When it comes to social media video strategy the first question our clients always ask is “How often should I upload videos to my social media platforms?”.

We tend to flip this question around and instead guide our clients through creating a strategy for filming and editing video content that will allow them to grow an online audience full of valuable, engaged followers.

Our two top tips: Consistency and Resourcefulness!

• Be consistent: Whether you chose to share content weekly of monthly, try to stick to a regular interval for a few months so you can really start seeing results.

• Take advantage of content scheduling tools, such as YouTube’s option to publish videos at a later date. Once you’ve created and uploaded your video, the visibility tab on YouTube allows publishing in the future. At the time of writing this, all the big social media platforms offer this option.

You could of course upload 150 videos in one go to your website or YouTube channel. I mean, technically speaking, it is possible. However, if your goal is building an online audience, consider using a scheduling tool to ensure content reaches your followers regularly. Whether that’s monthly or weekly, audiences and search engines both want the same thing from your website: fresh content. 

Note that we keep mentioning YouTube. Remember that it’s owned by Google and it has become the second-largest online search engine. Chances are this is where you want to be found!.

Video Production: The Ideal Content Strategy and Planning Schedule

We’ll say it right away, there is no magic ratio. 

There is, however, a clever way to ensure you never run out of fresh content to share, and that is to plan, create, publish, promote, and analyse every bit of content you put out there.

• Establish your goals: What results exactly do you want to achieve? Let’s not get sidetracked by numbers or ‘going viral’ and instead think of reaching your target audience, communicating a clear message, and telling unique stories. Educating viewers.
• Define your target audience: Remember that people want to watch exactly what appeals to them. Nothing else. So perhaps focus on creating sweet and short pieces that target a specific audience.
• Brainstorm ideas: Branded content, talking heads, product demos, animated explainers, vlogs, training videos. There are endless opportunities to highlight the virtues of your brands, product or service.
• Get creating: That’s the fun bit!

Social Media Video Strategy: It can be an easy process!

It does sound daunting but with a bit of organisation, there is no reason why you can’t put a few great pieces of content out there in very little time.

Two words: Batch production, like a production line in a factory. That’s right. The trick lies in allocating specific days for specific tasks:

• Day 1: PLAN all the content you would like to create
• Day 2: FILM all the videos
• Day 3: EDIT

Just like we allocate a day to go through all the receipts, invoices, orders, business emails, we can designate one day to think about the content we want to put out there.

When filming videos, choose a specific day when you will be batch recording all the footage. Set time aside to get camera-ready, set up the kit (camera, lights and sound), props or sets, and always make sure you capture b-roll. Then, it’s time to get stuck in! Solo or with the help of our friendly team.

Our top tip: Remember to script your videos. This will help the editing process and will make it easier to write video descriptions and titles.

Finally, batch edit all your footage; yes, we can help with that too, but it is perfectly possible to fly solo too.

Here’s a super quick round up of our Top 5 favourite apps to edit videos on the go in 2021:

• iMovie: iOS
• InShot: iOS and Android.
• TikTok: iOS and Android.
• Adobe Spark Video: iOS
• Adobe Premiere Rush: iOS and Android

We can help tell your story with bulk video production

Whether it’s filming in batch or bulk editing big selections of footage, the answer is a streamlined process. This ensures you can keep track of the project every step of the way.

We work with you every step of the way to generate content that answers exactly to your input and follows through all marketing objectives set at the beginning.

Experience has given us the ability and technical resources to ensure that we can quickly carry out any changes or amendments required.

We understand that our clients often need unique solutions. Indeed, every marketing team’s needs are different. This is why we pride ourselves in being flexibility and in offering simple options that go a long way.

Definitely contact us for a content strategy chat and an estimate based on your precise requirements.

On seeing the word recce a military operation comes to mind. The word comes from reconnaissance which in the video industry, refers to visiting a location in advance of filming video content. If you are shopping around for video estimates for your business you will have seen words like ‘pre-filming recce visit” in a few proposals.  If you haven’t, we think it might be a red flag and you may want to have another chat with your potential supplier.  But is it really worth the extra time and expense?

Does my video really need a pre-filming recce visit?*

Preparation is key to any video production. The more preparation ahead of a shoot, the more efficiently the day will run and the less likely that something will go wrong. Plus the better results the client will get.

A pre-filming recce is one of the crucial ways of preparing ahead of a shoot. Particularly due to budget constraints, visiting a location is the perfect way to assess any risks before filming.

We’re all so pressed for time that using precious hours in a pre-filming recce might not sound great but when compared to what it would cost if something were to go wrong, it’s more than worth it. Most projects involve a crew, talents, equipment and location. Organising all of that only to realise on the day that the location is not perfect or unsafe, would mean very expensive delays.

*It’s a great question to ask your production company

When requesting prices for a filming job, ask the production company if a recce is required for your particular project. It is not *always* the case. Pre-filming recce visits are more commonly used for example in live streaming projects and in general for larger budget commissions where there’s a need to really make the most of a specific location.

What will a pre-filming recce visit reveal?

You want the crew to see the location with their professional hat on. They will be able to spot any potential issues and come up with solutions and alternatives. There’s always the risk of a location being totally unsuitable but it’s best to find out ahead of the actual filming day. Maybe the place is not ideal considering the equipment required, or there might not be proper sound insulation. Perhaps there might be insufficient space for crew and kit, or safety issues like faulty electrics or slippery surfaces.

Top 3 issues to watch out for:

• • Sound: Crisp, clear sound is a key component of a good video. Environmental sounds such as traffic, air con units and such can be easy to overlook. Experienced filming crew will spot trouble
  • Lighting: Good lighting is crucial to a great end result. Whether natural or artificial, lighting can make or break a video. During the pre-filming recce visit, the crew needs to check existing light sources and make an assessment of what kit they will need to bring on the day.
  • Electric power: Video production is a power hungry operation. These days most kit will run on batteries for a good few hours. An experienced crew will know to come prepared for any contingency though and the best tip is to walk around the location and identify all power outlets, always double checking they are in good working order.

If the pre-production team does spot any issues, they will suggest strategies to resolve them. Sometimes briefs can be tweaked to suit. In any case, a pre-filming recce visit allows for this approach to be been taken ahead of filming day, rather than having to deal with nasty surprises later.

It’s not all negative though, a pre-filming recce visit will also be a source of inspiration. Some of the best ideas our crew has had are born on location whilst preparing before filming day. A great video maker should really be able to make the most of any particular setting in terms of space and lighting.

Costs implications:

We have set rates for pre-production, production and post-production based on the time we spent on each task. A pre-filming recce visit will always be less expensive than a filming or editing hour. One member of our team will set aside 1 or 2 hours depending on distance and project complexity.

We really do think a pre-filming recce visit is worth the cost, as it can really make a difference on filming day.

Check out a rough pricing guide we’ve put together and do get in touch if you have any questions or wish to request a quote. We’re always happy to help with any queries.

THIS FRENCH FILM CHANNEL ISSUED A SET OF WITTY DIAGRAMS THAT BREAKS DOWN THE FORMULAS BEHIND THREE TYPES OF GENRE MOVIE.

Pavlus, J. 2011, Infographics of the Day: Flow Charts For Making Horror or Action Movies [online], Fastcodesign, 1,
Available from: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663602/infographics-of-the-day-flow-charts-for-making-horror-or-action-movies
[Accessed: 22.4.2012].

“To celebrate Earth Day, Burt’s Bees collaborated with composer Diego Stocco to create an all-natural musical experience. All the sounds you hear in this piece were created real-time using instruments provided by Mother Nature herself. The same ingredients that are instrumental in making the Burt’s Bees products you love to love. So take two minutes out of your day to pause, reflect, and probably even shimmy. Because Earth Day just got a whole lot groovy-er.”

Ref.
Stocco, D. 2012, Burt’s Bees | Music from Nature by Diego Stocco [online], burtsbeesvideos, 1,
Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yEimDuL2t8&feature=youtu.be
[Accessed: 22.4.2012].

http://www.vimeo.com/25380454

“And the soil from which we grow our creations is something we scorn and misunderstand, even though it gives us so much… and that’s copying. Put simply, copying is how we learn. We can’t introduce anything new until we’re fluent in the language of our domain, and we do that through emulation.”

Kirby Ferguson.

Ferguson, K. 2011, Everything is a Remix Part 3 [online], vimeo.com, 1,
Available from: http://vimeo.com/25380454
[Accessed: 22.4.2012].