Video remains an important part of a good content strategy. Here we explore video content curation that is good enough.
The importance of video has been a consistent message from the stage at INBOUND. We are sure that HubSpot is working away looking at how video applies to each stage of the inbound funnel. As a speaker at INBOUND18 in September, we look at the absolute fundamentals of creating your own authentic video with the tools you already have to hand. Finally, we recommend the latest 2018 Video in Business Benchmark Report released by Vidyard.
This post is an update on our original How to publish blog video in 20-minutes and is taken from our recent Toronto HUG (HubSpot User Group) presentation. It was our dry run for #INBOUND18 in Boston. If you have followed this blog you will have seen countless examples where we have used approximately 59 -second videos.
This video above with Peter Bonch is one we recorded, edited, optimized and published inside 20-minutes during the Toronto HUG session. Video has become ridiculously easy to do yourself. It’s fun. Try it. You have everything you need.
“90% of customers say that video helps them make buying decision and 64% of customers sat that seeing a video makes them more likely to buy,” says Vidyard.
A step-by-step how-to guide for quick blog content video curation
Indulge us for the moment as we put aside the persona and where they are in the buyer journey. Our primary goal is for you to become enthused by how realistic and straightforward it is for you to create a video. Once you have tried it we believe your mind will bustle with ideas.
Authentic video content curation
The above video was created precisely as described here, in less than 20 minutes.
- A majority of videos are viewed on desktop or smartphones so it doesn’t need to be 1080 broadcast quality
- A little background ambient noise adds to the atmosphere and relevance
- Camera movement or speaker informality adds to the credibility
3 simple video questions that work every time
Pose these three questions to the person you are interviewing and don’t give them too much time to prepare. Aim for video length between 30-45 seconds.
- Who are you? – Their name and title.
- Where are you? – Where are you recording this? It often adds context.
- Why is this important? – Where this is the topic, cause or event.
The use of the word this is intentionally unspecific. We have learned something about psychology. If we ask why Inbound, homelessness or healthcare is important they will likely provide us with a predictable answer. By asking why this is important, each person has a subtly different perception of what this means to them. The result is more surprising, insightful and valuable answers. If someone goes too far off topic, you can easily enough ask them to do a second take.
“75% of all videos published in the last year are less than 2 minutes long. Videos less than 90 seconds in length see an average retention rate of 59%,” note Vidyard in their 2018 Benchmark Report.
How to produce video in 20 minutes
- 4-minutes to record the video with an iPhone in landscape orientation
- 1-minute to upload from the iPhone to Mac using AirDrop
- 1-minute to import into iMovie
- 2-minutes to add intro-outro and edit the title slide text
- 5-minutes to insert the video clip and edit to the perfect start and end
- 2-minutes to detach audio file, tick auto checkbox and adjust percentage setting to remove background noise, then harmonise voice level.
- 30-seconds to add the transitions
- 1-minute to save file name and export back to your Mac
- 30-seconds to sign into YouTube and select the file to upload
- 2-minutes to edit video file name, descriptions, thumbnail and tags in YouTube video manager
- 1-minute to copy/paste YouTube URL link and paste into the blog post
To export from iMovie recommend choosing a resolution of 720 as this is the resolution of most devices on which people will view the video. Going to higher resolution and best quality increases the file size and upload time unnecessarily.
The Vidyard report explores videos published by company size. They believe that the prevalence of video in small businesses are created in-house.
“[I]t may be an indicator of how simple it has become to produce videos in today’s market coupled with the agility of small businesses to embrace new trends.”
Taking video content curation from good to great
Our tips above provide you with good quality video. You can elevate to a great video by investing time or money with these nine pro tips.
- Plan your use of video to where your persona lies in the buyer journey, the goal of the video you are producing and where it will be distributed.
- Using two iPhones of the same speaker from different angles.
- Pay a graphic designer to create a 10-second branded intro, a title slide in your brand colour and a 10-second outro slide. You can use these indefinitely thereafter. Import them into iMovie and insert the video clip in-between.
- Add subtitles, especially for a video being amplified through Facebook, where the majority of videos are watched without sound.
- Upgrade your kit with an external microphone, a tripod, lighting, DSLR camera.
- Hire a professional videographer.
- Upgrade to paid video editing tools such as Final Cut Pro.
- Sign up for a paid account with one of the HubSpot recommended video platforms. A Vidyard or Wistia account allows you to add a customised play button, turnstile, call-to-action, and powerful analytics.
- Shift your website Content Management System to HubSpot.
READ THE NEW VIDYARD BENCHMARK REPORT
Video content curation is an evolving subject so come back for future updates on this topic. Both the iPhone and iPad come with a cut-down version of iMovie. However, the consensus is that using a Mac remains the way to go. We will be developing an eBook on how this can be done using different smartphone devices, computer operating systems and video platforms.
You can use this discount code to come and see me speak at #INBOUND18 in Boston Sept. 4-7. This code SPKRJGR200 will provide you USD$200 discount on an ALL ACCESS Pass.