By Sharon Kunkel, APR
On January 22, the Central West Coast chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association welcomed Sage Hall, President of StarFruit Productions, as the guest speaker for our January professional development luncheon. Hall discussed tips and trends for video content.
First, some statistics:
- 85% of all internet users in the U.S. watched online content monthly
- The average user spends 88% more time on a website with video
- Internet users spent nearly 6 hours, 48 minutes per week watching videos online in 2019
- An email with a video embedded is FAR more likely to get opened
Hall discussed the importance of tracking metrics to see what’s working – and being willing to adapt when things don’t work; talked about the value of videos not only for reaching external audiences but also in instilling pride and awareness in employees and key stakeholders; the logistics of capturing video and creating a safe environment so those being interviewed feel comfortable expressing themselves; the necessity of including titles, keywords and descriptions (rich with accurate keywords) in order to establish and maintain trust with users and Google; and suggested partnering with a video production company if you don’t have an internal department as well as with musicians to craft backing tracks. She also noted that, while just 20% of users are using voice search now, that number should climb to 50% by 2021 – Google has indicated they will start crawling video audio for SEO purposes.
Here are my 10 key takeaways for this presentation:
- Before hitting record, consider what you want to accomplish: Who are you trying to engage? What do you want them to know or do? Which platform(s) will you be using? Answering these and other questions are critical if you want your video to achieve any positive results.
- Make sure content is authentic: Find real people to interview and let them speak in their own voice (rather than scripting them).
- People want connections and to build relationships: Make sure your content is relatable and real.
- Vertical video is no longer a villain: It actually takes up more space as you scroll!
- Assuming that the audience has a short attention span is a myth: People will spend significant amounts of time on content that they care about. In fact, YouTube is now prioritizing longer videos in its search (since people will then spend more time on the platform)
- Make sure you’re telling your brand story, through video, on your website.
- Consider subtitles for your videos: 85% of Facebook users don’t turn on the sound when viewing videos!
- Use live video to offer a sneak peek of something that’s coming up, or to show the process of how something (a product, event, etc.) is produced. How-to videos also add value for users.
- Think about your B-roll: Does anyone really want to watch a video that’s all talking heads??!?
- Consider a video series – rather than just one – to help build engagement and excitement.
About the speaker:
Sage Hall is an award-winning film director and editor. She attended The Strasberg Institute in Hollywood, Calif. She is the president of StarFruit Productions, a production house specializing in producing narrative films and documentaries, branding videos, social media video content and training videos. She sits on the Silver Telly Council and has taught filmmaking and acting at New College and FST. Her recent film, “Pie Car,” was selected for the Lady Film Festival in Los Angeles.
