Explainer, exschmlainer. Everybody has a pretty little animated video online talking about their brand, app, or service these days. But few dare to really show their faces and truly come forward. Having a video spokesperson can elevate your marketing material across the board and make you look like a boss. The good kind, not the one that everybody hates. Learn why bringing in actual faces can be just what you need.
Sure, yeah, there are many ways to craft entertaining, memorable videos, and I’m not knocking them. Variety is the spice of life after all. What I am claiming is that, when done right, having a video spokesperson can be your ace in the hole. It’s a direct, clever, charismatic way to assert your presence and show a visible face for your company.
In a way, it’s like having your very own TV presenter, introducing audiences to interesting, relevant information. You can use a video spokesperson for different things also, not just for branding outreach. They can be a great aid for your internal company videos, for example. As you can read in our article, they’re a great to improve workflow and communication.
But, of course, not all video spokespersons are the same. You want to use someone engaging, reliable, and that can embody your principles and values on camera. First, let’s see what this whole thing is all about.
But if you prefer to watch a video instead, click here:
What is a Video Spokesperson?
Think of them as your own news anchor, basically. They’re a person — which can be either an employee or a professional — tasked with speaking on behalf of your company or organization on camera. You can consider them a sort of ambassador for a message, brand, or cause.
What are the main characteristics of a video spokesperson?
- Charisma. They have screen presence, the camera gravitates to them naturally. A little bit of flair also goes a long way. Personality is a feature, not a bug.
- Diction. Recording a video is a form of public speaking. It’s not just about looking pretty, but being clear, accurate, having great diction, and remaining entertaining throughout.
- Emotional resonance. Hiring a video spokesperson enables viewers to connect emotionally to the message or subject matter. Sometimes it’s OK to go for a more detached approach, but you’ve gotta make the most out of having a live actor.
So far so good, right? And I haven’t even gotten to the benefits yet!
Some Basics Statistics
A question that may pop up in your head is “Why use video at all?” Well, for one, it’s one of the most engaging ways to reach your customers. When they click on your ad, website, or social media account, you’ll have far greater chances of actually holding their attention if you drop a video on them. Don’t trust my word for it, here are some statistics:
- 96% of online shoppers find videos crucial during their decision-making process. (Animoto)
- “Video attracts two to three times as many monthly visitors, doubles their time spent on the site and has a 157% increase in organic traffic from search engines like Google.” Marketing Sherpa
- The Aberdeen Group holds that businesses that leverage video marketing in their efforts grow their revenue 49% faster with video.
- 87% of online marketers use video.
- One-third of the internet is on YouTube. That’s over one billion users.
- 45% of people watch more than an hour of video per week between YouTube and social media.
- In the US alone, 85% of internet users watch online video. Out of these, millennials (25-35) watch the most.
- A staggering 80% of all internet traffic is just streaming video.
- Out of all online presence, a third is watching videos right now.
Each of these are pretty mindblowing statistics. As you can probably tell, you’re missing out big time if you’re not giving video marketing its due. And this is not even considering the mobile statistics, as we will see below.
Heading to Mobile
I ain’t talking Alabama!
- About half of total video streams are on mobile devices. Great times to be an internet marketer and a chiropractor.
- People watch 10 million videos on Snapchat every day.
- 92% of users on mobile share the videos they watch. That’s a recipe for viral content right there.
- Of all the videos streamed on Twitter, 90% of views are from mobile devices.
And finally, there’s the question of engagement.
Statistics on Engagement
People are undeniably glued to their screens, and we know video is the main cause. But what’s it mean for marketers, anyway?
- For one, it’s all about the shares. Social media vids generate 12 times more shares than text and images alone.
- People watch almost three times more branded video on Facebook, and twice as much on YouTube compared to previous years.
- 51% of marketing wizards agree. Video just gives the best ROI (Return of Investment) out of all the possible marketing strategies.
- Video drives organic traffic by 159%
- Having a video on your landing page can drive conversions up by 80% or more.
- It’s great for SEO! It improves your likelihood of showing up on the first page of search results by 53%.
- Videos that are native to social media platforms reach audiences tenfold compared to YouTube links.
- Almost the entirety (85%) of videos on Facebook are watched with sound off. Subtitles are a must, even with a video spokesperson!
- CVR goes up to 4.8% (compared to 2.9%) after watching a vid.
- Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch a video, compared to 10% when reading text.
- 46% of users take action immediately after viewing a video ad.
So, I hope you’re convinced after that bullet point bonanza. Bringing a video spokesperson into your video marketing strategy is a great idea inside of another great idea. Maybe Christopher Nolan can make a movie about that one day.
How do I Find a Video Spokesperson?
You have two big options, basically. If you’re great on camera or have an employee who would be the right fit, then you can try to make your video in-house. The DIY route is riskier because you’re putting an unproven asset in the line of fire, but it can yield great rewards.
Your second option is outsourcing the whole, or part of the video production to a video spokesperson service. First, let’s address what’s potentially the stickiest point of the two, and get it out of the way.
Imma Do It Myself!
All right! Then it’s time to access your inner actor or actress. Or, if you’ve got that perfect member of your team that would love to be in front of the camera, you’re set! According to our great article “DIY Corporate Video Production – How to Pull It Off“, you’re going to need the following:
- Video camera
- Lighting kit
- Wireless microphones
- Tripods
- Shotgun microphone
- Boom pole
- Headphones
- XLR cables
Of course, that’s on top of having a great actor or actress to back up your project. I would also advise you to consider investing in a green screen. Something that’s very much in vogue right now is placing actors on a variety of artificial backdrops. Try the style that works best for you (and doesn’t look entirely ridiculous).
Make sure to have your script on point, and to try as many dry runs as are necessary. You (or your performer) should feel intimately familiar with the script, and what they need to do. Come performance day, you’re going to need to nail this. If not, then I’d better let you know in advance that corporate videos have their own version of production hell.
A Small Personal Story
I was once involved in a DIY yourself video production for a small company. I had to act as the video spokesperson, and I knew everything we had to do by heart. Only, we kept changing the script, the venue, and even the products that we were going to feature!
There’s always room for changing things on the fly. But, if you’re very inexperienced, there are numerous setbacks that can cause you to lose confidence and delay the whole production by weeks or months. Even if you manage to make it all the way to the post-production stage, there’s no guarantee that you’ll like the end result. Make sure you have all of these steps on point for when the time for production comes.
- Script
- Performer
- Venue
- Gear
- Have an estimated idea of the time the whole thing will take
- Video editing software
Don’t leave any of these up to chance!
Is There a Video Spokesperson Website Out There?
As a matter of fact, there is! There are websites out there dedicated exclusively to offering video spokesperson services. They have a wide array of professional actors and actresses that are great at pulling off complex scripts and conveying branding messages. You can find quite a few specialized websites on the internet, and Fiverr is absolutely rife with freelance video spokesperson pros looking for gigs.
Of course, make sure that each of the websites you visit or pros you’re thinking of hiring really knows their stuff before you hire ’em. Check their portfolios, see that they’ve done right by their previous clients, and only hire them when they “pop” for you. Finding the right video spokesperson is much like falling in love; you’ll know it when you see it, and nothing else can replace it once it’s there. If you find your match, then go for it!
Summing Up
Video is where it’s at these days. The people have spoken, and they will continue to make videos the most popular form of media on the internet. Adding a video spokesperson to your marketing strategy can be just the right idea for capturing even more hearts and minds with your brand.
if you’ve already got a cool spokesperson video, but don’t know how to combine it with other types of vids (explainer, animated), or how to go about creating a multi-pronged marketing campaign, give us a visit at Bunny Studio Video. We can put together the perfect mix of your video plus animation, motion design, voice-over, and graphic design services. We offer A-Z solutions, so when you book a project with us, you hire a whole team of pros that’ll take care of your every need.
Hit us up sometime. We’re the best, and aren’t shy about it!
