webdev TV production is not as easy as ABC. If in doubt you can ask Google to show you the tons of failed TV productions nobody wants to remember; and there are lots of them. The million-dollar question is what tends to go wrong? You guessed right, poor planning!
To make a successful brand video certain boxes need to be checked and checked again to be sure that everything is in place. Most of this work comes at the planning stage, long before the director says, “silence on set” or “action;” If you plan it right, you will more than likely get it right.
So, how do you plan a successful brand TV production?
Have a clear objective
Anything that is done aimlessly doesn’t work out. Whatever the project, it tends to veer of course, and decisions lack focus, unless there is a clear vision of what you want to achieve. So, when you decide it is time to make a brand video, the first question should be “WHY”.
Are you making a video to increase brand awareness in your business niche? Are you making a video to sell a specific product or service? Or is the video to be used as part of a proposal for a contract? There should be an objective. This objective will guide your decision-making going forward: The production agency to use, what dissemination channels to use, how much budget may be required, and so on.
If you are having a hard time understanding the specific objective, take a good look at your business and find problems that the video is meant to solve. For instance, if you’re getting feedback that people are having not understanding the benefits of your products, ensure the video demonstrates them.
Focus on the specific message
Now that you have your objective penciled down, you need to streamline your message, so it emphasizes or projects one single idea, one proposition, or seeks to achieve one goal. Say you decide your objective is to make an explainer video that gives users insights into how to make the most of the product they already know about, you should stick to that and nothing; focusing on other products will be distracting.
If you have free apps installed on your phone you probably get irritated when ads keep popping up and distracting you from what you need the app for. It’s almost, if not the same thing when that explainer video veers off into stories about the company, staff strength, and other ‘distracting’ information. If you have a clear objective stick to it.
In addition, your objective should inspire a response from the viewers. What should they feel, think or do? You need to take this into consideration. If you want people visiting your website to buy a product then making a comprehensive video that covers all bases is a good start; including anticipating and answering any questions they may have.
Know you audience
This is, perhaps, the most important factor in all of this because without an audience we can’t talk about an objective or any other important aspect of the planning process. You need to know clearly who your audience are. This is no time to base on assumptions or research done years ago. This stage requires a hands-on approach and quality research.
Your audience is largely determined by your product and the groups of people that are likely to use it. But if you stop there, that’s just half the work. You need to narrow things down to really understand your audience. That’s the only way you can make something that appeals to them directly. Check the following boxes to create buyer personas your product should cater for:
- Know their motivations. What motivates such a person? Is it the fear of something or a reward or achievement?
- Know their goals: What does such a person want to achieve and what do they need to do to achieve it?
- Know their pain points: What would make their lives better and how can they easily get it from what you are offering?
- Know where they are: When you know where to find your target audience, it’s easier to get your product in front of them. That means understanding the TV, social and other online channels where they may be receptive to your message.
Draft a video production plan
Just as it takes a good structure/foundation to get a building to stand, it takes a great plan to bring your objectives and projections to fruition. Your video production plan should include what should be done, how it should be done, when, where, and… as mentioned above in detail, the why.
Figuring out all of this can be demanding as you may not have the technical knowledge. So, bringing in a video production agency at this point is a good idea. They will help turn your ideas into something more concrete that everyone can work with.
Script it!
You have come a long way from deciding on an objective for your video, defining your audience, and drafting or creating a structured plan of how things are to go. Now it’s time to have a script – the material that embodies what goes on in the shoot.
The script should appeal to your target audience, embed all vital information you want out there, and be simple enough for viewers to relate with.
If you judiciously follow these tips, your production has a chance of being successful. Devise production and post production strategies to help you understand how well your brand video performs. Work out your KPI metrics, study web traffic, develop a clear sales funnel and follow up processes. In short, make sure that your TV and online ads are part of an integrated multi-channel advertising and marketing strategy.
