How we get the best from video production and photography at Pocket Creatives

Welcome to the first Pocket Post!

These newsletters give us a great opportunity to share some of the ways that we're getting the most out of our craft: how we work with brands and businesses to increase their visibility, sell more of their products, boost the quality of their socials, and more.

Some of our readers will be seasoned commissioners of video, whereas others might be starting to use professional video for the first time. The same thought processes apply, however, if you use video more regularly you're likely to know more about what works for your specific brand.

We try to think about using video to either solve problems, or help convert against a goal. It might be that you're trying to sell more from your web shop, you need to enhance your Amazon listing, you need to better communicate your brand messages, or maybe just boost traffic to your website from your socials. Video can help hit all of these. With the right strategy, of course.

So why don't we start there? Here are some common goals, and how we would use video to help reach them.

Increase traffic to website

This one relies on a combination of the right strategy and the right content. Whilst we're not marketeers, we have years of experience of knowing how to deliver the right messaging at the right time through video content.

To increase web traffic using video needs something short, direct and with the right amount of intrigue to engage new eyes. You're looking to tempt them, and by utilising people's short attention spans to your advantage, This means letting your visuals do more of the talking.

A social and/or Google ad that combines the above with the right ad targeting setup is designed to reach those looking for what you're offering, and giving them a good reason to visit your site to find out more.

Impact new web visitors

Making an impact straight away is key here. Put yourself in your visitor's shoes (or eyes!) - what do they see when they first land on your home page? Is it bold? Is is vibrant? What information do they get straight away?

We're finding more brands are utilising the 'hero video' to deliver a targeted amount of information without a user having to scroll anywhere. This video can be inspirational, aspirational, commercial, or a combination of. Let's say your product has a key USP - this needs to be communicated visually to again encourage your new potential customer to scroll down and find out more.

Convert more web visitors to customers

When you look at your ecommerce listings or web shop on your site, what do you see when comparing with your competitors? Are you answering all of the potential questions and removing barriers to purchase as possible?

The easiest example here is with selling clothing. A web customer can't try a garment on, they can't feel the material. This is why more and more fashion brands put increased imagery on their listings, often supported with video to better show the fit, or the flow of a garment.

In this instance, think about what barriers to purchase might affect your product, and solve those in the way you construct your listings.

Increase social media engagement

Algorithms change, trends change. Almost weekly! So keeping up on this side is hard, especially when you're aiming for good organic performance. Whilst a solid social media management company will be worth their weight in gold here, there are still things you can do just by considering the imagery and video that you post.

If we look at Instagram as an example, and how we all use that platform, we scroll. And we scroll. And we scroll. What stops us? Something eye-catching: whether that be a bold colour, movement, or complexity. Ideally, something relevant - perhaps an application (beauty) or a serve (food/drink), or something unique (product/tech). Some call it a pattern breaker - something that doesn't feel smooth when you scroll that your brain wants to pause against.

My thoughts are that social media content should all provide breadcrumbs that signpost to more information. So think of each post, whether that be video or still, as a single piece of relevant information or message, that a potential customer might want to find out more about and then visit your website where the process could potentially become more commercial.

Better tell my brand story

More people and buying from brands who demonstrate their values. What better way to articulate what you're about than with a brand film that combines your offering as well as your story and what you stand for. These can be really helpful an versatile, and a great way to think about these is a visual way of upgrading your 'About Us' information. If we're smart here, videos of this type can be incredibly flexible, as the content can be repurposed to work as your hero video, social and Google ads, as well as chopped down for social media content - so the value here for the spend is great.

When thinking about putting this together, again, put yourself in your ideal customer's shoes. What do they want to know? What will be important to them? Can you give them a better reason to buy from you than their customers?

That's it for now, hopefully a few useful nuggets in there. As always, if we can help give any support or advice for your brand or an upcoming project, always feel free to reach out.

Steven, Creative Director

[email protected]