Why Online Video is a Winning Formula

April 9th 2015 | By Sarah McInerney

In this post we’re taking a look at why online video has become such a winning formula for so many businesses, and talking to Figment MD Steve Grant about the brand new Team Figment video, the inspiration behind it, and what anyone planning their own video can expect from the whole process with some fantastic, insightful tips on getting the most out of the experience, and the finished product.

When you land on a new website or blog post, what’s the first thing you look for without even thinking about it? The answer is: something tactile that instantly engages you. Whether or not you realise it at the time, you will naturally be attracted to something visual way over and above written blocks of text.

Video: The Statistics Have it

Video has exploded in popularity as a tool to grab website visitor attention. And it works. According to ReelSEO, 73% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase after watching a video and 96% of consumers find videos helpful for making online purchase decisions.

There are SEO benefits too. Forrester Research reports that the chances of achieving a page one Google listing increases 53 times when there’s a video involved. Benefits also extend to conversions: in universal search results, videos have a 41% higher click-through rate than plain text results says Econsultancy, and EyeView Digital has revealed that using video on key landing pages boosts up conversion rates by as much as 80%.

Getting Emotional

Video holds people’s attention and is more likely to command shares through social platforms. It evokes emotion and can provoke action in ways that even the most carefully crafted written calls to action could only ever dream of doing.

Synchronising key messages with a voiceover that’s well suited to your brand personality and visuals that spark the imagination are powerful means of marketing, especially with the addition of music and sound effects that notch up the impact to an even greater level.

The New Figment Video … and some REALLY useful tips on making your own.

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Steve Grant, a regular contributor to this blog, is Figment’s MD. Seriously impressed with the Formula One inspired video, I decided to put a few questions to him to see if I could glean the inspiration behind it, and relay a few insider tips to any readers who are planning on making their own videos in the near future.

The Figment video is quite different from anything I’ve seen elsewhere. Where did the inspiration come from?

Overall, we were determined to create something different that would allow us to showcase our creativity. There’s a lot of same old, same old out there. Differentiating is essential.

A lot of our clients and contacts are into motor racing and personally I’ve been a fan for more than 20 years. We even have a client – SBG Sports Software – for whom we produce graphics and icons that major F1 teams use in their software to help improve performance during races.

Are there parallels do you think between the worlds of business and motor racing?

Definitely, yes. F1 racing, like the world of business, is a competitive environment. As with Google there are new rules and regulations being introduced on a regular basis, and you absolutely need to stay on top of these.

As an agency we work as an integrated team and there’s no better demonstration of this in sport than Formula One.

At Figment we work as an integrated team and there’s no better demonstration of this in sport than Formula One.

Can you give us an insight into how animated video making works in practice?

1. The whole thing starts with a process called storyboarding. This literally involves sketching out how the story will progress, scene by scene. It’s usually split into three phases, with the first phase taking care of the overall concept. It’s at this stage that any voiceover should ideally be scripted and placed alongside the visuals.
2. The second phase of the storyboarding involves producing unique drafts that show sketches of the actual agreed scenes and the final phase sees fully rendered illustrations produced ready to use in the final video.
3. Post production experts then use software packages to produce the animation, synchronise the voiceover and music and overlay any title sequences.
4. After approval the videos are finalised and outputted into the necessary formats.

Storyboarding involves sketching out how the story will progress, scene by scene. It’s usually done over three phases.

What would be your advice to anyone embarking making an online video to promote their business?

1. Define your goals … To achieve the best, most professional results possible, it’s important to take a step back and define your objectives. For example, are you looking to create awareness? Trying to sell a product or service?
2. Hone your key messaging … Try and focus on a maximum of three key messages and three supporting statements. If you have trouble whittling these down, you may need to consider splitting your messaging over multiple videos.
3. Choose your format carefully … Depending on your objectives and your target audience, decide on the most appropriate format: live action or animation. Do bear in mind though that whilst live action can be more believable and engaging, the logistics and costs could make it unachievable. Actors, props and on-location filming all have to be considered.
4. Plan the voiceover … Script the voiceover, preferably using a video script copywriter, and place it alongside any visuals to ensure it all flows perfectly. Take care when selecting a voiceover artist so that they fit well not just with the video, but with your brand personality and target audience. The same goes for any music you use: it must work with your brand and audience – and don’t forget to take care of the royalties side of things!

The lights are out – the Team Figment car takes to the track!

If you love the Team Figment video as much as I do, please share it. And if you’d like help in making one of your own, Figment can take care of the entire process, from defining marketing objectives through to scripting, storyboarding and promoting the finished article. If that all sounds good to you, please get in touch!