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What Makes a Great Video?

Video has never been easier to create and share. We only have to whip out our smartphones, press a button, point the camera, and, voilà, we’ve produced a video. It may be easy, but ease doesn’t necessarily equate to quality.

Motion graphics pack a powerful marketing punch. A great video captures the audience’s imagination and keeps them engaged. Your viewers may share it with others (if it’s available for public viewing), spreading your message far and wide.

(Read our blog post: What Are Motion Graphics and What Can They Do for Your Business?)

YouTube reports that they have over a billion users and that mobile video consumption is rising 100% every year. So, almost one third of current online activity is spent watching video.

Why use video?

In marketing terms, videos are attributed with a much greater ROI as they can create higher conversion rates, increase click-through rates, and grow brand association. We’ve heard real estate listings with video receive a whopping 400 percent more inquiries than those without, and that online shoppers who view a demonstration video are twice as likely to purchase the product than non-viewers. These are compelling reasons to include video in your marketing mix.

From the user’s perspective, video is visually engaging, easy to consume, entertaining, and it’s considered helpful in the decision-making process. With the growth in demand, it seems the public just can’t get enough of video.

“Almost 50% of internet users look for videos related to a product or service before visiting a store.” – Google, 2016

How to create a great video

So how do you create this great video that your audience is going to love? The first rule of thumb is that it needs to connect with the target audience. You have to use the right style to communicate effectively.

Whether you are making an instructional, launch, or corporate video, it needs to be impactful so it will be remembered and talked about. A good storytelling narrative is engaging and keeps the audience watching.

Chatbooks scored a win with their photo book ad campaign featuring the totally relatable, somewhat sarcastic, mother relaying her busy life with three kids. As did Always with their #LikeAGirl campaign. This ad has been viewed over 60 million times on YouTube alone. Both campaigns were highly targeted to a specific audience and consequently hit their aim.

How important is design?

You’ve nailed your content and now you need to select the right frame to show it off. Will you choose an animated documentary, imagery without voice, a combination of 2D with 3D, an explainer video, or something else altogether? Is the audience local, national, or international? Knowing your purpose and target audience is crucial when it comes to selecting the right video design.

Design can make or break your video. Lighting, framing, sound quality, voice, and music choice, all come into play here. Polished editing will give you seamless transitions and high-quality sound. Beautiful imagery with ugly sound will turn your audience off in a New York minute. Likewise, if the video takes too long to upload.

(Read our blog post: Common Design Mistakes Business People Make)

Gone in 60 seconds

We’re often asked what the length of a perfect video is. There are statistics suggesting that two-thirds of consumers prefer video under 60 seconds, and that 5% of viewers will stop watching after one minute and 60% by 2 minutes. However, the length you decide on depends on factors such as your purpose and your target audience. Nike’s 2016 video, The Switch, is almost six minutes long and has had over 63 million views on YouTube. Featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, it appealed to a broad global audience.

As we said at the beginning, it’s easier than ever to produce a video. Doing it yourself, it might be hard to pull off the same level of professionalism as the Nike one mentioned above, so if you’re using it for professional purposes, you might consider enlisting professional help.

If you’d like some help creating a video, get in touch with the team at Ideaseed. We are a full-service design agency and we can make you look amazing across all applications and platforms. See some samples of videos we’ve produced.