Feeling overwhelmed with the marketing noise?
Video marketing has become table stakes in today’s world.
Except…
The need for more video content, faster, better, and on a smaller budget than ever before is the marketer’s dilemma.
The question is, how do you overcome those challenges?
With video marketing expected to increase by 25% over the next year, producing video content that converts and stays on budget is no small feat.
Thankfully, there are solid, proven strategies that will help you overcome your video production challenges.
Table of Contents
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Why video production has become table stakes
- How AI is changing the game
- 6x production strategies that work today
Video Production Has Become Table Stakes
For those who are still on the fence about investing in video marketing…
If you’re not using video in your marketing mix, you’re leaving money on the table.
The stats on this are clear: 89% of businesses use video as a marketing tool for a reason. Video is no longer a content option — it’s the content that everyone wants.
Video is engaging. It has the power to combine visuals, sound, and motion to tell a story that text and still images can’t compete with.
Working with a team of professional experts from Synima LA is your best bet for producing quality content. The right team can help you navigate fast-paced turnarounds and specific technical needs to produce consistently great video.
Video production challenges
But here’s the thing… Creating engaging video content isn’t without its hurdles.
What holds marketing directors up at night, and video marketing strategists in a bind, is not having the ability to create great video quickly enough. There are real pain points holding back video production across the board.
Marketing directors’ dilemma
You need more video content, your audience is demanding more video content, but there are real challenges holding you back from creating that video at scale.
Challenges like:
- Tight budgets vs. the cost of video production
- Time constraints that make traditional production methods impossible
- The need to create at scale across platforms
- Proving ROI to leadership hungry for metrics
This is why production strategies have never been more important in overcoming those hurdles.
AI Is Changing The Game
There is one trend that everyone in video marketing will need to keep a close eye on.
AI is revolutionizing video production in ways we didn’t even imagine a few years ago.
Brands who don’t get on board with this trend are going to be left in the dust.
AI use for video creation in 2024 more than doubled vs. the year prior, with 41% of professionals using AI tools to assist with production vs. 18% who were using them at the beginning of the year.
You need to take notice. If you want to stay relevant and produce content efficiently and effectively, understanding and utilizing AI will become critical to success.
How AI tools are helping solve video production problems
The best part about AI tools in the video production space is how they’re solving real pain points for brands and content creators.
Speed: What used to take days can now be created in hours, or even minutes. Some creators are producing post-ready videos in less than 15 minutes with the right AI tools.
Cost: 41% of brands and creatives are reporting that AI-powered tools have cut their video production costs by up to 60%.
Scale: You can create at scale in a personalized way than ever before. Gone are the days of “efficiency vs. customization.”
AI tools are not about replacing human creativity, but rather, enhancing it. Optimal solutions come from the best of both worlds: the efficiency of AI paired with the direction of a strategist.
Six video production strategies that are working for brands right now
Now it’s time to dive into the video production strategies that are working for brands and marketing teams today.
Strategy 1: Short-form video is the format du jour
Short-form video. Buzzword alert? Not quite.
Short-form videos, especially those that range between 30 seconds to a minute in length, are extremely powerful. Why? It’s no secret that these videos match the attention spans of the current audience. The key is crafting content that’s going to hold onto viewers from beginning to end.
Focus on that one single message and strip away anything that doesn’t contribute to that message.
Strategy 2: Ask your audience to create content for you
User-generated content (UGC) is one of the most underutilized and effective video marketing strategies.
Did you know that 60% of consumers rate UGC as the most genuine form of advertising? Brands who recognize the inherent trust in their customers’ opinions to create and share video content featuring their products are setting themselves up for big wins.
Asking your audience to create content for you is an easy, low-cost win.
Strategy 3: Create for every platform
Posting the same video everywhere and calling it a day is no longer going to cut it.
Video marketing has unique parameters for each channel. Video created for LinkedIn should have a different strategy and execution than video intended for TikTok.
Creating for one platform means being fluent in the best practices of every other platform you post your video on as well.
Create a master video, then optimize for each one. Aspect ratios, length, and even closed captioning should be unique.
Strategy 4: Focus on storytelling first
The biggest mistake brands make when investing in video marketing…
Expecting to see eye-popping, Hollywood-style productions as a standard.
The truth is, that is not the most important piece of the video marketing puzzle.
Storytelling is king in video production.
The content you create can be shot on a smartphone as long as the messaging, the narrative, and everything about the video speaks to the real-life needs of your audience.
Invest your time in understanding their challenges and motivations first.
Strategy 5: Experimentation is key
Stop relying on gut feeling.
Test, measure, and test again.
One of the beauties of digital video marketing is you have immediate access to results. Watching real-time metrics will drive better decision-making for future content. What topics get the most traction? Which length videos perform best? Answer those questions with A/B testing.
The brands reaping the benefits of video marketing right now are the ones who take a data-driven approach.
Strategy 6: Build a system
The biggest mistake many content creators and marketing directors make…
Expecting one viral video to be the future of their business. Sustainable production is the name of the game.
Don’t waste time and budget on ideas that fail. Develop an iterative, repeatable process for creating content.
71% of brands and companies create video marketing in-house, as more and more users become familiar with production tools.
Focus on creating a content calendar. Batch production and post, and repurpose what you can across the channels you manage.
Scaling Marketing Production Is Not Impossible
If you’re a marketing director who’s sitting there panicking, you’re not alone.
You have a vision for the company’s marketing communications. A budget that doesn’t stretch to ambitious video marketing strategies. Expectations from leadership that are unreasonable with your resources.
Then what do you do?
Start with what you know you can do well. Master one format or one type of video content and execute with precision.
You can go big-budget with movie-style productions, but only if that’s what you’re built to do.
Don’t aim for 10 but become the best at one.
The key is creating a production system that’s scalable and realistic for your team and budget.
Bonus tip: Combine in-house production with outsourced help.
Strategies that work for brands and marketing teams right now
Wrap-Up
Marketing videos have their production challenges that continue to grow and evolve.
Audiences demand more content that is diverse, customized, and created at speed.
The strategies we’ve covered in this article give you a starting place for creating better content while overcoming those hurdles.
Focus on what matters: creating authentic, resonant video content for your audience. Balance creativity with strategy and the human touch while also leveraging AI tools and resources available to improve efficiency without compromising on quality.
Video is one of the most powerful marketing tools when used right. All that’s left is for you to get out there and do it.
