An online video series, or a set of webisodes, is a collection of videos that run under a common theme and are distributed periodically. Each episode is a bite-sized clip that can stand alone but still leaves enough of an opening to warrant a next chapter. It’s an effective way of marketing and those who can pull it off can rack up a lot of views that usually increase with every release.
When making a video series for your brand in the Internet, it’s important that you know what the key elements are. For your convenience, I’ve listed down the core tips on how you can create an attractive video series that makes market sense:
- Go for what the people want – For you to find out what curries your audience’s taste, don’t hesitate to ask around. Research is good, but surveys and a connection with your niche’s community is even better. Having a feel of your niche’s pulse and what people are clamouring for helps you determine what kind of theme would be most appreciated by your potential customers. It could be entertainment, an answer to a problem or even a guide on how to do something.
- Product placement – A great way to reconcile the often-conflicting interests of telling a good story and getting exposure for your brand is by using an advertising tactic called product placement. That is, your videos will tell a story like any normal clip would but at a key moment, it will show how your product or service works as part of the plot. It takes some skill and practice to do this, but its rewards are beyond quantifiable. You probably see examples of product placement all the time in movies with products such as cars, appliances and others getting exposure in the background in a non-intrusive manner. This is something you can adopt in your video marketing strategy.
- Leave them guessing – When you’re making a series, it’s important to leave your audience a bit of a cliff hanger ending. It gets them excited and thinking about the next good thing that could happen. Don’t go as far having one for every clip you put out because it’s a sure-fire way of sending people to the exits.
- Facilitate audience participation – I encourage this for season enders and for those who use YouTube. If you can come up with alternate endings to your series, you can ask your followers to vote on what they’d like to see. This gives people a nice sense of control and belongingness with your video series, making them more enthusiastic. You can be more clever with this by not giving the audience a straightforward choice of endings. Rather, you can have a cliffhanger at the end of the penultimate episode and ask them what they would do if they were the protagonist. You can then supply YOUR ending based on the choice that most of your audience made. In this model, you facilitate participation but still retain the element of suspense for the last part of your series.
That about wraps it up for today’s Video Boss blog post, cuz. The secret sauce of a sizzling series lies in its ability to deliver entertainment or information value to your audience. Have this and your work is half-done.
Until then,
Andy
PS
Let me know your ideas in the comments section below. Oh, and make sure you check out the new Video Boss – Now Even Bossier! :)
