steps, preview your video and post it on your website and other social media platforms and let your target audience interact with the same.
These are the top 8 must-follow tips to become an expert at video marketing. But don’t worry, if you still need any help, Buffalo Soldiers is here at your rescue to help you create the best videos with an amazing storyline and video production they are known for.
