With high shares working remotely for the foreseeable future, online learning and demos have become critical in many industries. Yet few salespeople or marketers have been to film or broadcasting school.
As a result, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed when asked to start producing videos for work. Luckily, video software experts at TechSmith have come to the rescue with some top tips that should ensure your videos achieve their purpose.
“When it comes to making instructional videos there are a few common mistakes people make,” writes Nick Nimmin and the TechSmith team in their guide, The Ultimate Guide to Easily Make Instructional Videos.
Top of the list should be avoiding the typical errors — including not knowing your audience. You need to understand your audience in order to make a video that will help them. If this is a struggle, try thinking about a specific individual that’s representative of your audience – what their problems are, why they will be watching your video, what they like and don’t like.
“In this guide, I’ll show you the right questions to ask to get a clear picture of your audience,” says Nimmin.
In tandem with that, it’s important to narrow your scope and pick one topic per video. This will help you focus on creating a video that’s useful and makes sense. It will help you make a beneficial video which will address your audience’s concerns, by tapping into what they care about and what they need to achieve from their daily tasks.
Only then should you start with a storyboard that outlines and visualises what the video will include and how it will demonstrate the benefits.
The next step is to write a script, which will help you focus even further. Read it over and over again to be sure that your message is actually there and is comprehensible.
TechSmith’s guide to the basics of video scripting is here.
Remember, if your audience knew what you knew, they wouldn’t need to watch the video — your goal is to transfer (not just display) some of your knowledge and understanding to them.
“Some people get really creative and draw elaborate pictures. And a script, even a simple one, will help you efficient with what you say, saving you and your viewers time. You’re also far less likely to forget something,” notes the TechSmith guide, which goes on to discuss how to work out a budget, especially if you think you’d like to hire outside help.
“Remember, the goal of creating video content isn’t to create the perfect video, it’s to create a video that teaches something,” says TechSmith.
