Category Archives: Video Marketing
Tips for Choosing Video Game Agencies
The gaming industry is much more than just game creation. It’s an art form. It’s storytelling. It’s the finished product of its creator’s vision. But a game’s success in the market is much more than just whether the game is good or not. Marketing campaigns, atmosphere, action or sex appeal; they’re all an important part of taking a game from “good” to “successful.”
So, who should you put in charge of running your game’s marketing and image?
Non-Traditional Markets
While many of us were growing up video games were for nerds. Kids who spent their weekends playing Mario or Castlevania on their Super Nintendos would get hassled in the schoolyard come Monday. Video games were also largely considered to be a male interest, as if girls wouldn’t be interested in them. It’s currently estimated that about 45% of gamers are women! That’s not a market to be ignored anymore!
A successful video game creative agency would consider both gender and the social aspect of video games in their campaigns!
Video Ads
Thirty years ago, gaming magazines and print ads were the highlight of game advertising. Make sure that your video game creative agency is up on current trends and pushes your projects in the right direction. Video ads are incredibly effective, and most major brands use them. Youtube ads between videos, SEO advertising, and banner ads in news or pop culture articles; video ads are eye-catching and draw in your customers’ attention and wallets.
Streaming Content and the Importance of the Gaming Community
Games aren’t just a solo project anymore. Studios don’t just make the game and wait for it to sell. The gaming community at large has a huge role to play in a game’s success.
Streaming content sites such as Twitch are extremely important to a game’s exposure. Streamers themselves become minor celebrities in their own right! But their effect on game sales and income cannot be understated.
Many popular streamers have upwards of 1-5 million followers who login to literally watch this person play a game. Savvy game developers and video game creative agencies will take advantage of these large audiences by handing out promotions, free copies or beta edition codes to try to get extra hype for their games. Some streamers run contests or promotions for their sponsor agencies for additional content.
Streamers are also an important part of the gaming community because they often take part in the message boards and game FAQs. But they’re also influencers, and the community will follow them. Getting popular gamers on your side can be an incredible boost to your game’s sales and traffic.
Inclusivity
So many games out there are tough to break in to. Picking up Call of Duty when you’ve never played any of them before can seem extremely difficult. Loading up World of Warcraft for the first time and trying to compete with other players is nearly impossible.
Modern game markets call for games that have modern strategies. While keeping your game accessible to the most people possible will depend on your game’s format, the free-to-play formats have seen a lot of success in recent years. Free-to-play games are great because they let anyone start playing and then monetize themselves by optional content or early-access content available at the pay wall. Video game creative agencies will help advise you on the best advertising path for your game.
Go Mobile
Everyone has a smart phone these days, and most of them are capable of playing hundreds or thousands of different games. Creating a mobile app version is a fantastic way to both further monetize your current market and to expand your client base!
Riot Games has recently created Team Fight Tactics, a mobile version of League of Legends. Wizards of the Coast has released a mobile app version of Magic the Gathering: Arena. Creating a version of your game that is even more accessible than before can result in a huge boost to your game sales, market share and your overall consumer audience.
There are so many ways to take advantage of the current video game market because it’s so hot right now, so make sure that you sign on with an experienced agent who can bring you both tested marketing options as well as creative and modern marketing options!
How to Improve Your Product Videos – Checklist to Review Your Videos
There are innumerable factors when considering product video production, and it is easy to miss any of the many. Below is the ultimate video production checklist, aimed at helping you ensure that you that you are all set to go.
Before diving into the checklist, here is a quick information on how to use this checklist.
You may already know the components of this list. You may have even given deep thought to each of the components at various stages throughout the production process. However, this checklist on product video production serves as your final quality check. This list offers the chance to double-check your work and launch your impressive product video.
Here goes the checklist:
1. Watertight story
The story is the backbone of your video. Therefore, the choices you make in final editing, particularly for live-action videos, can make or break your story. It is crucial that the editing and post-production teams have absolute clarity about the story that you intend to tell.
You can make a list of shots that are indispensable to the storyline and should make it to the final edit. When creating the list, remember, the story is the most important feature. It is better to remove an amazing shot than to let it detract from your story.
2. High-quality sound design
Select or record music and sound effects that function in propelling the story. However, there is a very thin line between doing it right and overdoing it. Remember, audio plays a supporting role in the overall story, not the overshadowing lead.
An interesting statistic points out that 85 percent of Facebook video views are with the sound off. This indicates that while sound effects are great, but the video should be impactful even without them.
3. Brand alignment
You started the product video production with a clear vision of representing a brand, but did you comply with the vision throughout the video? It is time to check if the product video production allows the brand to shine and that nothing is lost amidst the production process. Make it a point to check for the logo, splash screen, and contact information.
At the same time, you must also ensure that you haven’t gone overboard with the branding. The story or message still needs to be the lead.
4. Call-to-action in place
Viewers are more eager than ever to finish watching your video and scroll to the next one on their feed. You have a brilliant product video production; however, at the end of the video, the viewers don’t know what to do with the information they just receive. Check for the placement of a call to action (CTA).
Tell viewers exactly what you want them to do. Buy now, follow us, read more, call today are examples of simple CTAs. Follow this by providing them an easy way to take the necessary action i.e., include your web address or other relevant contact information in the video.
5. Legal
Double and triple-check to ensure that your product video production has met all legal requirements for your video. Have legal releases or contracts signed by anyone featured in the video. Also, make sure that you have evidence to support any claims you make.
Paying special attention to legal matters is all the more important if you are working in a regulated industry, for example, pharmaceuticals or medical devices. These industries have strict guidelines about the claims you can make and the disclaimers you must include.
6. Video quality assessment
Once done with the video, share it with members of your team with a select few end users. Ask them questions to assess the video quality. Can they easily follow the story? Is the video engaging? Is it too long or too short? Does the music complement the voiceover, or detract from it? Does the quality of the sound match the quality of the video? This is your chance to spot and correct issues before your video is widely distributed.
At this stage, ensure that your video is coherent, engaging, of the right duration, and consistent quality.
Use this checklist for every product video production.
Video Marketing Secrets – Three Essential Elements of a Successful Explainer Video
Creating awareness about your product is a quintessential activity that every company needs to do. You can circulate the product information via various marketing mediums. You can have the information online on your webpage, social media, etc., or you can also get it printed in a magazine or brochure.
However, a more effective way to promote your products and services is through explainer videos. These videos have been gathering immense popularity in recent years.
You can have the explainer video on your website’s home or landing page. This will catch visitors’ attention and can help in increasing your website traffic and conversion rates.
Now that you have understood the immense power of a successful explainer video, it’s high time you get one for your business. However, if you are not sure of carrying out the process alone, you can take the help of a video marketing agency.
Let’s learn more about explainer videos and the three essential elements that can make them a success.
1. Video script
The first and the most important element of an explainer video is the script. In the absence of a good script, the other two elements will fail to create the desired impact. Therefore, you need to focus more on this stage to create an excellent explainer video.
A few points that you must include in your script are:
a) Quick overview of the product
Explain your product or services in a few words.
b) The problem
Introduce the problem that your target customer is facing. Explain it in simple terms from their perspective so that they can resonate with the video.
c) The solution
Provide a solution to the problem with the help of your products or services.
d) How it works
Explain briefly how the product works and list key product features. The product features should set you apart from the competition and should be beneficial to your audience.
e) Call to action
Tell people what they should do next to acquire the product and services.
Your script should include all the relevant information but should not be very lengthy. Customers have a short attention span, and they are less likely to view longer videos. The ideal length of an explainer video is 60-90 seconds which means you need to pack all the information in less than 150 words.
The language of the video script should be simple. You do not want to overburden your viewers with technical jargon or complicated words. Speak in the second person and keep the tone casual and friendly. However, you can also have a professional tone, if that suits your brand image.
2. Voiceover
The second essential element of a good explainer video is the voiceover. The quality of the voiceover, as well as the tone, is equally important. Make sure you have the right software and equipment to record a clear voice.
The voice in the explainer video should match your brand voice. Having inferior quality and unprofessional voiceover can ruin your video completely. Hence, involving a professional can be a good idea at this stage.
3. Visuals and Music
Last but not least, visuals are an essential contributor to the success of an explainer video. The visuals should be cohesive with the brand image and should match the video script and voiceover.
Your visuals do not have to be top-notch. However, it should convey the story effectively to your target audience. You can use simple visuals in an explainer video as long as the overall quality of the video is maintained.
At this stage, you can also add some music to your video. Music will not only help attract the audience but can also evoke certain emotions. Hence, it is essential to choose the right kind of music or tunes for your video.
Explainer videos present your product information clearly and concisely and resonate with your target audience. Hence, it is a powerful tool that can create immense value for your business.