Tips for Getting Started with Online Video (a series), Part 1: Start Broad

By Matter

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Well, here we are.  It’s 2014.  What does that mean for marketers?  It means if your brand doesn’t have an online video presence, you’re already behind.

Don’t believe me?  Here’s some backup.  I can honestly say that I have yet to see one study / survey / anecdotal musing / stray tweet / etc. from anyone claiming that building an online video presence has had a negative impact on their brand.  If it’s out there, I’d love to hear about it.

So, if I’ve managed to convince you, or you already were on board – great! Now, it’s time to get creative and have some fun!

Not sure how to get started?  Well, fret not, it’s easier than you may think and better yet, there’s no clear “right or wrong” at this point.

This is a first post in a series here at Graphical Content on how to get started in the online video space.  We’d like to share our experiences with hope that we can inspire marketers across all industries to either begin, revamp, improve, or simply add to their online video presence.

Part 1:  Start Broad

Got nothing?  Excellent – clean slate!  Start by thinking exactly how you want your brand to make its first impression in this space.

At Matter, we often suggest your first video project should be a general overview video of your company that lives on your website’s home page. From there, we can then advise where else it can reside. But, don’t feel as though your first video (or any video) needs to accomplish everything.  Video is a way to entice, to entertain and to drive traffic towards learning more.  Save the detailed information for another avenue.

Here’s an example of a company overview video we produced a while back for Brainloop.  In this case, an animated explainer video was the best way to convey a high-level overview of the company and their services:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlQrE7bvpr4

Start broad and stay broad.  You can never say too little, but you can definitely say too much, have your video last too long, and lose viewers’ interest.  Think of you video as the tip of the iceberg – the first impression that captures your viewer’s attention.

(Don’t worry, it’s not that hard…in fact, it’s fun!)

Stay Tuned for the next tip for getting started in online video!