With the rise of video in the world of marketing, it has become the go-to medium for companies and advertisers. As the name suggests, promo videos or promotional videos are videos aimed at promoting a specific marketing initiative, and they often resemble the style and tone of teaser videos.
Promo videos allow you to connect with the audience on an emotional level and get your point across in the shortest amount of time. People actually prefer watching videos since this format makes the information easier to understand and remember.
Moreover, promos help potential customers visualise what it would be like to acquire a product or service. Videos are much more effective than text when it comes to grabbing the attention of internet users, and it’s a very versatile medium.
Now that you know the advantages of promo videos, how do you make one? This is precisely what we will explore in this article. It’s a lot simpler than you’d think because all promos, no matter the goal, style and budget, follow the same basic format.
Identify Your Goal
Before you do anything else, you’ll want to sit down with your team and think about the purpose of your promo video. Video production can be an expensive and lengthy process, so it’s important to maintain a tight focus. Your goal could be to increase brand awareness or customer engagement, to drive traffic or sales, or you might want to educate customers on the benefits of a new product or service.
If you have multiple goals, it’s generally recommended that you create multiple videos. Don’t try to cram as many ideas into one because it will make the viewing experience cluttered and confusing. You can discuss your objectives with an experienced video production company and let them help you choose a direction.
Identify Your Audience
The next step to creating a compelling promo video is identifying your target audience. This can be the same as the target audience for your products and services but not always. If you sell to a wide range of customers, you will need to select only a segment of that audience for your promo video.
For example, let’s say you sell clothes for both men and women of all ages. You will not be able to deliver a message that appeals to everyone in a 30-second video so you’ll need to select a segment such as men between the ages of 30 and 40. This doesn’t mean you’ll be abandoning the rest of your customers. You’ll simply have to create other promos for them.
Style & Tone
After you’ve decided on a target audience, you can choose a style and tone that would most appeal to them. Here are some options you can choose from:
- Introductory – Promo videos that introduce a new company to their target audience
- Explanatory – Videos that explain how a product or service works
- Problem/Solution – Promo videos based on showing a problem and explaining how a product or service solves that problem
- Narrative – Promo videos that introduce/explain a product/service by using story elements such as plot, conflict and resolution
- Testimonials – Promo videos that include interviews with customers
- Endorsement – Promo videos that include the recommendation of a celebrity or influencer
The tone refers to how you want your target audience to feel after watching your video. You can choose between:
- Straightforward and informative
- Dramatic
- Fun, playful and humorous
- Quirky
- Conversational
- Inspirational
- Luxurious
- Hip and cool
Focus on Emotion Rather Than Information
Many new companies make the mistake of trying to use promo videos to provide their audience with an in-depth description of their products or services. This stems from a misunderstanding of the medium. Pomo videos are typically 30 seconds long, which isn’t enough time to give a long-winded explanation with facts and statistics. This isn’t really a problem because as much as we’d like to think that we’re rational decision-makers, we make most of our decision based on emotions.
Video content is great at engaging the audience on an emotional level which is why you see so many dramatic and inspirational promos. It’s this emotional connection that will draw people in and motivate them to continue interacting with your brand.
Production
At this point, you should have at least a general idea of what your promo video should look like. You know your goals, your target audience, style, tone, how you want your audience to feel and a few key takeaways you want them to remember. It’s time to write a script and start producing your video.
You’ll need to hire a production company. Of course, you could do it on your own, but it’s always better to have professionals on your side. If you plan on using actors in your video, you’ll need to organise castings. You’ll also need to secure a location or several locations to shoot your video. If you’re planning to shoot the video outside, keep in mind that this often requires a permit.
Post-Production
This is where the magic happens! You’ll need a skilled post-production editor to bring your ideas to life. You’ll also need to organise a casting for voice-over talent, and you’ll need to decide on the music you want to include in your video. The music can be tricky. You may think you know the perfect song, but it can cost a lot of money.
The final touches will include text overlays which you will need to discuss with your post-production editor. Keep in mind that if you want to include CTAs like “Buy now!” in specific scenes, you’ll need to account for them during shooting so you’ll have enough negative space. This may seem trivial, but adding text when there isn’t enough negative space can make it seem crowded or out of place.
Promo videos without CTAs are less effective because your viewers may not understand the purpose so their actions will not align with your goals. They may feel moved or inspired but have no clue what you want them to do and may think that your goal was only to increase awareness about a subject.