How to Make Marketing Videos (without a corporate-sized budget)

Editors Note: Ame Proietti is our newest contributor to Marketing Junto.

A lot of small businesses and entrepreneurs like the idea of video marketing…

But a fraction actually do it. And when they do, they get trapped in that early Youtube “thanks for watching my channel” style.

You (probably) don’t have a corporate-sized budget to waste on mediocre videos.

So if you’re going to make engaging and persuasive marketing videos, you need to focus on 2 things: your message and your strategy.

Start with The Message (aka Video Script) in Your Marketing Videos

A lot of people skimp on their script and jump right into production because they don't know how to write a video script. Or because it takes too much time.

That’s a mistake.

Imagine if you design a landing page before you write the copy…

You have to horseshoe a message into the design. Which doesn’t work.You end up compromising on persuasion, clarity, or both.

That’s what happens when you film your video before you have a clear message.

It’s hard enough to get people to take action. But it’s almost impossible if your message doesn’t speak to them.

You can have the coolest looking video be a flop if the message sucks.

Meanwhile you have low-production quality videos like “Say no to crack. Say yes to rollerskating” raking in views and business for Roller Kingdom in Reno, NV.

Why? Because they have an entertaining and persuasive message.

So, treat your video script like any other type of copy (because it is a form of copywriting).

Figure out what your audience needs to hear and see, then turn that into your video script.

And speaking of “seeing your message”...

Plan Your Visuals in a Marketing Video

Video scripts are hard because they’re an audio-visual message.

In fact, that makes them one of the hardest types of copy to write because you need to think about what your message looks and sounds like.

Because when that video’s published and people watch it…they’re watching and listening to your message.

Your script should look like this:

It’s hard to write visuals if you’re not used to it though. And that’s ok. You don’t need to write an award-winning script.

You just need your audio and visuals to create a unified message.

If you need a little help with your message, Join Script Tips. A weekly newsletter to help you write impactful message in video (aka video script).

Ideal for entrepreneurs and small businesses who want:
-breakdowns of video case studies (so you can steal best practices)
-tips on how to write an impactful message (better than 80% of what’s out there)
-Random song references you may or may not know (I’m not sorry about adding Backstreet Boys)

Once your message is sorted, you need to figure out how you’re going to get the right eyes on your marketing video.  

Behind Every Successful Video Is a Strategy

“Let’s throw this out there and see what happens” is not a strategy.

A real strategy plans for:

• The goal of the video
• Who’s watching
• How aware they are
• Where they’re watching (ex: Youtube, your landing page, IG)
• How they take action
• How they get to your video and where they go from there

Anything less is a guesswork, not a strategy.

Takeaway

As a small business or entrepreneur, you need to be smart about how you approach marketing video content.

Invest in your message. Write a script– treat it like you would any other type of copy. And think about your visual message too.

And don’t forget the strategy. If you want the right eyes at the right time on your video content, you need a plan.

About Ame

Ame Proietti is a B2B copywriter and scriptwriter. Ame also writes Script Tips--a weekly newsletter to help you create video content with a persuasive message (so your videos get results). Ready to make marketing videos your audience love? Get your Script Tips here.