It’s becoming clearer that online video is one of the best ways to generate leads. In fact, branded marketing videos directly impact the buying decisions of most Americans. But there’s video and there’s video…

Frankly, it’s fairly easy to produce a spontaneous video and throw it up on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or wherever. You might even get lucky and have that video shared to the point that it goes viral and generates tons of instant exposure. For many, that’s the Holy Grail of internet marketing.

That’s all well and good, and I wouldn’t necessarily discourage anyone from including spontaneous videos in their marketing toolbox. At the same time, however, I would encourage online marketers to pursue other ways of using video to promote their business. Namely; producing quality marketing videos.

For the purposes of this article, a quality marketing video refers to one that is well thought out and professionally produced. And, by definition, you can’t produce a professional video yourself.

Remember the old expression; “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression”? Well, that certainly applies to online marketing. And in online marketing, a video is very often the first experience a prospective customer will have with your company. As such, it’s critical that it perform two overarching functions:

  • Effectively convey the specific message relative to the product or service the video is promoting
  • Effectively integrate the overall brand image of your business

The key word here is “effectively”. Yes, you can convey a product-specific message and integrate your brand image in one of those spontaneous videos I mentioned earlier. But how effective will it really be as a long-term marketing tool? Not very.

I once heard an analogy that compared creating digital video to using a gun. It’s easy to pick up a firearm, load it, and pull the trigger. But without proper training and practice, hitting an intended target is difficult at best. With all the inexpensive video capture technology, editing software, and publishing channels out there, it’s easy for virtually anyone to create and publish a digital video. But, without proper training, skill and experience, producing a video that can predictably hit an intended marketing target is improbable at best.  Be sure you have a purpose for the marketing video.

For help in creating and implementing a professional online marketing plan that will set your business apart from the crowd, contact us online, or call us at 1-+447537146858.