Why video tutorials matter in content marketing

According to a recent study by TechSmith, 53% of people say they watch at least two video tutorials a week. And there is more.

Video tutorials are also useful for employees, since they allow people to absorb information more quickly and complete a task more effectively.

In an ever faster society, explainer videos make it possible to get the information needed to use products and services in the shortest time possible, efficiently and effectively.

But not all videos are the same!

The different types of video tutorial

Video tutorials can take several forms, each able to address different needs, and they fall within the wider world of corporate video production. Among them, we find:

Of course, these are just illustrative categories. In practice there are many types of video, often created by mixing different styles and techniques to produce results that are both striking and target-oriented.

How to make a good video tutorial

To make video tutorials that grab attention and, once watched, leave a mark, you need to put real effort into the planning phase.

To start, it is essential to spend time getting to know your target audience. What kind of customers does it consist of? What needs do they have? What do they look for in a service or product? What information might they find useful about the product or service you offer? What style of video do they prefer? What tone of voice is able to capture their attention?

Uncovering this kind of information is the first step toward making video tutorials that are genuinely effective and useful for the audience you want to attract.

Once you have defined the topic to cover and the point of view to take, you need to create a storyboard to outline and visualise what you want to show in the video tutorial.

Writing a script and recording the audio narration

Writing a script, that is a screenplay, for a video tutorial is not always an easy task.

First of all, you need to use clear, simple language, in line with how people speak in everyday conversation, for a smooth, natural effect.

There is more: it is also important to limit unnecessary information, make sure you do not exceed the ideal video length and split the script into sections to make it easier to get key concepts across.

On top of that, pauses are essential, because viewers need time to see on screen what the voice is narrating.

To make sure the result feels natural, beyond rehearsing the text again and again, it is also good practice to ask third parties for feedback.

Once the script is complete, it is time to record the audio narration. For a professional result, the right tools make the difference: a good microphone, first of all, but also a recording room, which will deliver a clean result and reduce the editing work.

Then, the script should be performed making sure to speak slowly and clearly. Based on the result you get, you can start recording the video tutorial, or creating the animation for it.

Here, the steps to follow change depending on the type of video you want to make. As a general rule, if you want to record straight from the screen you need to be careful to block notifications, turn up the brightness and close all the apps you do not need during recording.

A few tips for engaging video tutorials

To increase views and positive reactions to your video tutorials, it is important to keep a few tips in mind:

• The title matters. People look for a video like this when they cannot complete a given task on their own, which is why you should opt for a title that clearly states that the content holds the answer to the specific problem. For example, “how to do (task x, the problem) using software Y (the product)“, or “How to remove x (problem) with y (product) in 1 minute“.
• The video thumbnail is another element not to overlook, because it is the user’s first visual contact with the content. For this reason, it can boost audience engagement and, in turn, clicks.
• In the first part of the video, it is useful to mention the key points and the steps of the video, if it is split into different moments. This way, you will manage to capture viewers’ attention and sum up all the most relevant information covered.
• Providing relevant information and using statistics works to give authority to the speaker, as does offering a simpler or different alternative for solving a given problem.
• The length of a video tutorial should not exceed 10 minutes. Less is better!

Conclusions