Video is one of the most popular content forms in the world; it enables you to tell your story in a meaningful and compelling way and connect with your audience, giving them a real insight into you and your business. With an anticipated 80% of all website traffic consisting of video by 2021 (Cisco) it’s no surprise that the appetite for video marketing content will continue through 2020 and beyond.
Making video part of an effective content marketing strategy and having a solid understanding of its purpose is key to its success, which is why the full service offering at film video specialists Clearhead can prove invaluable.
Founded in 2007 by the newly graduated Gav O’Brien and Alex Lawrence, Clearhead has benefited from launching at a time when video was still a relatively new concept in websites and marketing, and growing as the popularity of video grew, cementing its place in an ever-growing marketplace.
“I’d like to say we’d spotted a trend and jumped on the back of it,” said Gav, “but we were both just real film and video enthusiasts with a passion for creating high-quality films, and we knew we wanted to do it for a living and that the demand would just keep growing from what is was 13 years ago.
“People were still to be convinced that they needed video back then, but now it’s an absolute necessity and businesses really understand the value it adds in terms of sharing their brand personality and expertise. Add to this, the fact that many businesses are, of course, no longer able to showcase their office or products and services face to face, it’s become a crucial marketing tool and a great way to remain competitive at this difficult time.”
Convincing clients to jump on the moving image bandwagon is slightly easier now than it was a decade or so ago, and it’s been made easier by the fact that the Clearhead team has expertise across the whole marketing spectrum. Gav is particularly passionate about supporting new and, where possible, local talent and his motto is ‘transparent, skilful and helpful’ – values which are shared and celebrated by every one of their multi-skilled in-house team.
This depth of expertise and world-class reputation has secured Clearhead projects with some of the biggest named brands including Sony, Cadbury and iCandy, and Gav and the team pride themselves on their ability to adapt to a client’s unique needs, whether that be a large blue-chip company or a small independent business.
Many specialist film and video companies would normally be commissioned to produce content that feeds into marketing teams at large brands or into creative agencies, the approach at Clearhead, however, is built around using film to grow a client’s brand.
Based at the agency’s new headquarters in the recently refurbished Hat House in Luton, Creative Chemistry is the collaborative side of Clearhead, offering brand and marketing consultancy, content and campaign strategies, creative development, market and customer research and customer journey mapping.
Gav explained: “Although we are specialists, we also believe that we have the marketing knowledge to give our clients the guidance they need so that if they’re going to invest in premium film content, they are doing it right and they’re going to get the best possible return.
“Our process is unique and I would say that the first 70% of the time working on the project is on ideas and planning and really understanding what the client wants to achieve and how we can get them there. Some people are surprised by that, but we would rather get it right from the start and this involves working with storyboards and having detailed discussions with relevant stakeholders across the business so that everyone can have their input before we start filming.”
Clearhead puts its video services offering into three categories:
Hero
High-quality TV-style adverts that impress the viewer and catch the eye.
Hub
A slightly longer form of video that might include a case study or information about the business
Help
Informative footage that explains more about how to use a product or access a service.
These three aspects can be combined in a marketing strategy to engage with website visitors, create interest across social media or follow up with more in-depth information.
“There is so much scope with quality video footage to use creatively and consistently across a variety of channels depending on the message you want to get across,” said Gav. “Yes, you can film something quite simple with a phone or video camera, but what you get with professionally recorde film is high-quality content that has both credibility
and longevity.
“People expect good-quality content, and a bad video, just like a bad website can damage your reputation and put off customers and so I strongly believe that if you are going to invest in it, you need to invest in it properly.”
Gav is chairman of the Luton Business Improvement District, looking after the needs of between 700 and 800 businesses in the town centre – something that has been particularly important during the past few months, while at the same time helping oversee Clearhead’s own pivot towards online events, tapping in to the opportunities they present.
Conferences and meetings can be highly successful by using a mix of live and pre-recorded footage that can be consumed as and when the ‘delegate’ wants to view it, and to an audience that is not restricted in size.
“Face-to-face interaction is difficult now and people have adapted to different ways of doing things, and I think that will remain the case, even when things get back to normal,” said Gav. “When you think that you can put together conference content that combines both live and recorded footage and people can dip into it as and when they choose, removing the need for travel and with no restrictions on numbers it’s amazing to see the opportunities it presents. Many of the clients we’ve been supporting over the last six months have seen a significant increase in attendance and conversion rates since taking their events online and I genuinely think it’s a way of reaching people that will stay with us in the long term.”
Find out more about Clearhead.
