HOW TO CREATE AMASTER VIDEOYour FREE GUIDE on how to create a PROMOTIONAL VIDEOfor your business

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FOREWORD

My name is Razvan Chitu, I am in my mid 20’s and living in Bucharest, Romania, Eastern Europe. I am the founder of s’UP Production – an online video agency that is focused on creating promotional videos for startups.

Since the age of 17 I have known that I have a love for videos. I started creating music videos by chopping images from movies that I found on the internet and arranging them in catchy ways. I was very young and I didn’t have a decent computer to do editing stuff, so I put my hobby on hold for 6 months so I could get a job at Starbucks to raise money for a better computer.

Later on, I discovered the motion graphics field and it was love at first sight. From that moment until today all I’ve done is create videos - first only to build a portfolio to attract clients and later on for real clients.

With more than 4 years experience, I decided to found my own company and gathered a bunch of creative guys to help me add more and more value to the videos I create.

What you are about to read is a short guide about what you should do to create a very powerful promotional video, which can help you achieve your goals in business or in your personal life. The tips and advice I am about to share with you come from my personal experience with clients and from my studies regarding people’s behavior and psychology.

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CONTENT

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1. The problem

2. Top 7 reasons why you need a promotional video for your business

3. Animated or live action? Which should i choose?

4. How to create a master script for your video

5. How to choose the right company to create the video

6. Call to action!

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THE PROBLEM

We live in crazy times where everything moves fast; the things you knew yesterday may not apply to the present anymore. We are rushed, busier than ever, and more and more things cry out for our attention. Technology evolves with stunning speed and offers us comfort which we’re all too ready to accept. This comfort changes the world and definitely changes our thinking. We become more demanding but also lazier - we want everything but we don’t want to put too much effort to obtain it. We want to learn more but we don’t want to study anymore.

In this high-speed age, the desire to do in-depth research is waning. People’s tendency is to obtain information in the fastest and easiest ways possible, and reading is not the first choice.

Despite the fact that they’ve existed for more than 70 years, video commercials and audio-visual methods to promote a business grew up considerably in the last few years with the appearance of so-called ‘explainer videos’ or ‘promotional videos’. These are videos that companies use to explain their products and represent the best alternative for people’s preferred method of learning.

That is why today, the first thing you should do after (or before) you launch a business is to create a promotional video explaining how your product works and how it can help solve people’s problems. According to Nielsen, 123.85M US consumers used YouTube in May 2013, for an average of 2 hours and 8 minutes; and Tremor say that 75 percent of viewers have interacted with online video ads in the past month, with 58 percent demonstrating some level of ad effectiveness, including clicking on the ad, visiting a site, visiting a store, or making a purchase.

The statistics are truly amazing and they are in a state of continuous growth, making promotional videos one of the most powerful tools to promote, explain and get in touch with your audience, fans or users.

The promotional videos come in 2 forms: animated or live action. In the following pages you’ll learn the differences between them and how to make a decision to choose the right one for your business.

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TOP 7 REASONS WHY YOU NEED A PROMOTIONAL VIDEO FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Regardless of the business you’re into, you need an easier way to explain your products or services, or to present your ideas to your prospects. A video may be the best solution for you. Through visual images you can explain everything you want, while also conveying strong emotions.. For those of you that are still not convinced that a video is the best thing for your business - check out these TOP 7 reasons why you need one:

• PerfectpitcheverytimeImagine that a video is like a sales person who can deliver the same

perfect pitch over and over again to thousands of people. A video can never go wrong, doesn’t forget the speech, and doesn’t sweat or stutter. In the long term (and depending on the business you’re in), a video can be more efficient than many sales people because you only pay once and can use it for years. It can help you in any kind of situation: for persuading investors when starting a new business, delivering your message during a conference, or convincing other people to join your movement/big idea.

• StrongconnectionwiththeaudienceNot too long ago, almost all businesses who had a website had nothing

but tons of text articles explaining what they could do for you, making it impossible for the audience to keep up with everything that was new. By reducing the amount of text content and creating short videos explaining each section of the website, the number of visitors increases considerably, and a strong connection is made between audiences and businesses. A good example is the http://www.bodybuilding.com/ website which, by applying this method managed to transform tons of boring, hard and technical information to something very entertaining and easy to use. They are the number 1 website in the fitness field right now.

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• HigherconversionratesThere are numerous success stories of businesses that chose to explain

their functionality through videos and their business simply exploded. One of these stories is the story of Dropbox, which had got to a point where they could no longer convince people to sign up. They decided to explain how Dropbox worked with a simple and fun 2 minute video. This was the best decision ever because shortly after, their business grew to 50 million customers and a 4 billion dollar valuation. I love this story and I tell it all the time.

• ViraltendenciesThere is no perfect solution for a video to become viral, but what we

certainly know is that all viral videos have something in common. By applying the same principles you have better chances that people will share your video and talk about it. It should either be very funny, very emotional, controversial or effective in teaching people how to do something. Between animation and live action video, the one with the best chance to became viral is live action (just think about all those cat videos from YouTube and the famous Gangnam Style video)

• LowcostsforfutureeditsThe biggest difference between an animated video and a live action

video is that you always need to tweak your video to find a script formula that converts, and that’s why you have to make edits. An animated video is more advantageous because you don’t have to plan anything in advance; all you have to do is open the software and make the proper changes. On the other hand, a live action video involves shooting new scenes, making sure you have the same actors, same clothes, and same weather - all of which costs a lot. The ideal solution is to find a company that takes these types of edits into consideration. s’UP Production offers 2 months free of charge for any kind of changes.

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• Easytoshareforpeoplewhodon’thavetimetoreadanymoreA video is exactly like an article - easy to share on social media platforms

like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn etc. But a video is more likely to be played than an article is to be read. People want information quickly and a video is the best option for them.

• BetterGoogleResultsBy uploading your video on YouTube you increase the chances that

your video gets on the first page for your niche (or keyword) on Google search. Because people tend to click on a play button rather than reading a text article, they will usually choose the video. Google knows that. But be careful, because this alone is not enough; the audience will be redirected to YouTube and not to your website. To be sure that they will go to your website you must create a very catchy script for your video and carefully tell the audience what to do after the video is finished. Learn how to create an effective script in Chapter 4.

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ANIMATED OR LIVE ACTION? WHICH SHOULD I CHOOSE?

Before you start working on the script, you must decide what kind of video style you need: animated or live action. The script will be different depending on your decision. Both options are very powerful tools for your business but the execution is 100% different.

The decision is made based on your target audience and product or service. Animation videos work very well if you have a product that is designed for young adults or kids (iPhone apps, gift/coupons/music/games websites, online solutions or any kind of service); on the other hand live action videos may be best for tangible products like food, clothes, sunglasses, electronic devices etc.

The best advantage of an animated video is that you can tweak it forever without too many headaches, and for lower prices too. Your business will change and you want your video to stay up to date - you can’t afford to hire a film crew again and again every time you want a small change to your video.

The best advantage of live action video is that you can add more personality through the actors, you can convey powerful emotions, and the execution time is often shorter.

If you already know what style is best for you, let’s take a look at some tips and useful guidelines to create a script.

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HOW TO CREATE A MASTER SCRIPT FOR YOUR VIDEO

No doubt you’ve heard by now that the most important part of a video’s creation is the script writing. We agree too. If you don’t want to leave the script writing to the professionals, I have some suggestions and tips you should take into consideration.

Before writing the script, have the following in mind:

• AddressyouraudiencedirectlyBy using second-person language you can make each viewer feel special,

like you’re talking only to him – exactly like a face-to-face conversation. More important is to use casual language that anybody can understand. Don’t try to focus on technical details, focus only on benefits.

• Trytoexplainwhoyouareandwhatyoudointhefirst30secondsStudies have shown that a large percentage of people lose interest in a

video and close it after just 30 seconds, so you have to make sure they see your logo and services.

• Keepthescriptasshortaspossible60-90 seconds works best, but if you have more to say, try not to go over

120 seconds. Longer videos, unless they are very very catchy, bore the audience.

• KeepingitsimpleIn an article or white paper, formal language is expected, but in a video

you want to keep the language simpler. The viewer, after all, is paying attention to both the audio and the video, and you want them to absorb everything at once. We pride ourselves on delivering your message in such a way that the viewer feels an immediate connection and desire for the product or service.

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• Problem-solution-actionschemeIf your product can help people try to respect the following scheme:

explain the problem -> show the solution [your logo/your product] -> explain how it works and how people can benefit from it -> call to action [what people should do after they see the video]

• OffersometipsforfreeTry to avoid the “we are ‘x’ and we can do this, and this, and we also

can do this and this and we are number 1 because we do this” trap. If you want the video to have a big impact to your business, instead of telling your audience what you CAN do, DO the things you say. Give them 1-2 good pieces of advice directly through the video and let them discover the rest by contacting you. Doing this you leave the impression that you really care about your clients, you’re not interested only in their money and the best advantage is that the audience sees that you really know what you’re talking about, plain and simple

• AddemotionstothescriptPeople react based on emotions. Try to add some emotions to each

paragraph by using characters that the audience can relate to, or use some mind blowing success stories about how your product helped ‘x’ company to increase their sales by 80% or how your services helped thousands of people around the world. If you have a BIG name in your portfolio, use it in the video to increase trust.

• UsehookstokeeptheaudiencefocusedBy hooks I mean verbal hooks that can keep the viewer engaged until the

end of the video. This can be done in few ways such as:

• Byaskingquestions “Did you know that...” or “What do you think is the best...”

• Straightuptellingtheaudiencetokeeplistening:“So check this out” or “Hold on to hear this”, or “Keep paying attention

and you’ll discover ...”

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• Byrespondingtodoubts“Don’t believe us? Just keep listening”, “Do you think this is wrong? Just

pay attention to...” or “You wonder how ‘x’ can help you? Well we...”

• UsehumorBut be careful not to be so pushy with your jokes, because nothing is

worse than a video full of very bad jokes. 1-2 subtle jokes are enough to make people like your video.

• ThinkbeyondyourfirstideaAlways give up your first idea that goes through your mind. The chances

are that the very first idea you have is the same one others have had. Think a bit deeper, try to come up with something better. You can do better!

Ok, now with these in mind we can start the work on your script. Here are some success rules that have helped so many companies create successful promotional videos, and you should definitely follow them:

• ExplainingtheproblemMost businesses exist to solve problems. If this is the case then start by

explaining what the problem is and how this problem affects people, the environment or the world. Don’t forget to use casual, daily language, and try to add as many emotions as you can and verbal hooks to make sure people will want to hear the solution too.

• PresentthesolutionYou have the solution for the exposed problem, so get to the point.

Present your solution to the audience and what you specifically do to help them. Don’t forget to add a verbal hook to make sure the audience follows you to point 3.

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• ExplainhowyourproductworksNext you have to explain to people how your product works, how they

can benefit from it and, if is possible, give them 1-2 useful tips to make them curious to contact you to hear the rest. Don’t try to explain everything at once, focus just on the best parts of your product and tell the audience to visit the website to find out more.

• ThenandNowflashbackDo a short flashback about how it was before your product existed and

how easy is now. Here is an example: “So now you don’t have to worry about ‘x’ anymore because with ‘your product’ things are simpler than ever’.’

• CalltoActionTell people what to do after they see the video. You want them to sign up

for a free trial, get a quote, subscribe, give a call or join a conference etc. If you have in your portfolio some big names make use of them: ’X Company’ was pleased with our services, so why wouldn’t you be?”

And that’s it. The script is done. Take a 1-2 hour break, then come back and read it again. With a fresh new look you can always find things to improve.

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HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT COMPANY TO CREATE THE VIDEO

The decision to create a promotional video must be seen as an important investment. First of all write down what your expectations are regarding the video: Do you want to use it as a sales pitch? Or as a tutorial about how your product works? Do you want to use it on your home page to convince people to contact you for a free consultation? Or maybe for a fund-raising event? If the video plays a crucial part for your business, then you should create a very powerful and high quality video.

Here are some aspects you should take into consideration before hiring a video company:

• Thewebsite’sdesignThe first thing you should notice when you arrive on a video company

website is the actual website design. If the website looks good, clean and the information is well presented then you can move forward. The first impression is important because you don’t want to hire a company to create a very abstract design for your video if their actual design looks like it’s from the 90’s.

• ThePortfolioThe next step is to look at their portfolio. Did you find some examples

that can work for you too? Are you happy with the work they did for other clients? Do you think you’ll be happy with the same quality level of design and animation for your video? The portfolio doesn’t have to contain big names to be a good one, but it has to contain very good videos.

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• FullServiceCompany?Check if the company can produce your video from start to finish,

without putting you in the position to provide them with script, music and all kinds of assets. By having a full- service offering including consultations, script writing, storyboard, animation, graphics, music and sound effects, you can be confident that once you agree on a price, you don’t have other expenses. One more advantage is that you should feel comfortable knowing that the script and animation are strictly related to one another because they are created by the same company.

• DailyupdatesWaiting to receive updates on projects is stressful. We were in this

position when we had to wait days and weeks to hear updates from our programmers when our website was created. That’s why we took this painful experience and transformed it into something brilliant. We’ve created the s’UP Experience where our clients can see updates in real-time with Dropbox. In this way they can see how the project looks and also learn how a video is created at any time.

• A/BSplitTestingEven if your video looks perfect from the beginning, later on you may

discover some issues that you want to correct. By analyzing the viewer’s behavior you can see what parts of the video are the best and what parts are the worst. This is called A/B Split testing where you can compare older versions of your video to newer ones and choose the best one for conversions. Make sure the company you are about to hire is available for these kinds of tests, and ask for pricing.

• ExtraadviceregardingthefinalvideoMaybe you are not prepared or you don’t know what to do with a video

after the company delivers it to you. Just uploading the video to your home page and sitting back to see how sales grow isn’t enough – your job isn’t complete. You have to do more than that. Like any text article, the video must be promoted in multiple places. Ask the agency if they are able to provide you this kind of service.

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• PricingPlacing pricing at the end of this list is not random. The prices that

a video company asks reflects the services they offer. First you must familiarize with their services, their benefits and their working process. Paying the lowest price isn’t the best way to go because you may end up by buying a video that doesn’t have the power to sell. On the other hand, don’t go for the highest price to be sure you get the best video. Do your homework and choose right!

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CALL TO ACTION!

The goal of this short guide is to help people who want to create a promotional video for their business and want to save some money by doing some of the work by themselves. We’ve tried to present only the most important aspects of the creation of video, aspects that anyone should know before contacting a video company.

If you want to hire us in order to create your promotional video, we’re available and you can contact us via:

Our website at www.sup-production.com

Write us directly at office@sup-production.com

Skype us at official.sup

We’ll get in touch with you in no time, we promise!

If you think we’ve skipped an important aspect regarding video creation or simply want to thank us for this guide you can write to us on our official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Official.sUP

Thanks for reading and good luck with your business!

s’UP Production Team

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