7 things you need to make a great marketing video
Video is one of the most popular ways to consume content right now – not least because including video on a landing page can increase conversion rates by 80%. While retail brands have been making the most of short, snappy online video for a while now, B2B brands have been slow to catch up, often preferring a 4-minute opus to a tight 30 seconds of essential information.
As a result, B2B marketers now find themselves in a crowded marketplace. How can they make their brand content stand out in a stream of Tasty videos and cute cats? Here are seven tips that will help you get noticed on the busiest of Twitter feeds: 
Keep it simple – Yes, we’re always banging on about this. But when you only have a few seconds to grab your audience’s interest, simplicity matters. Start with a simple concept, and stick with it. Make your content short, humorous, visually arresting and end with a killer point. Don’t forget to put a social share button at the end. Sometimes it’s the simplest, most obvious idea that works.
Animation can be an elegant way of explaining complex topics simply, and that’s what business consultancy Practicus does in this clip.
Have a goal – If you’re going to make a video, make sure you know why you’re making it. Check your KPIs and make sure your video adds tangible value to your business as well as to your target audience. Otherwise, why make it at all? According to Digital Doughnut Head of Content Nick Watt (@citizenwatt), if the content doesn’t move the customer along in some way, it probably isn’t worth doing.
The communication and collaboration company Slack offer both humour and information in this clean and professional two-minute advert.
Change their way of thinking – Nobody is going to get excited about content that sits on the fence. State an opinion. Make an argument. Back it up with facts – or play devil’s advocate by drawing attention to views that oppose your own, to really challenge your viewers with nuanced, layered thought. 
Add value to their lives – Buzzfeed may be trashy, but their mastery of the handy listicle is a flash of genius. Lists are popular because they give people useful information that they can use – which adds value. Yes, even if it is a vlog featuring 19 different ways to contour your nose. How-to videos are a great way of doing this because they’re cheap to produce, easy to make, and provide utility.
Motivate them to share – Going viral is the holy grail of online video content – and mobile is the key to achieving it: 92% of mobile video consumers share videos with others. Of course, you also need to produce something compelling that people will want to talk about and share: the cool kids call them ‘Epiphio’ – video epiphanies that are shared and shared.
In this quirky video from Verisign, the fictional ‘shopping cart whisperer’ Liberty Fillmore tries to save abandoned shopping trolleys. It’s utterly shareable.
Make ‘em laugh – I’m a thinker, so I tend to go for content that educates and enlightens – but never underestimate the power of video that entertains. Scrap the jargon and go for a carefully-crafted script and storyboard that flow together naturally and give your audience something to smile about.
Tripp & Tyler inject humour into the dry subject of conference calls by imagining what they’d be like face to face.
Choose your best subject – If you include someone from your company in your video, it often seems like the best idea to choose the most senior person. But just because they’re senior doesn’t necessarily make them the best choice for the role. Look beyond your big-hitters and try to find someone with the kind of easy and fluent manner that will show your company in the best light (even if that means bruising an ego or two).