There’s no denying that video is a popular marketing tool. It’s now easier than ever before to create and share videos. As a result, more and more businesses are being persuaded to ‘do video’. You only have to scroll through Facebook or LinkedIn for a couple of minutes to find dozens of promotional videos and vlogs. Some are brilliant, some are terrible and most are somewhere in between.
YouTube is now the second biggest search engine after Google and TikTok has over a billion active users.
So if video is so popular, does that mean written content is on its way out? Should you invest your time and effort into creating videos rather than writing content for your audience?
I might be a little bit biased since written content is what I do best, but I think written content still has a place. That’s not to say video isn’t worth exploring. It is. And there’s no reason you can’t do both.
Some content works better as video. Some stuff works better as text. It depends on who it is for, what it’s about, and where it’s going to be shared. The quality of your content should be the priority – the format in which you present it will depend on a number of factors.
Regardless of whether you want to create written content, audio content or video content, you should be creating it for the right reasons. Content marketing is an excellent way of building relationships with potential and existing customers, showcasing your expertise and increasing your online presence, but you need to do it with a strategy in mind.
There’s no point filming a load of videos just because ‘everyone else is doing it’. Before you create any content, you should:
Remember content marketing is about your customers and clients, not you. If you create content with the audience in mind, you’re more likely to get the results you want.
The first factor to consider when you’re creating your content is your intended audience. If you don’t know who you are trying to reach, how do you know what type of content they will like or how to get it in front of them?
Who do you want to attract with your content? Think about their demographics, shared traits, and common problems. What are their characteristics, motivations, desires, and fears? What outcomes are they looking for? The more you know about your audience, the easier it is to determine what type of content to create for them.
The platforms and channels you use for marketing can influence the format of your content. For example, if you’re primarily using TikTok, then video is going to be the obvious choice. Other platforms might be better suited to written content whereas some will work best if you use a combination of formats.
The type of information you are presenting will often dictate which format is most suitable. For example, a make-up tutorial will work better as a video than as written step-by-step instructions because the viewer can actually see how the make-up is being applied in a video.
However, a complicated recipe may work better as written content so the reader can follow it one step at a time rather than having to keep pausing and rewinding a video. Think about the type of information you are providing and what the best way of presenting it would be.
The type of content you create should be content you feel comfortable with. If you’re awkward and monotone in your videos, your message will get lost and you won’t get the engagement you want. Equally, if your blog posts are badly written with poor spelling, grammar and punctuation or overcomplicated language, readers will click straight off your site.
When it comes to creating content, play to your strengths. If you are good at writing but struggle with presenting, then written content might be better for you. However, if you are charismatic and engaging when you speak, a video blog might be a better option.
Alternatively, you might find it better to outsource content creation, freeing up your time to focus on running your business.
It is possible to create decent videos on a low budget, but many businesses fail miserably. Wobbly images, poor sound and boring content don’t present your business in a good light. Live videos without scripting or editing are better for capturing spontaneous events rather than sharing a valuable business message.
If you want to create video content that is useful, then at the very least, film in a quiet location, use a microphone or have a basic script to work from. Otherwise, you may just end up with a hard-to-hear video, jumpy images and a load of stumbling over words.
If you want to create good promotional videos, then it is worth investing in some professional filming and editing.
The most appropriate type of content will depend on the resources you have (time, equipment, money) and the level of quality you want to put out.
Too many businesses are jumping on the video bandwagon without really considering what the purpose of their video is. As a result, there are far too many videos that don’t seem to offer any value and just clog up social media feeds.
So let’s take a look at how you can use video more effectively.
You don’t have to have a full-blown three-year marketing plan to do video, but it helps if you put some thought into it before banging out any old videos.
I mentioned target audience above and this is important – you need to think about who your video is for. You also need to decide what topic you will be talking about, how long you want the video to be (different lengths work better on different platforms), and what the purpose of the video is. Do you want to share information, promote a product or service, or just entertain your viewers?
Think about the setting and format
What type of video are you going to create? Will it be you talking straight to the camera? Is it an interview-style video? Or are you going to add animations or images?
If you’re not filming in a studio, think about the location. Will you be inside or outside? Will you be stationary or on the move? What background will you use? How will you make sure the sound can be picked up clearly?
Do a couple of test runs
If you’re new to video, do a few practice runs. You might think you can just wing it only to find out it’s not that easy. Plan what you want to say – try using a script or autocue to begin with.
If you’re using your mobile, test out different settings to see which works best. If you’re using something other than your phone, test the equipment first to make sure it picks everything up. The last thing you want to do is film an hour-long video only to find it didn’t pick up your voice or your head was out of shot.
Consider using a script
I don’t recommend reading from a piece of paper, but if you’re filming promo content, it can be a good idea to create a script. You can then learn the script by heart or have a few prompts next to the camera to help you stay on track.
This will give you more confidence in what you’re saying and ensure you get all the key points in. If you’re paying for someone to film and produce your videos, it’s definitely worth creating a script. If you turn up on the day without having prepared, you could end up wasting loads of time and not getting the quality you want.
Maximise your content
If you’re making long-form videos, think about how you can maximise them. Can you make shorter versions as well to be used on different platforms? Could you combine them with a blog post so you cater to different preferences? Can you transcribe the video and use it as written content?
The more mileage you can get from any content, the better, especially if you have invested a significant amount of time or money.
You might think I’m biased towards written content because I teach people how to create it – maybe I am (just a little). But I can also give you some pretty good reasons why you shouldn’t give up on blogging just yet. Because despite what some people say, blogging isn’t dead.
In fact, research from OptinMonster shows that businesses that blog experience twice as much email traffic as businesses that don’t, 71% of B2B buyers consume blog content during their buyer journey and a blog increases your chances of ranking higher in search by 434%.
Video content might be more appealing to those who don’t enjoy reading, but text is easier to scan.
When you open an article, news story or blog post, you can instantly see how long it is and skim it for the key points. Most good articles will be written with subheadings or key information in bold, so you can scan it and get an understanding of the main points. With a written article, you can see at a glance how in-depth it is. You can tell from the first few lines whether it is written in a style you enjoy, and whether it will be too basic or too technical for your needs.
Until you watch a video, you can’t tell if it is going to give you the level of detail you want on a subject or if it will be presented in a way you understand. It’s pretty frustrating to watch a fifteen-minute video that doesn’t deliver what you hoped it would.
Sometimes we’re in a setting where we want information, but video isn’t an option. For example, the internet signal might not be strong enough to play the video. Or we might not want the sound on, but there are no subtitles. This is where written content has an advantage. You can read quietly without disturbing people around you.
The other benefit of written content is it’s better for emails. Images and videos don’t always load properly which can leave your beautifully designed email looking a bit shit.
Once you’ve filmed a video, you can edit it into different versions, but it’s not easy to make small changes.
A blog post, on the other hand, is easy to edit. If you want to add a paragraph, change some statistics, update the research or just rewrite sections, you can do it in minutes.
Plus, it’s easy to chop bits our of a blog post to be used for other channels. I quite often take a couple of paragraphs form a blog post and turn them into a social media post or email. You can also take a single sentence and create an image out of it. There’s loads you can do with written content that just isn’t as easy to do with video.
We all have different preferences when it comes to how we like information to be presented. Some people love to relax with a good book, whereas others prefer to stick on a boxset. Some people like to watch the news at ten, others prefer to pop the radio on during their morning commute, while some people still religiously read their daily newspaper.
Online content is the same. Some people will always prefer written articles and email newsletters whereas others will prefer to watch YouTube videos. Present your best content in a variety of formats rather than limiting yourself to one.
Written communication has been in use for hundreds of thousands of years – think cave drawings, hieroglyphics and ancient languages etched in rock.
The way we receive written content may have evolved from stone carvings right through to mobile phones, but the concept of sharing ideas through text has survived for centuries.
Until we no longer need to read at all, the skill will always be passed from one generation to the next. And while there are still people who read, there will always be a demand for written content.
The fact you’ve clicked on this article is proof enough that people are still engaging with written content. You may not have read the entire article; you may have just skimmed the headings until you reached this point, but you’ve still taken the time to click a link and scan the article for useful information.
People will read your written content too if the subject is of interest to them. That really is the most important point to remember when you’re creating content – it has to be of interest to your intended audience.
If this is your first time here, thanks for reading.
I’m Lisa – owner of Make Your Copy Count Ltd.
I help small businesses attract more of the clients they want by providing copywriting training, marketing consultations and marketing mentoring.
If you’d like to get to know me a bit better, sign up for my daily email here.
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