ROI don't understand

"So I have a video. Now what?"

When a client asks us that question, it's not the elephant in the room. It's more like the elephant in the zoo. We expect it.

In fact, we're hoping for it when working with clients who haven't used video marketing before – or who tried it once with the wrong partner.

We have to ask that question before we begin production – before we even begin thinking about videos. How is this going to be used? Where is this going?

And most importantly – how do I know it's working?

Often, clients using video marketing for the first time are afraid a producer will drop a video on their lap and then run out with the check.

There is no incentive for a producer to do that. Because the check isn't where the money is. Any producer worth their grain knows the results are where the money is. Producers with a proven record of satisfied clients make a career out of it.

Let's answer that last question first, because it's the most important: How do I know my video is working?

To put it another way: What are the results I'm looking for?

We call this "ROI." It stands for return on investment.

Your ROI depends on your goals. A simple example of this is sales. If you simply want to use video marketing to spike sales, then the results or ROI you're looking for is more sales.

Here's another example. Say people don't really know what you do, they misunderstand what you do, or you're looking to change how people see what you do. You have your HR department working day in and day out to spread the word and clarify misunderstandings.

Or maybe you're looking for new workers, or you have a product or service your team members spend a good chunk of their time – and company money – explaining.

In all of these situations, a client is looking for the same ROI. They're looking for a video that essentially does the team's HR or support services work for them, 24/7, at a fraction of the cost.

Add those staff salaries and look at the sum total you're spending on these issues. Then look at the cost of your video marketing, which is performing the same, or even superior, work, at a fraction of that sum total. That's a solid ROI.

Another situation. You need to up your social media game to compete. You want to engage your audience online. You want the likes, the shares, the comments. You want to see your follower count grow. Today, this is a vital part of most business plans. Without doing so, you're missing out a significant chunk of your potential audience.

In that situation, the ROI is clear, right? If your video marketing provides more likes, shares, comments, and/or followers, bingo – that's a straightforward ROI.

ROI takes many forms. Another popular target for clients utilizing video marketing is lead generation – basically, getting people warmed up to your brand, so that they want to hear from you in the near future. That might mean a call-to-action, like a link to your website at the bottom of a video, or a form embedded at the video's start or end inviting users to subscribe to your mailing list. And so on and so forth – the methods of lead generation are practically endless.

So to go back to that big question – "How do I know my video is working?" – the simple answer is: when you get the ROI you are looking for.

That's why our first questions, as producers, have to be where the video is going and how it will be used. What are our partners' goals? What's the ROI they're looking for?

Reach out now. Let's get you there.