5 tips for more engaging videos

Many fund managers are turning to videos to give their newsletters a little something extra, but video isn’t easy. In fact, it brings with it almost as many questions as it does solutions: How can your firm produce engaging videos? What is the best way to get them in front of the right audience? How often do you need to make videos? And where will you get ideas for all of these engaging, educational moments of broadcast glory?

Perhaps your firm has already waded into the world of video blogs, newsletters or fact sheets, or maybe it’s just getting ready to test the waters. Either way, here are five tips to maximize the effectiveness of your videos.

Lose the script

The best way to lose an audience before you have one it to be stiff and scripted on camera. Instead of writing out exactly what you want to say, come up with a general topic—say, your firm’s story or a current investment trend—and record an off the cuff conversation about it. Have a colleague who you have a good rapport with ask you questions about the topic and allow a natural conversation to develop from there. By staying relaxed and natural, you’ll appear better on camera and your audience will be more engaged and trusting.

Create bulk content

As long as you are recording content about one topic, why not throw in two or three? Schedule an hour or more for filming so that multiple topics can be covered in a single conversation. You can then drip feed that content to your audience in several videos over the span of a quarter or longer. This method has the added benefit of creating a similar tone to all of your videos and creating natural segues between topics.

Stay focused

You may have a few hours of footage to pick from when producing each video, but be sure to stay focused on one topic for each video. Remember that a total length of three to ten minutes is ideal for most videos, so edit your content carefully. Avoid tangents and pick the best clips to fill out each video.

Be more than a talking head

Three to ten minutes of video can seem like much longer when a viewer is watching essentially the same image—one person, talking—for the entire time. Instead of falling prey to this worn out video format, throw in interesting music, B-roll from around your office or a conference that you’ve attended, or even experiment with infographics to illustrate your points. Consider the type of message you are telling with each video and the best way to make that message engaging. Then, create the footage that will grab and hold viewers’ attention.

Don’t forget to market

Once you’ve shot and produced a video, be sure to target it to the right viewers so it doesn’t go unnoticed. When videos are posted to your firm’s webpage, to Youtube, or included in your company newsletter, be sure to include a brief teaser description and a strong call to action to make sure that your target audience notices your effort.