You need an advertisement. An effective and striking advertising spot, for television, or to broadcast on your social networks, or through an advertising campaign on networks like Youtube.
Clearly, you need to make a video for advertising purposes.
The problem is that advertising is expensive, and you don’t have a huge budget…
In addition, hiring a full crew is a long, arduous and once again expensive process, because to make a film, however short, you need:
- A (good) videographer,
- Actors,
- Equipment,
- Accessories,
- editing software,
- decorations,
- Miscellaneous expenses such as meals…
Put together, these costs add up faster than you can say “I’m out of budget.”
But that’s not all: when we talk about “production” we have to think about the reception of all the stakeholders, but also about all the administrative part: contracts, salaries, insurance, invoices…
If you can’t afford that level of expense, or want to go for a more affordable option that doesn’t preclude creating a professional-looking ad (but still gives you creative control over it), there is a solution that does not require a huge budget.
Besides determination, you will need the ingredients that we are going to talk about in this article.
What is good advertising?
Before getting to the heart of the matter, let’s start at the beginning: how to imagine effective and relevant advertising? The role of an advertisement is to “help” the viewer imagine how their life would be better with your product.
The story must therefore paint a picture that is compelling and so enviable that viewers will want to dive in and experience what they see on screen. Clearly you are not selling a product, you are showing the consumer how he can improve his life thanks to your product.
The key steps to make a commercial
So you have to find a story worth telling.
Like any good recipe, a sensational ad requires one essential ingredient that, if missing, will ruin all your efforts: a compelling story. Your story is crucial because it’s what will determine whether your ad succeeds or falls into oblivion immediately.
So how do you write a script for a commercial so good viewers can’t ignore it?
We’ll briefly cover how to write a script that makes viewers feel like you know them and their needs.
Know your target
If you don’t know who you’re talking to, you’ll hit all the writing walls and your screenplay has no chance of being effective. To reach your target, and above all to save you time (and money), you must identify a “key” spectator: what is their gender (is there one?), their age group, their family situation, his socio-professional environment, what are the problems he encounters on a daily basis and that you seek to solve?
Your scenario depends above all on the person to whom it is addressed.
Use the “voice of the customer”
How does your ideal client express himself? What phrases does he use? How does he describe himself and how does he talk about products like yours? You’re going to have to do some research. You can launch an opinion poll, analyze the emails that your customers have sent to your after-sales service, scrutinize discussion forums like Reddit, but also social networks like Twitter. Note the elements that come up repeatedly: key phrases, words or expressions, and save them to include in your script.
It’s a great way for the viewer to feel like your words are real, because you’ll be speaking the same language as them.
Before writing a single word: write the story
Now that you know who you’re talking to and how you should do it, you need to come up with a story that will engage. A story has a beginning, a middle and an end: everything in your screenplay should serve that story.
An advertisement being a very short format, be ruthless and eliminate the slightest dispensable or superfluous element.
Write your screenplay with your “model viewer” in mind
You have therefore determined your target, your research has brought you elements of language, and you know what you want to tell as a story.
So now is the time to craft a story that your persona will love.
Do you want to validate this scenario? You can find a panel of consumers responding to the characteristics of your target, and submit your scenario to them.
Edit like crazy (like a soldier)
Cut mercilessly. You thought you had eliminated the superfluous during step n°3, but since then you have put this story down on paper and undesirable elements have undoubtedly interfered in the scenarios.
The final draft must not contain anything that does not advance the story. It should be a cohesive story using the ‘voice of the customer’, and speaking directly to your target viewer.
Don’t try to please everyone with just one ad. Your goal is to create something that will strike a chord with your target audience.
Don’t forget your brand personality
It’s not enough to tell a great story: your advertising should of course reflect who you are. What your advertising says must serve the raison d’être of your company, reflect its values and be consistent with its image.
In order to be effective, a good ad must convey a message that is aimed at an ideal client, not at everyone. Facilitate identification by using situations that could be experienced by your target.
It’s important that the tone of voice, look and feel of your video is consistent with your branding. Basically avoid using “djeun’s” language if you are selling stairlifts.
Place au story-board
At this stage, you have a fairly precise idea of what your advertising spot is going to be. But what about the other people involved?
As with feature films, the use of a storyboard is customary: this document allows a graphic presentation of your story, often in the form of a sketch. The purpose of the storyboard is to help the whole team to image the scenario as it takes shape in your mind.
The information contained in a storyboard can be suggestive, or on the contrary very precise.
The casting
Once the storyboard has been validated and approved, it’s time to think about the casting, which must be done rigorously: remember, your ad is aimed at a target client.
If in your story there are one or more people, these should be selected to represent both your company and the image of the product you are promoting to the consumer. This is crucial, we all have memories of actors in commercials who became the face, voice and soul of a company (For example, many regretted the departure of Rodolphe de Free, who had become a true icon)
The soundtrack
Just as important as the cast, the soundtrack must be given special attention: it’s not just about the music, but also (and above all) the words spoken, the tone with which they are spoken. .
Here too, you have to have the target in mind and ensure that the spot “imprints” easily in the brain of your persona.
Shooting
At last ! Here is the most complex step. Turning can in some cases have many constraints:
- specific decorations,
- special effects,
- Special angles of view…
Your best ally during filming is the storyboard: the course of the filming must respect the instructions of this one. With the Casting and the soundtrack, the shooting completes the pre-production stage.
Mounting
At the end of the shooting, you have the “rush”, ie a video of your advertisement shot but not yet edited. It’s time, again, to remove sequences, to retain others so as to obtain the final film, which will be broadcast during your advertising campaign by the channel (or channels) chosen.
For an effective advertising spot, you must ensure that the first seconds of your video immediately grab attention and entice potential customers to watch your spot.
You can start with a bang, with a statement that you know will pique the interest of people in your target market. Try to hook your audience from the first seconds by addressing a problem, or by asking a relevant question.
Depending on the delivery method chosen, remember that video ads are played without sound, so it is important that the ad starts with a visual that encourages viewers to engage with your video, and turn on the sound.
Your advertisement is not a documentary. The majority of video ads are 30 seconds or less. Keep this duration in mind during all stages of writing your ad, and remember this rule when editing!
One last time, get rid of unnecessary content so you can get your message across as quickly as possible as long as viewers are attentive and engaged.
End with a call to action
All advertising is intended to encourage people to act with you in some way.
The call to action can be part of the film, or added to the montage with graphics, text, etc.
Usage recommends including your call to action at the end of the ad and serves to tell the viewer how to find your website, how to contact you, how to get a discount coupon, or just where to buy your products and services.
Our tip
As you can see, advertising without an agency is possible. But if the cost of an agency can be prohibitive, have you thought about hiring a freelancer? The rates of a freelancer are often more affordable than those of an advertising agency which may tend to overcharge.
