Publishers and brands of every size are wise to the importance of video for their strategies. Be it social videos or content hosted on their own sites, audiences want video content. Keeping up with the demand can seem intimidating. How can a publisher be expected to constantly produce and share videos without seeing their expense balloon?Thankfully, video creation is in no way as cost-prohibitive as it once was. Tools (like Wochit) make it simple for even the totally inexperienced to create, edit, and share original videos. But eliminating costly production from video-making is only one part of the equation. Let’s look at more ways publishers can continue to increase their video inventory without greatly increasing their expenses:
Create for more than one place
When crafting a video, you should have its destination in mind. Is it for your website or for social? If social, which network? It’s an important consideration that informs some decisions, like length, aspect ratio, and more.
But actively creating a video for, say, Facebook, doesn’t mean the same video can’t also be used on other networks, with some re-editing. It might be as simple as changing the aspect ratio (and thus adjusting your visual assets as needed), or cutting the length. The same assets can be put to use to create effectively the same video, but tailored specifically to each network.
Make your long videos short
Publishers and brands know that longer videos aren’t the right fit for social, because users want quick bites, not a full meal. Still, many publishers house more substantial videos on their own websites. That heftier, in-depth content is an important part of what their dedicated audiences desire.
Those longer videos can be adapted for other uses. You might create a “trailer” for a longer piece to be share on social. Or, if the subject allows, you might break a longer video into several shorter pieces to be pushed out sequentially. The point is that the same content can be remolded and utilized in various new ways.
Repurpose concepts
Coming up with an idea for a good video can be time-consuming, which is inherently “costly.” Bypass lengthy brainstorming efforts by repurposing ideas from other media your outlet produces. Was a particular article or blog a big hit? Take its concept and create a video from it.
You can even repurpose your old video concepts, over time. If an older piece has an outdated look but contains information that is evergreen to your business, create something new with fresh visual assets. If new information has brought a story you covered back into the trending conversation, return to you original video and update it.
Utilize stock and licensed footage
How can small publishers get the footage they need, when they can’t afford to have camera crews on the ground? The answer lies in licensing and stock video.
Services like Wochit offer access to libraries of licensed footage as well as stock footage. Having access to these resources means a growing news publisher can cover breaking events from half a world away. Access to stock footage lets you easily source visuals for any video concept, to fill in gaps or flesh out entire concepts.
The cost of access is marginal compared to the budget required to shoot your own footage and it is well worth it considering the benefits a more robust video inventory offer.
Increasing video offerings are a critical component of every publisher’s strategy right now. Concerns about inflating cost to keep up with demand are understandable. By following our suggestions, though, you can mitigate those budget strains – while keep increasing your video inventory
