We were delighted to make a trip down to Cheltenham to film a promotional video for the Gloucester Echo. The Echo, historically a daily paper, was relaunching as a weekly, and so the editors and reporters wanted to get out into the town to let the locals know.
The crew did a great job and I think the finished piece ticks a lot of the boxes for a marketing video destined for social media. So, what are the key notes you should be hitting with your own video for social?
A memorable hashtag attached to the right content can get your content seen by a wider audience. And, as in our example, it shouldn’t be an afterthought. The hashtag, #HowDoYouReadYours, cheekily riffing on the famous slogan from the Cadbury’s Creme Egg ads, was conceived long before the video, and gave us a theme to build the video around. The aim of having a marquee in the middle of Cheltenham was to get local people involved, and the hashtag meant that there was always a question to ask people. Getting vox pops with people answering the question was an ideal way to build the video and get people involved on the streets and online.
Ok, so our video might not win a comedy award, but there are many shades of funny. Particularly when the narrative is driven by talking heads, it’s important to get people laughing and smiling on camera from the off. Don’t be afraid to be a bit daft, and if somebody makes a gaffe in front of camera, you should probably keep it in.
People need social proof - It just means using someone else’s behaviour to validate our own decisions. Social media is inherently great at providing this - People use it to learn and to see what other people are doing, to agree and disagree. When marketing products and services online, remember the basics - Ask yourself, ‘do I have anybody saying how great this is?’ Sure, it’s not sophisticated, but it works.
Finally, I’d just remind you that social content doesn’t have to be too ambitious. The important thing is to share short, engaging content, and do it frequently.
As complex and technical as SEO may seem, the creative skillset of content marketers puts them in a good position when it comes to addressing the fundamentals.
When promoting the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire's course in Applied Theatre, we had the creative challenge of showing prospective students a different side to the world of theatre.
It may not communicate your brands message as directly as writing or visual flair, but music can give life to your brand and its content.
7 ways to get followers for your LinkedIn company page - sharing engaging content is perhaps the most important step, but there's more you can do.
Ember Regis Group Ltd., Suite 403 Rhubarb
25 Heath Mill Lane, Digbeth, Birmingham B9 4AE
Website by Scorchsoft
