Whenever a new media platform is invented or gains popularity, opinions, and speculations soar.
People called television the ‘idiot box’ for decades. They believed it took control of the audience’s mind and rendered them useless.
Years later, it was scientifically proven that audiences make conscious choices and carve out their own viewing experience.
The internet and social media platforms took a similar heat.
Remember how your parents used to give you a hard time about always being on Facebook? Well, studies reveal that it’s now the most popular social platform among people over 55.
The fact is that humans don’t respond well to change and it takes them a little time to work things to their benefit. That’s the time period when misconceptions solidify into myths.
Video production for businesses is no different. A lot of organizations were, and still are, initially hesitant to adopt video as a part of their communication strategy.
This may be because they believe it’s too unprofessional or are skeptical about its efficiency to get them results.
If your business is one of these, you might be falling behind.
2020 should be the year your business embraces video production wholeheartedly as a marketing and communication tool.
If you’re not convinced, then check out some of these insights from a recent survey we conducted.
Read more: Video Marketing During COVID-19 – Insights from Entrepreneurs and Marketers
Now, let us debunk some common video production myths so you can realize the medium’s full potential.
1. Video production is too complex
That might have been true two decades ago. Today, there are tons of tools available to make video production a seamless process.
Professional camera and production equipment add spice to your videos, for sure, but you can even create a decent video these days if you have a good phone.
Software like Adobe After Effects and Autodesk Maya help professional video creators tackle the intricacies of animated and live video post-production.
What appears to be complex visual effects and editing, is a breeze for a skilled professional.
Moreover, there are plenty of DIY tools available to help you create professional-looking videos.
They feature ready-made templates, stock images and footage, free soundtracks, and much more.
It’s like entering into a digital Room of Requirements.
Intrigued? Here’s our breakdown of top DIY video creation software and how to use them.
2. Video production is too expensive
True, if you don’t do your research though. First, let’s redefine ‘expensive’.
Expensive is something you invest your time, energy, or money in but it doesn’t give you a significant ROI.
With the right number of sales and profits, even a large amount of money can become ‘inexpensive’.
If you’re worried about the initial investment, it’s always good to compare how much a project will cost you in-house with how much a video marketing agency will charge you.
Read more: 5 Reasons Why You Should Your Video Production
Video marketing agencies have a lot of industry partnerships, video production equipment, and subscriptions to the right digital tools that might cost you a lot as a one-off deal.
If you have a video project in mind, feel free to contact our video strategists, we’d be happy to be help!
Schedule a free consultation call with our video strategist
Also, do your window shopping before deciding on a video marketing service.
Compare costs, services offered with a package, industry experience, client testimonial, and case studies.
The right research will help you make an educated and cost-effective decision.
Read in-depth: How To Choose the Best Video Marketing Agency for Your Business
If you still feel like your video project can be effectively handled in-house, the DIY video production tools we mentioned are an affordable option.
Moreover, video is a highly flexible medium. You don’t always have to invest the big bucks in a live-action production or go overboard with animation to get your message across.
Carefully selecting a video type for your project can save you a lot of money.
Related: How Is the Pricing of Animated Videos Calculated? [Complete Guide]
3. There’s no need for a video marketing agency
It’s always tempting to grab digitally savvy millennials from inside and ask them to shoot a video for you. But correlation does not imply causation.
Just because someone knows their way around tech doesn’t mean they’re skilled in professional video production.
Their inexperience can cost you more time, energy, and money in the long run. So, it’s best to refer to the experts in the first place.
According to our recent survey, when it comes to engagement, 54% of the audience focuses on the quality of production, and 46% focus on the message and storyline.
A video marketing agency has dedicated professionals to write compelling scripts and the tools to produce high-quality videos.
So ultimately, hiring a video marketing service can be more beneficial for you.
Related: How to Tell a Story That Makes People Want to Buy Your Stuff
4. You should always make short videos
Yes, the modern audience has a selective attention span. This is why the 2-minute rule gets reiterated so many times in the video production world.
However, it’s not possible to summarize all types of messages under two minutes. For example, some how-to tutorial videos may take a little longer to explain.
Grabbing the viewers’ attention quickly but cutting out important information from the video can have a counterproductive effect.
Make sure that your video does what it is intended to do. If it takes a little longer than 2 minutes, so be it.
Just be sure to keep your audience interested through a catchy script, relevant info, and stimulating visuals.
Here’s an example of a slightly longer video (3 minutes and 30 seconds) that hooks the viewer from start to finish. The video has garnered 41 million views.
Just goes to show, people are always curious and on the lookout to expand their knowledge base.
5. Videos can only be leveraged on YouTube
While YouTube offers direct monetization of your videos, you can also leverage them on other digital channels to reach your KPIs.
More and more digital platforms are going towards a video-friendly model. For instance, businesses are witnessing great results by incorporating video in their email marketing strategy.
Almost 90% of online marketing professionals use video in their email marketing campaigns.
According to Campaign Monitor, adding a video in your email campaign can boost the click rate by 65%. That’s surely a hallelujah for email marketers!
YouTube might be reigning the online video realm, but videos from Vimeo perform best with an average of 8.13% click-through rate.
Your website is also a great place to host your videos. A homepage video offers a quick intro of your services along with your key selling points.
Renderforest claims that adding a video to your homepage can boost conversion rates by 20%.
And let’s not forget videos on social media. From IGTV to Facebook to LinkedIn, videos can do wonders for your B2C and B2B efforts. 82% of the audience also views video content on Twitter.
Read in-depth: How the Video and Social Media Bond Fosters Engagement
6. Videos can only be used once
The environment-friendly catchphrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” holds true for videos as well. In the age of sustainability, you should never use something you invest money in just once.
Video is like that one piece of clothing that you can style in many ways to achieve a new look every time. Even the best in the business repurpose their video content many times!
If you have a top-performing video you know that it resonates well with your audience. You should milk this opportunity and try to extend the value of your content.
For instance, if you’re shooting a client testimonial video for your website, you can easily use it as a part of your employee hiring and onboarding process.
Then, cut it down into micro-videos for social media or create an email series out of it.
Needless to say, that repurposing is a great time and money saver.
Read more: How to Use the GaryVee Content Model for Video Distribution
7. Videos are only used for marketing
It’s easy to think of video as just a tool to directly or indirectly promote your products. However, businesses are using videos for a range of corporate communication activities.
Video is an effective internal communication tool. It is used to bridge the hierarchical gaps within an organization, welcoming and onboarding new employees, crisis communication, and to boost employee engagement.
Ragan Communications found that 44% of their employees feel more engaged with their seniors due to internal video communication. That definitely makes the job of the HR department much easier!
Read in-depth: Enhancing Internal Communications through Video – a Guide
Video has also taken e-learning and employee training to a whole new level. It has opened doors for learning and skill development through its flexibility, easy access, and trackability.
Not to mention how it tremendously cuts down the money spent on logistics and travel needed to organize brick and mortar training sessions.
Read in-depth: How to Use Video Content for Employee Onboarding and Training
8. Videos are only successful if they go viral
Virality is one of the most sought-after video marketing metrics. Businesses often spend big chunks of their marketing budget in the efforts to create viral videos.
Sure a large viewership indicates a significant interest in the video on part of the audience. But that doesn’t always indicate that your video campaign has been successful.
In this video, Tim Scott, a YouTuber and web developer, explains the concept perfectly.
The audience’s interest in your business may end with the video itself. Just because people are watching a video doesn’t mean they are actually considering buying your product or service.
So, it’s necessary to get comprehensive analytics about what kind of actions audiences take after watching your video.
Did they follow your call to action? Did they visit your website? Did they show interest in your product via social media? How many of the viewers became quality leads? How many actually converted into customers?
Sometimes a video with a small viewership yields more quality leads than a viral video.
These are all things to consider before dubbing a video marketing campaign a success.
Read in-depth: Why You Shouldn’t Be Hell-bent on Creating Viral Video Content
9. A Video needs to have all production elements to be effective
The pressure to create a perfect video may urge you to go overboard with the production.
You may want to have it all: the powerful script, the insane graphics, the killer soundtrack but sometimes less is more when it comes to video production.
Some of the biggest brands in the world have found success in keeping things simple in their video content. For instance, you may not need a voiceover if you’re using kinetic typography.
Whatever you do, make sure your message doesn’t get lost among the cinematics and visual effects.
Simpler yet creatively executed audiovisual experiences stick longer with the audience as they’re more impactful.
See how Nike achieves a balance of simplicity and creativity here.
Read more: 15 Best Nike Commercials and Why They’re so Effective
10. Animated videos are better than live-action videos
Humans are naturally wired to jump on bandwagons. However, animated videos being the hot new trend in video production doesn’t imply that they’re always more effective than live videos.
In the world of video marketing, no format is inherently better than the other.
Animated videos might not be a good fit for every situation. For example, event videos or CEO messages are better shot live for more credibility.
On the other hand, live-action videos may put a dent in your pocket due to often high production costs as compared to animated projects.
What makes a video effective is its ability to resonate with your audience, its relevance to your marketing funnel, and its power to entice the audience to answer your CTA.
Choosing a suitable medium is key.
11. Making a video will fix everything
Video is not a magic potion that will solve all your marketing problems. Rather, it is a part of or an accessory to a bigger marketing strategy.
If you invest graciously into video production but don’t know how to use it to reach your goals it can easily turn into a huge loss.
It is vital to first set clear objectives, know the needs of your audience at each step of the buyer’s journey, understand your marketing funnel, and then build a video marketing strategy accordingly.
Read in-depth: How to Build a Video Strategy for Your Buyer’s Journey
Knowing how, when, and where to promote your fresh-out-of-the-oven video effectively is also extremely important. After all there is no point in creating a message that doesn’t reach your audiences.
This is why it is usually better to go for a video marketing agency rather than a video production agency.
A video marketing agency doesn’t just shoot a video for you rather it helps you define or modify your goals, strategize, promote and keep track of your video campaign.
At the end of the day, the campaign metrics decide whether a video helped you reach your KPIs or not.
Key takeaways
- What we’ve learned from this experience of going through video production facts is that while it’s important to know what to do, it’s also important to know what not to do.
- No video format or platform is better than the other, it all depends on your campaign goals, affordability, and the audience’s needs.
- It’s always preferable to let professional video marketers help you with your video campaigns than putting your investments at risk.
At MotionCue, not only do we have serious myth-busting chops but we also have a comprehensive line of video production solutions for your next project.
Get in touch with us and join the 79% marketers who swear by the ROI powers of video.