What’s the easiest way to communicate something clearly and concisely? Through video of course, especially an explainer video which briefly explains a service or product. Our Marketing Project Manager, Emily Karkoska, wrote about elements involved in writing a script in her article “A Script on Scripting.” Here are the five main points to keep in mind when thinking about developing a video script:

  1. Target Audience – Once you’ve determined who your target audience and demographic is, the easier it will be to write a script. Does your audience know a lot about your product or service? Then feel free to go into detail about it. Is it a new product or service you’re offering? Then giving a general overview of the company and product is a good start. It’s enough to get their attention and direct them to reach out and find out more.
  2. Script Structure – Most explainer videos are developed to capture the attention of new customers and clients while promoting a new service or product. When writing, we recommend providing a brief overview of the company in the beginning of the script. Try to tell your audience in a few sentences who you are and how you can help them with a problem or a need. It’s tough but doable. One tip is to use jargon, which is specialized language within your industry, thoughtfully. To do this, you need to know your audience’s knowledge base and clearly define industry terms. In the middle of the script, promote your service or product that solves the audience’s need or problem. And always end your scripts with a call to action to contact you with more information by either checking out your website or calling to find out more.
  3. Music Tone – Once you’ve figured out your audience in the first step, one thing to keep in mind is the tone of the script. Is it humorous or serious? A music bed can help convey the tone of a video almost better than anything else. Music and sound effects add emphasis to the points you want to convey.
  4. Voiceover – Voiceovers and music beds go hand-in-hand. The voiceover actor needs to be in sync with the overall tone. It isn’t good to have a happy, bright music bed with a deep, serious voice. Usually it’s a good practice to have the voiceover actor be in the same demographic as your target audience.
  5. Visuals – This is the biggest part of any video. It’s also usually the largest part of the budget so it’s important to be as specific as possible with your visual direction during scripting. This will help insure you have all the footage or graphics needed once you’re ready to start editing, preventing any expensive reshoots or redesigns.

In the end, all the pieces listed above need to work together and build off each other to create a great video. If Absolute can help you with all the steps along the way, please give us a call at 701-478-1111 and ask to speak with a Marketing Advisor, or contact us at absolutemg.com/contact.