How to Create an Event Video That Draws (In-Person and Virtual) Crowds

Confession time: As a kid, I was a menace with a video camera. Imagine a girl in pigtails lugging a hand-me-down camcorder approximately the size of her entire body, filming 40-minute exposés on such mesmerizing topics as “look at this bug I found.” Family and friends quickly learned to run from my unrelenting lens.

Lucky for them, I’ve come a long way since then. I’ve also learned plenty about the do’s and don’ts of video marketing (like “don’t make 40-minute videos following a single bug around”).

You may not have to live down a long history of irresponsible cinematography as I did, but you can probably learn a thing or two about event videos and marketing. Let’s see what this fun and fascinating media opportunity has in store!

How to Develop a Great Event — and Capture it on Video

Here’s a secret: Video content management is essential to your marketing strategy. It’s a great way to create engagement with customers, raise awareness around a new offering or even share testimonials to pat yourself on the back.

But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. A lot goes into this particular art — and it all begins with an event that’s worthy of being memorialized on video.

Here are a few things to think about when developing an event you want to capture and share with your customers:

Have Something to Say

Remember, this event is more than just a future video — it’s a valuable engagement opportunity itself. You should take plenty of time to think about what you want your content to say, how you’re going to say it and why your audience should care. If you want people to flock to social media to watch those interviews, product demos or testimonials, give them something to get excited about.

Be Aware of Your Audience

These days, many event types have switched to a hybrid format. That means you have to be aware of both your in-person and digital audiences. For example, if you’re live-streaming, you might want to offer guidepost statements like, “If you’re just tuning in, here’s what we’re doing” — but not too frequently, or you might bore your in-person audience. Similarly, while recording event videos means you can edit them later, your live participants will still see everything.

Think Like Steven Spielberg

When optimizing your event for video production, it’s often helpful to think like a Hollywood filmmaker. Where can I set my cameras to get the best, most engaging angles? Which elements represent the essence of this event and are therefore most important to capture on video? How can I use the unique characteristics of filmmaking to bring this story to life in a fresh way?

What Makes a Great Event Video?

Now you know what makes a great event — but what makes a great event video? Let’s take a closer look:

It’s easy to access. You don’t want to force customers to go hunting for your content. Instead, offer it to them on their favorite channels, including social media, your website and even your monthly newsletter.The video quality is incredible. Your footage should be professional quality — something you’d be proud to see on the silver screen. Speaking of screens, keep in mind that your content will be viewed on all different devices, so don’t forget to optimize for mobile.The audio is crystal clear. In a world of Zoom calls, we all know how distracting it can be to hear someone’s dog barking or a siren rushing by in the background. Plan ahead and make sure your audio system can capture speech without static or other interruptions.The footage is edited by a professional. We all love those PowerPoint transitions in Star Wars, but your event video may not be able to pull it off. In many ways, video editing determines the story of your entire event — so this isn’t the time to release your inner George Lucas.The content is concise but powerful. There are plenty of best practices for video content length, but here’s an old creative writing rule that can help guide your video creation: Cut the fluff. To maximize audience engagement, you shouldn’t offer a river to be panned for gold — just give them the gold nugget.

Marketing and Distributing Your Event Video

Your event is complete, your video is ready and your work is done. It’s time to sit back and relax, right?

Not quite. Open that director’s chair back up — there’s one more step in video marketing, and that’s the marketing.

Your first task is to determine how your target audience will come into contact with this event video. When planning your event, you probably determined whether you were talking to existing customers or building awareness among potential clients; this information will help you choose the right channels for your event video. For example, you might bring in some email marketing best practices to create a campaign that puts your fresh footage in front of loyal customers. On the other hand, you might try widening your audience by using new hashtags on social media to get attention from digital passersby.

Next, you want to generate hype around your freshly posted video. Write “teasers” on social media with links to your event video, post pictures or screenshots from your footage or send a few lines of an interview in an email to encourage audience engagement.

Finally, it’s time to make sure your event video keeps creating value long past its debut. Remember that you can always repurpose content — for example, summarizing key points in a blog post or transforming video visuals into an infographic. You should also have a spot on your website where all event videos live permanently; that way, new customers can catch up on what they’ve missed.

Lights, Camera, Action

I may not be carrying a camcorder around anymore, but I do appreciate good video marketing when I see it. There’s so much you can do with this format; the only challenge is leveraging video marketing in a way that truly tells your brand’s story.

We can help with that.

At Brafton, we’re all about storytelling. That’s why we put together a newsletter full of all the latest trends, insights and marketing know-how. Before you shout “lights, camera, action,” subscribe to The Content Marketer for more inspiration (and, someday, maybe even the debut of that 40-minute bug video).