Creating a high-performing video is immensely gratifying, but getting there requires an ample supply of grit and determination. The video production process can be repetitive and frustrating at times. But every step in that journey (even the missteps) provide valuable learning opportunities that will help you improve your videos with every attempt. When you’re looking to scale your video marketing, it’s essential to embrace this process as a necessity for creating great content.
You’ll also need to overcome the mental obstacle that every video you create has to be perfect on the first try. Mistakes aren’t the end of the world. In fact, we often learn more from discovering what doesn’t work than what does. So don’t be afraid to try out new ideas, create quickly, and document every result, regardless if it’s a success. Through rigorous testing and iteration, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your video production process becomes a well-oiled machine.
Expert advice on how to scale video marketing production
In our new video strategy guide “How to create a contemporary video strategy”, we spoke to top marketing and video production leaders about their approach to scaling video marketing. Our interviews included in-house experts at Storyblocks as well as experts from our enterprise partners HubSpot and Descript. They shared some of the strategies they’ve used to boost production while streamlining their processes. The video marketing pros we sat down with were:
- Kyle Denhoff, Director of Marketing, HubSpot
- Lara Unnerstall, Video Producer, Descript
- Ryan Vig, Marketing Leader, Descript
- Lauren Zoltick, Director of Performance Marketing, Storyblocks
- Kaitlyn Rossi, Senior Producer, Storyblocks
Download the free guide today to find out how these top marketing and video production professionals scale their video marketing.
Beware of too many cooks in the kitchen
Marketing department budgets have declined this year due to the global economic downturn, so many video marketers are scrambling to do more with less. That means creating a more efficient production process has become a top priority. The first step towards auditing your process is to closely examine your strategy for each video you create. As you’re auditing, ask yourself: What worked in your favor during production? What didn’t work?
Consult your team for feedback, then identify ways you can iron out any issues for next time. Your team can be a great source of ideas and inspiration, but involving more people than necessary in the decision making process can actually hinder your progress. For maximum efficiency when building out a video strategy or team, focus on getting the right people in the room.
This could include, for instance, a lean crew including only the marketing lead, a video producer, and a post-production editor. As HubSpot Director of Marketing Kyle Denhoff suggests, “Three people who are working off the same brief and have a clear vision of what they’re trying to accomplish can create incredible videos in a very short amount of time.” When figuring out how to scale video marketing efficiently, sometimes less is more.
Want to learn more about how the pros scale video marketing by keeping teams lean and mean? Download our How to create a contemporary video strategy guide today.
Be proactive in preventing burnout
Nobody hits a home run every time. If you publish a video you were certain would be a viral sensation and it falls flat, it’s a great opportunity to figure out what went wrong and why. Adopting the attitude that mistakes are unavoidable and can actually be beneficial will go a long way toward reducing everyone’s stress levels. Celebrate your team’s wins and losses as learning opportunities.
It’s also important that you communicate with your team. The process of iterating on your videos can be lengthy and repetitive, which can easily lead to burnout. After each testing cycle, do a touch-base with your people to see how they’re feeling. Make sure that they have the support they need and encourage them to take breathers between projects. A little communication can go a long way.
For an additional bite-sized crash course in repeating and scaling, check out Episode 9 of our Beginner’s guide to creating video.
Achieving peak efficiency is a balancing act between your goals and your team’s productivity. Pushing people too hard can eventually lead to burnout and resentment. Failing to push them hard enough could prevent you from meeting your objectives. To help strike a balance, experiment with how much you can produce in a set period of time. Then ask your team if that pace feels sustainable. As Storyblocks Senior Producer Kaitlyn Rossi puts it, “I really think sustainability in your process is a huge component. Otherwise you will burn out your creative and marketing teams trying to achieve results.” Scaling video marketing requires team members to be firing on all cylinders, so burnout is a top enemy of efficient production.
Leverage scaling video marketing as a development opportunity
With the state of marketing department budgets, video marketers are leveraging more internal resources to keep up with production demands. This includes tapping into the creativity of team members who might not work in video production day-to-day. “Sometimes just asking can bring out a lot of people you had no idea were interested in working on stuff like this,” says Descript Video Producer Lara Unnerstall. You might have sales reps, social media managers, or even engineers who are just waiting for the opportunity to take part in the creative process. But you’ll never know unless you ask.
Depending on your audience and the type of videos you make, you can even leverage non-technical team members in other ways. For instance, putting them on camera for interviews about how a product was made. They can bring a fresh, unique perspective to a video you may have never considered. You also never know who on your team has prior video experience, which Descript Marketing Leader Ryan Vig says he’s encountered on more than one occasion. “I’ve even seen customer support team members knock it out of the park on video content.” Thinking outside the box with who you include in the production process gives you the opportunity to leverage internal resources you may not have even known you had. And that can go a long way toward more efficiently scaling your video marketing.
For even more about how many hands make light work when scaling video marketing, download How to create a contemporary video strategy today.
Learn more about how the professionals scale video marketing
Production teams and video marketers across nearly every industry are working with reduced budgets this year. One way they’ve been able to keep hitting their goals is by smartly scaling their video marketing process. If you want to read more from the experts we interviewed, download How to create a contemporary video strategy for free today.
