6 Ways To Make A Truly Engaging Video

If you’ve managed to find a way to successfully incorporate cute cats in your brand or product video, congratulations! You may have just stumbled upon the golden formula to fail-proof engaging video for marketing. Or have you? Because the truth is, there’s more to video marketing that simply going “viral.”
More than making sure your video will be viewed by millions, the more important aim of a business video is that it should reach its target audience and that it will be effective enough to move its target action to take the desired action. To do this, you’ll need to work on producing a video that truly engages your viewers.
 

Video engagement tips

To make sure your brand’s video gets not only the attention but also the engagement of your target audience, consider the following tried-and-tested tips below.

 

6 Ways To Make A Truly Engaging Video

 

1. Keep it short

In 2016, Wistia published an article on the optimal length of online videos. The study’s first and most important point is that audience engagement remains steady for up to two minutes. So when coming up with your video content, assume that your target viewers are always busy or easily distracted: the quicker they can get the info they’re looking for, the better.
However, this doesn’t mean you need to stick to this length and cram as many details as you can in a short video. If it has to be longer than two minutes, then make sure the content is valuable and that pending additional time watching it will be worthwhile.
 

2. Come up with a killer script

When developing your script, strive to cover the basics, including your goals for the video, its benefits and value to viewers, and answers to questions that will be immediately or frequently asked by your target audience.
During the planning stage, make sure the script has an interesting narrative arc and should have the right tone for the video. Just like how you ensure audience attention with the right video running time, keep the words or sentences in the dialogue short yet sharp. Your script must also clearly tell the viewers what action you would like them to take.
 

3. Make use of an emotional trigger

People react to two primary emotions: positive and negative ones. For a positive vibe, you may loosen up and perhaps inject some humor to your corporate video through creative elements such as a funny sidekick or a witty animated character. Fun, heartwarming and real-life success stories about your employees or customers can encourage viewers to look into what you’re offering.
Meanwhile, negative emotions can be used to trigger positive actions (and increase views and shares). Anger can motivate people to change a problematic situation. Fear of missing out can drive people to the solutions you’re recommending. Anxiety can drive viewers to seek your expert help.
 

4. Prioritize good video and audio quality

Although numerous videos shot on smartphones keep trending online, it doesn’t mean you should go on this route. Any video you release will be a representative of your brand and part of your corporate image. As such, even if they are meant to be fun or lighthearted, they still need to appear as professionally made as possible.
With the typically short length of videos today, every sound your video makes and every image it shows must be essential. There must be no room for misinterpretation, so all elements should be well thought-out. Make your images clear and well-lighted (even if you’re going after a “dark” mood, the scene should still be discernable). Audio must be crisp and have the right volume and depth, especially if you have a person speaking on the video.
 

5. Use animation

Consider producing an animated video. A study published in 2016 stated that animated explainer videos boost conversion rates by 20 percent, something that is worth remembering if you want to have a truly engaging video.
Take advantage of the flexibility and creativity animation allows for you to present your message in the clearest and most interesting manner. Construct the animation according to the preferences of your target audience and your brand identity. The usual approach of animation is funny, but it can also be thoughtful, inspiring and even mindblowing as well.
 

6. Place your call-to-action where it matters

It’s not a strict requirement to place your CTA at the end of your video. You can place it in the middle or even after the first 2 to 3 minutes of your video, especially if you have a long one. Viewers won’t this distracting and off-putting if done properly, and it will still garner the attention (and the action) you’re after.
 

Making the most of your marketing video

Your video marketing strategy can obtain significant results if it’s closely aligned with your overall marketing strategy. Identify your goals, establish the message you want to share, create content with your target viewer in mind, and insist on top-notch quality production. Audience engagement – and the benefits that come with it – will surely follow.

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See also: Top 50 videos with more than 1 billion views on YouTube