DO VIDEOS HAVE A 'USE BY' DATE?
Image by Ardfern (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
There are a number of reasons why some people shy away from using video for their business – perhaps they fear the cost is prohibitive or they feel camera shy, worry that they don’t possess the technical know-how or are concerned that the video will become outdated before making a proper return on their investment.
Ensure a healthy life span for your video...
However, when it comes to the shelf life of your video, there are a few simple steps which can be taken to ensure that your video will have a healthy life span and give you a good return for your money.
I recently produced a video for Helen Monaghan from HM Coaching in which she talks about her latest book, “Successful Business Minds.” The video is
7 minutes and 30 seconds long which gives Helen plenty of time, on her website, to inform potential buyers of the content of her book and of the ways in which she feels inspired to help people have a better relationship with their money. However, that duration, while fine for Helen’s website, is just a tad too long for using on social media. So, the simple solution? Re-version the longer video to produce a short, snappy, 20 second video – with subtitles – for Helen to use on social media.
And this, my friends, is where you get a sneak peak of that video, with Helen’s permission, of course!
Rather than just scroll past...
Adding subtitles to Helen’s video enables people, who are perhaps viewing with their mobiles on mute, to see exactly what she’s saying so they’re then more likely to view the video in it’s entirety rather than just scroll on past. Some platforms do add subtitles automatically but they’re not always quite correct – something to watch out for!
Update a video...
As with subtitles, you can also add captions to update a video where a portion of the information it contains has become outdated. Rather than starting from scratch with a new video, it’s usually quite straight forward to add a caption giving the new information.
Likewise, if the original video no longer tells the whole story, it’s quite feasible to edit in a sequence which updates the viewer on what has developed since the initial production. This can be done by simply inserting footage of someone telling the audience about the updates or by creating a montage showing the new developments along with either a voice over or captions.
Worry no more...
So, if you’re worried about your video reaching it's use by date too soon, then worry no more because there are options available to you. You can certainly keep your video up to date by adding in certain features or you can re-use relevant sections. Now, that’s sorted, what are you waiting for? Just think what a video could do for your business!
Whether you want to make your own video or have it produced for you, Julie Neilson Media can help you to harness the power of video. So, get in touch and visualise YOUR business!
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