Discover the power of narrative arcs in modern storytelling techniques. Learn how to captivate and engage viewers by crafting compelling narratives that follow the essential elements of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
The secrets to creating engaging videos
How do you keep your viewers glued to your video? What tools or strategies should your business implement to increase the engagement of your video? An engaging video is one of the key reasons why viewers stay focused on a video that has grabbed their attention. It’s one of the reasons why metrics such as click-through rate increase because something about that video persuades them to learn more about the company’s products or services. If you’re wondering why you need engaging videos and how to implement them into your strategy, stay tuned for some tips.
If you want your video watched, your video has to be relevant to your audience. The topic has to be relatable, solve your audience’s problem, and be interesting to your audience. If the content is not relatable, then it is less likely to be watched by your target audience. Even if the content is relatable, make sure it is told with a storyline, eye-catching thumbnails and graphics, titles, and descriptions to show your audience your video is relatable to them. It’s good to know your audience and diversify the type of videos you’re creating so that they are a mix of informative and entertaining videos.
There are two strategies to making engaging videos. The first strategy is the active strategy. This strategy gives your audience a task to interact with your video. Some active strategies are to plan how they’re going to engage, interact, connect, and follow through with the article. This type of strategy works well when you’re educating your audience on a certain topic. For example, you’ll need to plan how you’ll teach them the material, how they’ll interact with the video through a survey or quiz, how they’ll continue to learn about this topic, and ask them to show you their results.
The next strategy is the passive strategy. This strategy relies on storytelling to grab the audience and share a message about your products, brand story, or business. For this strategy, talk with your audience in a conversational tone; as if they were your friend. This further increases the relationship and trust with your audience. You also have the opportunity to evoke emotion by being humorous, and energetic. Include jokes, B-roll, music, animation, heartfelt messages, and any emotion that will help push your message through. However, know when to include certain emotions and humor into your videos. Implement any of these strategies, passive or active, to create engaging videos for your business.
Credit by: Matt Pierce Making Engaging Video
Lean in to the business side
“So I think, business skills are so important because you wanna build this business that kinda has the sales, marketing, and operations piece, all just kinda nailed down.”
In this clip from our podcast, Bill Kearney explains why it’s important to have business skills on top of creative skills so that there is a system in place for acquiring the next client project. Bill is a video producer, former aerospace engineer, creative technologist, and founder and CEO of LightShift Video.
Listen to this episode again as we talk about how the accessibility of camera equipment and editing tools allows filmmakers to focus on storytelling while helping underserved companies with high-quality content. We also discuss how his background in engineering aids in video production and the importance of having business skills when you own and grow a creative company.
Find this episode 64 on Apple Podcasts: How Engineering Experience Helps With Video Production, The Importance of Finding A Niche, And How Modern Tech Helps Filmmakers To Focus On Storytelling
How Engineering Experience Helps With Video Production, The Importance of Finding A Niche, And How Modern Tech Helps Filmmakers To Focus On Storytelling
Our next podcast guest offers his insight into video production in this episode! Bill Kearney is a video producer, former aerospace engineer, creative technologist, and founder and CEO of LightShift Video. LightShift Video is a video production company based in Austin, Texas.
Listen to this episode as we talk about how the accessibility of camera equipment and editing tools allows filmmakers to focus on storytelling while helping underserved companies with high-quality content. We also discuss how his background in engineering aids in video production and the importance of having business skills when you own and grow a creative company.
Find this episode 64 on Apple Podcasts: How Engineering Experience Helps With Video Production, The Importance of Finding A Niche, And How Modern Tech Helps Filmmakers To Focus On Storytelling
Pros and Cons of Film School, Creating Videos For Corporations While Keeping Your Creative Integrity, And The Importance of Systems When Running A Creative Business
We chat with Andrew Miller, a storyteller, cinematographer, filmmaker, producer, and owner of Dox, a production company specializing in telling strong stories, particularly documentaries. He has also worked on feature films such as True Grit, Spy Kids 4, and A Bold Experiment.
Listen to this episode as we talk about the valuable experiences and benefits to gain from film school, his content strategy with corporations, and why it’s essential to have a system and documents to make the creation process easy and consistent.
Find podcast episode 63 on Apple Podcasts: Pros and Cons of Film School, Creating Videos For Corporations While Keeping Your Creative Integrity, And The Importance of Systems When Running A Creative Business
Being A Student of Life, The Importance of Diversity, And Why You Should Create Everyday
For our next podcast guest, we have writer, producer, screenwriter instructor, podcaster, and founder of the production company, Little Nalu Pictures, Koji Steven Sakai. He has written seven feature films and produced five films such as Last Girl, The People I’ve Slept With, and the television series: Comedy InvAsian.
In this episode, we discuss how he develops ideas for writing and the importance of diverse roles and storylines. He also shares how you should say yes to every opportunity, keep creating, and put in your best effort in any project you do to get started in the writing and film business.
Listen to episode 60 on Apple Podcasts; Being A Student of Life, The Importance of Diversity, And Why You Should Create Everyday
Understand The Why
“So understanding the why can get you closer to understanding how you can accomplish what they’re actually hoping it can do. “
In this clip from episode 58 of our podcast, Mark Haynes discusses why it’s important to know the reason why clients want a video because having that knowledge will provide better results than not understanding the why. Mark Haynes is a cinematographer, director, and owner of production company Manifest Imageworks.
Listen to this episode again as we discuss how his love of movies and desire to recreate them led him on the path of filmmaking, cinematography, and lighting, how the methods of storytelling have evolved, and the most efficient way to run a shoot.
Listen to episode 58 on Apple Podcasts: How Technology Expands Creativity, Best Ways To Shoot Videos, And How Storytelling Has Evolved
How Technology Expands Creativity, Best Ways To Shoot Videos, And How Storytelling Has Evolved
Our next podcast episode features cinematographer, director, and owner of production company Manifest Imageworks, Mark Haynes. He has been working in the film industry since 2007 and shoots for clients in the advertisement, corporate, and entertainment industries.
In this episode, we discuss how his love of movies and desire to recreate them led him on the path of filmmaking, cinematography, and lighting, how the methods of storytelling have evolved, and the most efficient way to run a shoot.
Listen to episode 58 on Apple Podcasts: How Technology Expands Creativity, Best Ways To Shoot Videos, And How Storytelling Has Evolved
Autonomous Car Behind the Scenes Shot
Welcome to the future in this high-tech behind the scenes shot by Gorodenkoff 🚙
Watch the clip below:
LOL! Let humor thrive in your video campaigns
Laugh a little. Laugh a lot. Go ahead! It will make you and your viewers happy. Give your viewers insight into who your company is on a personal level. One way to do that is by using humor. Ready to see how humor uplifts your video advertising campaigns? Our reasons below will encourage you to start adding those jokes to your scripts and strategy.
We all know the power video marketing has on your brand; it can strengthen the relationship of your consumers by keeping them entertained and informed. We also understand the power viral videos have on our social media feeds. We are compelled to watch and share within our network. Humor is a strong factor in these viral videos. People love to laugh and share videos that made them laugh on social media. Humor will help your videos get your company noticed as it’s more than a video showcasing a product’s features and benefits, but it’s a video showing personality. Using humor also reveals a brand’s approachability and empathy.
When incorporating humor into your strategy, know who your audience is and post the video to YouTube to increase your likelihood to appear high on the search results. Make your customers feel comfortable and informed about your brand. It’s important to note that while humor can make an awkward situation into a laughable one or a relatable situation, not every joke is going to carry over to your audience. That is why it is best to place the humor naturally in the conversation, keep them short, use proper timing, and avoid talking about a serious topic that could be deemed too lighthearted and devalues its severity. Humor is a great tool to use in your marketing campaigns to increase engagement for your brand.
Credit: Scenic Road WHY HUMOR WORKS IN ADVERTISING AND YOUTUBE CAMPAIGNS
Finding Joy and Understanding Failure
“But I think we’ve been also raised in a way to understand that it’s okay to not always be perfect, it’s okay to fail, as long as you learn from that failure.”
In this clip from episode 49 of our podcast, Michael reflects on how his upbringing taught him important life lessons that continues to guide him throughout the choices he makes today.
Michael Dumlao is an activist, artist, brand director at Booz Allen Hamilton, and the author of “Wisdom of Guncles: Living Life from a Queer Perspective” scheduled to publish in summer 2021.
Listen to this episode again as we discuss the role migration plays in his identity and creativity and how his upbringing as a Filipino immigrant and coming out as a gay Asian person was incredibly tough. We also talked about his upcoming book and how it uplifts untold LGBTQ stories.
Listen to episode 49 on iTunes here: How Culture Influences Creativity, Being Queer In The Late 90's, And The Importance Of Authenticity!
How to Prep for Video Shoots
Wondering how you’re going to prepare for your video shoot? Now that you have the materials to create a stellar creative brief, let’s jump right into the pre-production. The preparation stage is a crucial step to the production process as it organizes and plans out the concept of your video and the elements incorporated to make the production cohesive.
There are many necessary elements to the preparation stage, but these are the essentials to prevent any mishaps during the shoot. The creative pre-production part focuses on letting the concept come to life through scriptwriting and visually through storyboards and outlines. The operational pre-production focuses on obtaining permits, release forms, and call sheets for the location, cast, and crew.
In this clip from our video content course, we touch on what to include in the pre-production process for a successful production shoot.
How Culture Influences Creativity, Being Queer In The Late 90's, And The Importance Of Authenticity
Let’s welcome our next guest to the podcast activist, artist, and author Michael Dumlao! Michael is the brand director at Booz Allen Hamilton and the author of “Wisdom of Guncles: Living Life from a Queer Perspective” scheduled to publish in summer 2021.
Join us for this stimulating conversation as we discussed the role migration plays in his identity and creativity and how his upbringing as a Filipino immigrant and coming out as a gay Asian person was incredibly tough. Additionally, we talked about his upcoming book and how it uplifts untold LGBTQ stories.
Listen to episode 49 on iTunes here: How Culture Influences Creativity, Being Queer In The Late 90's, And The Importance Of Authenticity!
Top reasons to include animation in your video marketing strategy for 2021
By now, you should know that video has been a present force in how consumers connect and become knowledgeable of your brand. As marketers and small business owners, fine-tuning your marketing strategy is another part of the process of a successful video marketing campaign. If you’re looking for more ideas on video marketing, look no further than animation. Animation has always been a popular video style in cinema. So why not use animation in your own explainer videos? Doubtful? We’ll reveal the top reasons to include animation in your video marketing strategy for 2021.
It’s important to note that video marketing will be incredibly important this year. If the average person watches 100 minutes of video a day and there is a 14% increase in video strategy implementation from 2015 to 2020, according to a Marketing Charts survey and HubSpot, then there’s no reason not to explore how your video marketing strategy can succeed in 2021.
Explainer videos are powerful on their own: your company becomes an educational source to your consumers, which further increases the trust and relationship between consumer and company. Add animation to the mix, and viewers will want to see what’s next in-store. This does well for brand awareness and helps you stand out from the competition. Explain your brand story, products, or services without feeling like you’re not connecting with your audience. An animated explainer video has engaging visuals, voice-overs, and music for your consumers to watch, understand and retain the information about your product or service.
Including an animated explainer video in your video marketing strategy demonstrates the effort your company makes to present complex topics that are meaningful and informational to the consumer. The eye-catching visuals in your thumbnail may stop consumers mid-scroll, but the visuals, voice-overs, and music will keep them watching.
Credit: Ripple Animation Why 2021 Will Be the Year of Animated Video Marketing
Here Is What You Should Do For Your B2B and B2C Video Marketing
Still thinking about incorporating video into your marketing strategy? Are you wondering how video is making an impact in B2C and B2B marketing? Video marketing is increasingly becoming the medium marketers use to share their message with their consumers. Due to its popularity, there have been changes in how consumers and viewers react to the company’s offerings. Before we go into depth on the changes facing the B2B & B2C sectors, let’s dive into the benefits of video marketing these companies have experienced.
Videos are full of possibilities in the eyes of marketers. The outward goal of spreading the message is visible to the consumer. But the underlying goal in the same video is to increase the brand awareness to the viewers who watch the video. Videos create a cost-effective experience for the consumer that combines different mediums (text, images, audio) in a short timeframe to provide information to the viewer on your brand values, your products or services, and your brand story. It’s all about connecting potential customers and current customers to your brand story. That connection, backed by the storytelling strategy, has proven to increase ROI as 80% of viewers recall branded videos. An increased brand awareness, conversions, and low cost in video advertising all mean well, but how does that correlate to B2B and B2C companies?
B2C companies are focusing on the storytelling aspect of video marketing. Consumers want to be able to envision themselves using the product or service. One way companies are serving this change is through influencer marketing and interactive product videos. If consumers see an influencer unboxing and demonstrating how a product is used and incorporated into their lifestyle consumers will start to picture themselves using the product. Video testimonials and immersive product videos also are on the rise in B2C companies. In B2B companies, videos are created based on the stages of the sales funnel. Live videos and webinars are also an option to connect with your audience, while repurposing content from the blog can provide a B2B company with content lined up ready to reach an audience on different platforms. Videos are not going anywhere anytime soon, so as these changes are changing how marketing operates, adapt to the changes with video marketing by your side.
Credit: Written by Modern Diplomacy How Video Marketing Is Changing B2B & B2C Marketing
Relevance Of Digital Platforms In The Current Situation, How To Utilize Live Streaming, And The Importance Of Being Digital Media Literate
Our guest this week is CreatorUp co-founder and CEO, Michael Tringe! Michael’s live business workshops have impacted thousands of students worldwide. CreatorUp is a digital media marketplace that specializes in video content creation and training for their global clients.
In this episode we talk about having a YouTube presence, taking proactive steps for 2021 by utilizing live-streaming, and becoming digital media literate to understand the adapting technology and trends.
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts here: Relevance Of Digital Platforms In The Current Situation, How To Utilize Live Streaming, And The Importance Of Being Digital Media Literate
Storytelling In Advertising, Creating Relatable Ads, And The Importance Of The Salesperson Element In A Creative Business
Get ready to hear about our latest podcast episode with award-winning author, filmmaker, and co-founder of Spot On Media. Shervin Youssefian!
In this episode, we talk about how vital storytelling is to advertising, creating relatable commercials, managing client expectations, and the reason why creatives should also become a salesperson or add one to their team to further the progress in the projects they have.
Listen to the full episode here: Storytelling In Advertising, Creating Relatable Ads, And The Importance Of The Salesperson Element In A Creative Business
TV Shows vs Digital Content, Producing Stellar Content With Budget Constraints, And The Importance Of Creative Expression
Tune in to our newest podcast episode with Scott Firestone! An experienced individual in media production who has helped launch notable series like Behind the Music, Extra, and World of Wonder, Scott is a showrunner, writer, director, and executive producer of his own production company Firestone Productions and the podcast Poddreams. Poddreams is a fictional news storytelling podcast that rewrites real stories for a justice-served outcome.
Join the discussion as we talk about the difference between producing TV shows and digital content, the process of working with clients in the corporate world, and balancing the quality of work with budget constraints.Listen to the full episode here: TV Shows vs Digital Content, Producing Stellar Content With Budget Constraints, And The Importance Of Creative Expression
Being Creative In Your Professional Life
“There’s story in everything that we do, professionally and personally and creatively.”
This quote came from fellow podcast host of the DreamPath Podcast, Bryan Smith, when he mentioned how creativity, powered through storytelling, exists in our personal and professional lives. In addition to creating the DreamPath podcast that explores the artistic journeys of multiple creatives, Bryan Smith is also a trial attorney and musician.
Listen to this episode again as we talk about how artists need to constantly create new things without referring to their past, how storytelling is used in every business, how creativity helps you professionally, and how we shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes. Listen to the full episode here: The Importance Of Storytelling In Everyday Life, The Need To Create Consistently, And Getting Over The Fear Of Not Being Perfect
Visually Speaking, You Need Video Marketing
Video content is proven to be an effective method in content strategy, so why aren’t you implementing it into your own? Recognize the impact of implementing videos into your digital marketing strategy has on your business. If you aren’t aware, read on and discover what videos can do for you.
The content in your video means everything to your video. If your video has a fantastic production quality but lacks in grabbing the audience in, then you’re going to lose that audience retention. Try incorporating storytelling into your video content. Storytelling is a huge factor in social media success. Business owners and creatives post about their products and services, updates about the company, and their audience in the form of images, blogs, or other written material. What would be better than to combine those two types of content into a video? According to a research study reported in the article, “our brain can process 60,000 times faster than text”. A video that connects the audience should also further direct the audience to perform an action outside the video with a call to action, such as sharing the video or signing up for a course. When you put storytelling in a video format, make sure you are doing it in an authentic way that positively showcases who you are and what your video is about.
Videos are captivating devices that allow your story to be seen and heard. The audience that views the video will be left with the experience that further connects them with your brand. An increase in website and search engine traffic, social media clicks and followers is likely to grow more, especially when about 52% of marketers agree that videos have a great return of investment when implemented well. More and more companies are taking advantage of video content marketing, and with more than 80% of online content video marketing, it only makes sense to create some authentic engaging videos!
Credit: Written by: Fred Chua Boost Traffic, Clicks, And Followers Using Video Marketing