Video Advertising and marketing: The Definitive Information (2021)

Template # 1: The instruction video

The how-to video is what it sounds like …

It’s a video that shows someone how to do something, like baking a cake or doing a push-up.

For many companies, how-to videos are their bread and butter. In fact, how-to videos are like a video version of blog content. They are not intended to convert people instantly.

But how-to videos ARE great for introducing your brand to potential customers. So I recommend using them in your video marketing along with product demos.

Here is the template:

Let’s break down each element.

Intro = video preview

The main goal of your preview is to let your viewers know that they are in the right place.

In other words:

You don’t have to tell people why your topic is important. When they landed on your video they already know it’s important.

That’s a mistake I made a lot in my early videos.

Instead of jumping straight into the content, I’d go into a long backstory.

Spoiler alert: people hated those intros. And they clicked away.

(Not to mention the fact that I really needed a haircut. 🙂)

Today my intros are short, sweet and to the point.

Which has improved my average dramatically Audience retention.

YouTube Analytics - audience retention

Steps or tips

Now it’s time for the meat of your contents.

Depending on your video, there are a number of steps you can sketch out. Or give people a list of tips.

For example, this video from my channel lists a number of 9 traffic strategies.


On the other hand, this video outlines a specific step-by-step process.


If you watch these videos you will find that the structure is basically the same.

The only difference is that the steps are in a specific order. While the strategies can be in pretty much any order.

However, in this section of your how-to video, there is one BIG thing to keep in mind:

Keep things moving.

In other words, you don’t have to cover everything you need to know about a step or tip. Yes, you should cover each step in detail. But once you have the basics covered, it’s time for the next step.

Why?

Well, it’s no secret that people on the internet have super short attention spans. And if you keep talking about the same topic over and over again, you will lose your viewer’s attention.

For example, I used to spend 2-3 minutes on a single step or tip.

And people REALLY got bored.

Today I spend around 30-60 seconds per tip. And then go straight to the next thing I want to deal with.

This is how my video content moves fast… what people are concerned with.

Wrap up

Now that you’ve covered your final step, what’s next?

Well, I don’t recommend ending your video from scratch. It’s super upsetting.

Instead, you want to quickly cover 3 main things in your conclusions video:

  • A short summary
  • Examples
  • Next Steps

For example, in this video I summarize things with:

Short video summary

Note that I am not repeating the same tips that you just heard about.

Instead, I’ll quickly sketch out what you’ve learned … and move on to the end of the video.

And if you have other examples of how this process has helped you, a customer or a friend, mention them here. You have probably already mentioned a few examples in the “Steps” section of your video. But feel free to add one more here.

This last example gives people the motivation to put what they have just learned into action.

Finally, let people know the next steps.

If they watch your video on YouTube, you can subscribe to your channel.

If you host your video on your own website, you might ask them to subscribe to your newsletter.

Either way, make sure you complete your video with a clear set of next steps.

Here is an example:

End of video - next steps

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