Tip #1 for Filming Interviews - DO THE INTERVIEW FIRST

Do the interview at the beginning of the shoot, when the talent is most fresh. Chances are you’ll also need to get other shots with them like B-roll but it's good to get the interview out of the way first. The interview is usually somewhat stressful for him or her and demands the most focus. Also the talent looks the best and their thoughts are most organized at the beginning of the filming session, so shoot the interview first. 

Tip: Shooting B-roll can almost feel like a reward after the interview.

#1 DO THE INTERVIEW FIRST

#2 SAVE THE QUESTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEW

#3 PRESERVE YOUR TALENT

#4 NAIL YOUR EYE LEVEL

#5 GET THE CLIENT’S APPROVAL

#6 ATTACHING THE MIC

#7 CLEAR THE ROOM

#8 MULTI-CAMERA SETUP

#9 HAVE YOUR EDITOR HANDY

#10 USING A HOST

#11 CONCISE IS KEY

#12 THE LAST QUESTION

Show Don't Tell - Essential Elements for your Promotional Video

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS

Customer testimonials are one of the most powerful trust signals you can use in your videos. When approaching customers to be in the video, make sure you're upfront with the amount of time it's going to take out of their day. It's better to under promise and over deliver, so if it's going to take an 1/2 hour then tell them it will take 1 hour. Testimonials always take a little longer than expected because of the factors involved with video (ie. mic check, lighting adjustments, etc).

Tips: Give your talent/customer a gift card or bottle of wine after to show your appreciation of their time and helping you with your video project.

Avoid making a commercial

People are expecting your promotional video to just be another commercial. Be different in your approach and provide professional advice and/or tips instead.  

Tip: Share helpful information and you will position yourself as being an authority in the industry because of your thought leadership.

SET UP YOUR INTERVIEWS

If you can shoot the interview on the location of the business and have an interesting background then it will help with storytelling.

Tip: Shoot the interview before or after business operating hours so it isn't noisy or busy. 

CONSISTENT BRANDING

If the company already has other promotional material produced (ie. brochure, website, etc) then its a good idea to consider using the same font type and colour scheme in the video to be consistent across the board. 

Tip: A simple animation to the company logo in the video will go a long way.

Include a CALL TO ACTION

Guide the viewer on how to respond after watching the video. Keep the call to action message simple and you will have a higher likelihood of response. For example, "Contact us now to arrange a free consultation!".

Tip: leverage annotations on YouTube by adding a clickable link to appear on the video.

Preempt your viewers questions

If you have already identified the main misconceptions your customers have when deciding to purchase your product or service then create a video preempting those issues.

Hot Tub Company Example

Customer Misconception: 1. it's expensive, 2. it will tear up my back yard, 3. my wife will say NO.

Make your video about: 1. promoting your payment plans, 2. your company takes care of the installation and clean up, 3. health tips for women to use hot tubs. 

Sound is just as critical as picture

When speaking on camera make sure you are using a lapel or boom to capture good audio. Consider including professional voice over (V/O) can make the difference of your video standing above the rest. Consider using V/O in the introduction of video and for giving the call to action at the end. The audio is so clean and professional it really will draw your viewer in to the video and also leave them with a clear message when you finish.

Tip: Online services like VOX offer voice overs for as little as $200.

LESS IS truly MORE

Don't try and pack too much in to the video. According to Visible Measures, 45% of viewers will stop watching after 1 minute and 60% by 2 minutes.

Tip: If you can effectively accomplish your message in less time then do it. 

Planning For a Promotional Video - 7 Steps From Start to Finish

Video marketing is, arguably, the most effective form of online mass communication that you can do. It may or may not come as a shock to you, but all businesses, small and large, need to start using video – consumers demand it! 

1 Meet your production company

Start off strong and take the time to establish a relationship with the person producing your video. You're going to spend significant time together for the next while over email, phone calls, and shooting days, so you might as well start this relationship off on a good note. If it isn't possible to meet face-to-face during the pre-production stage, then plan to meet over video chat.

Tip: this is also an opportunity to learn if you even want to proceed with working with this particular company and, in all fairness, they are wondering the same about you. 

“Using the word “Video” in an email subject line boosts open rates 19%, click-through rates by 65% and reduces unsubscribes by 26%.”

— Marketing Tech Blog

2 Use a reference video

When you approach a production company, inevitably the question of "What type of video do you want?" is going to come up. It's helpful to have a reference video on hand to show them. A picture says a thousand words and also goes beyond language barriers (terminology professionals use in the production industry can feel like a foreign language sometimes). From that reference video they will be able to give you some feedback right away and tell you what is possible and what isn't on their end. This is also an excellent opportunity for the company to bow out if they realize they aren't confident producing material at the level you require. However, they might also be able to tell you the approximate cost for a producing a video at that level, which might force you to ground your expectations. 

Tip: If you're not sure where to start, see what your competition is doing for video.

3 Ask the right questions

The most popular question always seems to circulate around cost but it shouldn't be what you lead with. First you want to make sure the production company is even capable of delivering up to your expectations: creative quality, turn around deadline, etc. Also, if you're asking the production company for creative ideas upfront it's common for them not to disclose their brilliant ideas until a deposit has been collected. That is simply to protect them from having their ideas taken to another company to produce the video.

Tip: Fast, Good or Cheap. You can only pick 2. http://www.sixside.com/fast_good_cheap.asp

4 Contingency planing a.k.a. set a rain date

If part of your production requires shooting outdoors you're going to want to set a rain date. If the shoot can reasonably fit indoors, and you can obtain a reservation for a back-up indoor location, that might be your best solution. 

Tip: Most production companies need at least 24 hours notice if you need to cancel or reschedule.

5 Shooting at your workplace

Usually, it's a good idea to shoot at your workplace for a couple of reasons. First, it cuts out location costs (ie. studio fees) and more importantly, it helps with the storytelling of the video.

Tip: If you're not sure if your workplace will work, then plan for a location scout. They will be able to tell if the space is suitable for setting up equipment, surrounding noise (ie. loud AC unit), power accessibility, lighting, etc. 

6 Keep your edit changes simple

Sometimes an editor will show you a rough draft giving you an opportunity to make any necessary changes before the final version. Usually, simple changes are possible without incurring additional costs. For instance, perhaps you would rather a different shot be used in the video and you know they already have it shot, then ask if it's possible to use it instead. Whenever possible, any special requests you have for the final piece should be brought up in the pre-production stage. 

Tip: If changes are necessary make sure you mention all of them in 1 note, which is simple and easy to understand.

7 Getting your video out there

Marketing distribution is a crucial step but probably the most over looked. Usually, when you finish production you've exhausted your budget. Research and plan ahead so you can promote your video on the appropriate channels when it is is complete.

Tip: Facebook ads are one of the best ways to market your video to a targeted audience.