We are repeatedly told that Google now ranks websites with videos. I saw a statistic recently that stated “Cisco predicts online video will make up 55% of web traffic”, if that prediction proves to be true that is a large untapped audience for many of us.

However, after looking at videos other companies had produced I really struggled to justify the expense or effort involved. After all, there are limits on what you can do with the video once it’s uploaded to your website and posted on the various social media channels. A bit cynical I know, but I am the world’s biggest cynic and I will not give a video much time to grab my attention.

Having said that, it would be foolish to ignore this growing trend of people using videos more in their web searches. If we don’t communicate with that audience, someone else will!

Many people are uncomfortable in front of a camera. There is always the danger of appearing robotic, relaying well-practised lines, but missing any emotion or personality. I am sure you have seen a few ‘toe-curling’ corporate videos that have put you off the idea totally. Films commissioned with the best of intentions have the potential to just look dull, contrived and uncomfortable to watch - defeating the whole purpose spending a large slug of your marketing budget. You really do get what you pay for!

Last month we relaunched our corporate finance breakfast event which I thought would be an excellent opportunity to create an interesting ‘fly-on-the-wall’ style video. With so many marketing uses I was sure we would easily see a return on the investment. The content needed to be equally interesting to both our clients and intermediary contacts - not only for promoting our business as the go-to experts, but also useful to help publicise future events. Focussed on the ‘evergreen’ topic of raising equity, it’s a great marketing tool to show to our current clients and potential clients who are interested in fundraising or selling a business.

When choosing our film company, one really stood out. They quickly understood our objectives and they had some great ideas that I hadn’t considered.

So what are my thoughts now? Having gone through the whole video process I am really pleased with the end product so I would say don’t dismiss the idea, but I would strongly recommend that you think very carefully:

1) What are your objectives? Will it truly convey your key message?

2) Who will watch it? (…and will they get past the first 30 seconds!)

3) How will it be used? - the more usages you can find for it, the longer its ‘shelf life’, the better the return on investment.

Will we get a return on our investment? Am I less cynical about videos now? I will tell you in my next blog!

Tags: UK200

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