Unlock the potential of tutorial videos for your business. Learn tips and techniques to create engaging and impactful video tutorials.
These days, you have a lot of ways to connect with your audience and drive traffic to your business, and frankly, you should use as many of them as you reasonably can. If you sell products or services, then one tool that’s easy to overlook is the classic tutorial video.
You might be shocked to see how much traffic such a video can generate. So, take a few minutes to learn about how to make and utilize tutorial videos.
We’re not reinventing the wheel here. Tutorial videos are exactly what you think they are. They are instructional videos that explain exactly how to complete a specific task. They could show you how to knit your own sweater, fix a broken part on a car, solve a hard math equation, or anything else.
The videos usually focus on step-by-step instructions. In fact, it's likely that you have searched for such videos on YouTube at some point while undertaking a DIY project.
From a business perspective, these videos create opportunities for you to engage with your audience and provide value to your customers beyond your direct products and services.
On the surface, it's evident that these videos can enhance your relationship with customers. Let's delve into a few more compelling benefits.
Videos provide a whole new dimension of outreach to a wide audience, as nearly every social media platform facilitates easy video sharing. When your video proves valuable, people are inclined to share it, resulting in significant brand exposure for your business.
Learning how to increase your audience engagement can help you improve sales. Engagement occurs when users actively seek to interact with your company, and a how-to video ensures that viewers will have questions and seek clarification. This engagement is not only valuable but also represents an opportunity for you to provide customers with the information they need, fostering a deeper connection with your audience.
Helping people is good for your business. If you’re solving their problems, they will prefer to do business with you over competitors. This helps with conversion rates.
However, there is another crucial element to consider. In a how-to video, you have the opportunity to promote your products or services effectively. You can demonstrate how to use the items you sell and provide links to those specific products. Additionally, you can also link to a service that complements the video or offers assistance to viewers, further expanding the promotional potential.
Customers reach out to support resources when they encounter problems, and how-to videos serve as effective problem-solving tools. By empowering customers to resolve their own issues conveniently and effortlessly, you not only enhance customer support but also foster stronger relationships with your customers.
Video analytics are powerful, and you don’t have to set up any special tools to access them. All of the major video sharing platforms already run the analytics for you. You can leverage these tools to gain valuable insights and utilize your videos strategically to expand your audience, ultimately driving sales for your business.
Considering the multitude of benefits that how-to videos offer to online businesses, it’s only natural to take the next step. How do you make a good tutorial video that generates all of these benefits? It will take some practice and learning, but the guidelines provided below can significantly expedite the process, allowing you to grasp it with ease while avoiding common mistakes.
Bear in mind that the process of uploading a video to YouTube is comparable to using other platforms, which means that YouTube-specific advice can still be broadly applicable and beneficial in most cases.
This is the starting point. How do you even know what tutorial videos to make? Start by thinking about who you’re trying to reach in the first place. Once you can answer that question, then you can dig a little deeper to think about what questions they might have. From there, you’re going to create how-to videos that answer those questions.
Ok. You have an audience in mind and some video topics. Now, you need to get more specific. What exactly are you teaching people? This is the stage where you transition from a general idea like "creating videos that assist people with car maintenance" to a more specific approach such as "producing a video demonstrating how to change the oil on a 2020 F150." It's crucial to emphasize specificity during this step.
You’ll repeat this whole list of steps for each video. At this stage, you have a specific video in mind, so now you can map out your script. What points do you want to cover? What order should they be in the video? How will you talk about them?
How-to videos can vary in length and complexity, and during the script planning phase, you will determine the appropriate position of your video within those parameters.
If you ever get stuck, use a creative assistant to generate ideas and help you outline the video.
A storyboard serves as a visual tool that aids in mapping out your video, allowing you to plan the filming process, consider appropriate locations, and ensure alignment between the visuals and explanations in your script. It acts as a guide for synchronizing the filming with the narrative flow of your video.
To record your video, you'll need a suitable recording device. While smartphones can capture decent video quality, using a stand or tripod is recommended for better stability. Depending on the nature of your video, you might also require props or tools to create the necessary visual elements during filming.
You need a place to film, and there are two things to consider above all else: lighting and noise. You want as little background noise as possible. You want good lighting that makes it easy to see but isn’t so bright that it washes out the video. Finding the right location might involve some trial and error.
You’ve written the script. You mapped out how to film it. You have your equipment and location. Now, you need to film it. If it’s your first attempt, don’t worry too much about the quality. You’ll learn and improve as you go. What matters most is to get a video recording so you can learn the whole process.
After your video tutorial is recorded, you want to capture b-roll footage. B-roll is additional footage showcasing various items or processes that can be overlaid with your narration or dialogue. During the editing process, this footage is utilized to enhance the overall presentation and create a polished final product.
Speaking of editing, it's actually quite important. The great thing is, you don't have to record your tutorial video all in one go. You can film different parts at different times, and then use video editing to bring it all together seamlessly.
Thankfully, the digital age makes editing more accessible, affordable, and approachable than ever. Editing a video on YouTube can be fairly quick and painless. That said, there is no ceiling to quality, so the amount of time and energy it takes will be up to you.
Don’t forget the purpose of the video. Sure, you’re teaching people how to do something, but you’re also promoting your business.
While it's not necessary to be overly sales-oriented, it's important to include a compelling call-to-action at the end of your video. This can encourage viewers to engage with your business by trying a product or service, visiting your website, accessing additional resources, or taking any other appropriate action based on the context.
The value of your video amplifies when it reaches a wider audience. Search engine optimization (SEO) plays a crucial role in directing people to your video through algorithmic recommendations.
Your YouTube channel already incorporates SEO elements, so be sure to optimize your instructional video by tagging it appropriately, crafting a compelling description, and including relevant links. The process will guide you through this, but remember to give it due importance as this is where you can make your video gain popularity.
Now that you have your video ready, it's time to publish it and start promoting it. Utilize your social media platforms and marketing tools to showcase your brand-new video and drive traffic towards it. Leverage these channels to effectively promote and generate interest in your video.
If you don’t already have a large audience following your videos, views will come in slowly at first. SEO efforts usually take some time to yield significant results, so it's essential to monitor your progress regularly. If you find that you're not achieving your desired viewership goals, it's important to explore additional avenues to promote your video and increase its visibility.
Your initial video is likely to be your least polished one, and that's perfectly normal. As you progress, you'll gradually learn how to create better videos, which is a positive outcome.
This iterative process allows you to improve over time while building a valuable library of videos. Keep in mind that a good how-to video retains its value, so expanding your video library exponentially multiplies the benefits you reap from your efforts.
While we've covered the process of creating tutorial videos, there are still crucial aspects that need to be addressed. How can you ensure your video stands out and remains competitive in the market?
While certain concepts may be complex and require a thorough explanation, it's important to remember that the goal should never be to intentionally prolong the video. Viewers typically prefer concise and to-the-point content, so it's crucial to minimize filler and unnecessary runtime.
This is a classic tip for creating videos, and it becomes even more crucial when you're explaining how to do something. If your goal is to merely explain the process, then writing a blog would suffice.
However, with a video, you have the advantage of visually showing people exactly how to perform the task. So, go ahead and demonstrate it in a way that leaves no room for confusion. Feel free to capture the process from different angles if needed, making it abundantly clear and easy to follow.
Why do people need to know this? How does this video solve a problem? Feel free to provide some context and explain the circumstances that usually lead up to the how-to video. This can help build a clearer picture and provide viewers with a better understanding of the situation.
Don't forget to take a moment and ask your viewers to like, subscribe, comment, and engage with your video on social media platforms. These built-in features play a crucial role in promoting your video and, in turn, your brand. Encouraging viewers to take these actions can have a tremendous impact on increasing visibility and expanding your audience more than any other strategy.
Video tutorials offer a wealth of benefits, and if you're looking to enhance your video endeavors, you'll need additional tools and resources, which you can readily find at Mailchimp. From the types of video formats to how to run YouTube ads, check out Mailchimp today.