Is Video the Right Choice?

Video Planning—Step 1 of 6

Video can be a great way to get your message across, but it doesn't work in all situations. You don't need a video to tell people the best ways to contact your department—you can do so in 30 words on your website.

On the other hand, capturing people's testimonials about your products and services could be a real asset. That's why planning (also known as Pre–Production) is so important. Before you invest more time and resources, think about a few things:

Will it Work?

Ask yourself the following:

Will your video have strong visual elements?
Will your video have strong audio elements?
Is it something a busy person would want to see?
Will it provide value to the viewer?
Will your video be watched by enough people to be worth the effort?

If the answer to any of the above is no, think of another solution: An email, a web page, an infographic, a PDF, etc.

Audience

The most important element in a video—more important than camerawork, editing, resources, story or anything else—is your audience. Who is your audience? Don't say "the public"—you need to more specific about who you want to watch your video:

What are they interested in?
What are their jobs?
How much time do they spend on the web?
What level of education do they have?

Your idea may be interesting, but if it's not relevant or useful to your audience, your time and effort will be wasted.

You need to think like a viewer.

Is there a group of people, besides your boss, who would be interested in your video?
Answer honestly: Will your video provide value or not? We'll talk more about audience in Create Your Video Plan.

No Choice

Sometimes you will be told to create a video. You may not be able to decide whether video is the right choice, but this information can at least help you have a discussion.