Digital Marketing Guide

The Power of Video

Video is present on nearly every social media platform, and it's a powerful tool for scoring more engagement. Consider these stats:

Creating video is often an excellent way to elevate your content marketing plan, and you don't need to break the bank to make it happen. On social media, content value beats production quality. High-quality, professionally filmed videos are always nice — but you can make authentic connections simply with a smart phone and a good idea.

Before we move on, let's continue to brainstorm content ideas, but this time with video specifically in mind. Here are several ideas to help you get started:

1. Discuss Insurance Products

   Make videos about the products you help insure but also enjoy or value — consumers may enjoy hearing about motorcycles, RVs, off-road vehicles … even home and lifestyle topics, like DIY projects and home gardens. Find creative ways to strike up good conversations about the products you can help them with.

2. Cover Local Events

   Topic ideas: Go to a community festival, boat show, snowmobile race or another event and capture some footage. You'd be surprised how 30 seconds of video highlighting an exciting moment at a parade or shouting out a local organization can engage the active members of your community online.

3. Team Interviews

   Topic idea: Come up with three fun questions to ask one of your team members and film their responses. This could be a fun way to introduce customers to the various members of your team!

1. Impact: https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/video-content-the-importance-of-video-marketing
2. Impact: https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/new-video-marketing-statistics

Creating Quality Smart Phone Videos

Not everyone has access to professional videographers, but that doesn't have to stop you from posting video. In fact, you can create quality smart phone videos to help drive engagement on your social media platforms. The following tips can help you get started!

Be Prepared

Think about the message you want to get across, what content to share and where to shoot the video, and practice taking video beforehand. Write a script or a set of points to follow in the video. If you're aiming to get certain scenery or actions, write a list to make sure you get all the shots you'll need. This will help you get the right message in the video.

Once you have your message and content put together, find a good location to shoot the video. This may be a blank wall, outdoor scenery, etc. — just somewhere that fits the tone of voice.

Now you should practice using and setting up the camera and adjusting any equipment you plan to use. If someone will be in the video, have them practice what they will say. Always test the microphone beforehand: Take a sample recording and then play the video back so you can hear what the audio will sound like at different distances from the phone's microphone.

Set Up the Shot

Hold the phone horizontally. This will make the video more accessible and easier to view on different platforms. You should also consider where you'll be posting the video. If you're going to post an Instagram Story, shoot vertically. If you're going to post on YouTube, shoot horizontally. And if you're not sure which platforms you'll be posting on, it's best to shoot horizontally with extra room on the sides so you can crop it to fit vertically if you'd like.

Lighting is a key factor, so check the lighting at the location beforehand if you can. If your object of focus in the video will be a person, place them where you'd like to see them in the video. Then look at the smart phone and move around to see what the lighting looks like at different angles. Natural lighting is great but not always the best option.

The background helps set the tone of the video, so choose wisely. If you have a more serious concept, shooting the video inside will likely help create a serious, professional tone. If your video is about something fun and energetic, outdoor scenery may be a better option.

If you can, avoid a bunch of objects or clutter next to your main object so the camera doesn't select those objects to focus on instead. Too many objects or a busy background can take the focus away from your main object.

Framing is another step for setting up the shot, so remember the rule of thirds. When objects are always in the center of the shot, it can get boring. Switch it up by pretending your frame is divided into three equal sections and then move around so your object is in the left lower corner, or maybe the upper right corner.

While Filming

Put your phone on Do Not Disturb Mode to prevent the video from stopping or catching the noise or vibrations if you receive a notification while recording.

Keep the phone as still and level as you can unless you're shooting something where you'll be moving. Try to keep the video from shaking so it's easier to focus on the main object and so the image doesn't appear to be low quality or unprofessional. If you're worried about keeping the phone still or were hoping to film yourself speaking, there are smart phone tripods you can purchase online.

It may be tempting, but don't use the zoom tool on smart phones while creating videos. This will lower the quality of the video. Instead, just move closer to the object. If you're moving toward the object during the video, move slowly so the image stays clear.

After Filming

Make sure the video is saved on your phone. You don't want to get home after you put everything away and realize you don't have the video, and then have to set everything up again. Although you may just be uploading the video straight from your phone to your social media pages, it's a good idea to save the video on your computer as well.

1. Impact: https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/new-video-marketing-statistics

Going Live on Facebook

Facebook Live videos can be a fun way to get more engagement with your audience. They also can help with event promotion. Plus, these videos don't just disappear after the video is over, or after 24 hours like some platforms. Instead, you can choose to save it as a post so the video will permanently stay on your page for future visitors to see.

Ways to Prepare

Plan

Think about what you want your video to be about, where to shoot, when to shoot and if you want other people to be in it. Put together a list of topics you want to cover, shots to grab or questions you want to ask your audience.

If you're able to, go to the location beforehand and test the connection. A bad connection will either result in a low-quality video or no video at all. Test the audio, lighting and different angles that may work. For Facebook Live videos, it's okay to shoot your video vertical or horizontal, so try both to see which best fits the situation. Even doing this just a half hour or an hour before will lower the chances of errors or delays during filming.

Another planning tip is to get ready to communicate and entertain. Don't be shy to answer questions in the comments during the video. This will show that you're paying attention to what people are saying and you may learn valuable information about your audience.

Promote

If you'll be running a Facebook Live video at an event, promote the event and the live video before it happens. Create posts announcing to (and reminding) your followers when you're planning on going live. Whether it's a day, a week or a month before, you can use that time to build up your followers, gain new ones and potentially get more viewers on the video the day it airs.

Another plus of promoting is that you can do it on your other channels! You don't have to talk about Facebook only on Facebook. This will reach your followers on other platforms and possibly gain their likes and follows on Facebook as well.

Steps for Filming

These steps are for filming on a phone, but you can also take these steps to film on your laptop with a webcam!

1. On your agency's Facebook page, click Create a post or Publish.
2. Then select Live Video, which will open your camera.
3. Make adjustments and get familiar with your options.
   1. In the upper right corner, the camera icon will switch your camera view (front or back side).
   2. The lightning bolt will change the flash settings.
   3. In the upper left corner, you can select different effects with the wand tool to jazz up your video (use these sparingly — they may be distracting).
   4. Tap to add a description if you'd like one. (We highly recommend this — it will help viewers know what they're watching. It's also a good place to include a call-to-action).
   5. Use the bottom portion to Check In, Feature a Link, change the video settings and more!
4. When you're ready to begin filming, click Go Live
5. Once you're finished filming, click Finish in the bottom right corner to end the broadcast. Then you can choose to publish the video and check out the viewing results!

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