To learn more about what brands can expect this year and beyond, we surveyed 1,528 marketers to discover which social media trends B2B and B2C businesses are paying attention to.
In addition to reviewing the research, I caught up with a few social media marketing experts to compare the data to what they’re seeing firsthand. So let’s dive into ten of the social media trends to watch, explore, and use in 2024.
So many clients and companies I talk to think that social media is all about sharing content. But the truth is that’s only half the battle.
Social media is all about relationships and finding new ways to build trust and loyalty with your audience. I often tell people that it’s not enough just to “spray and pray.” You actually have to show up and engage. Otherwise, posting more content just means throwing more stuff out into the air and hoping some of it sticks.
That’s why when I say that creating and sharing content is only half the battle, I mean that building community is the second half. What’s more, I’d even argue that it’s the most important half.
Expert tip: Angela Russo, founder of DreamBuilder CRM shares, “The biggest trend I‘m seeing is longer nurture and conversion cycles, which is why it’s even more important to have a plan/system to be organized and follow up with people to create real connections and build community.”
But what does it mean to build community? In a nutshell, it’s simply connecting and engaging with your audience.
How do you know if you have an engaged community? Here are some signs that I recommend keeping an eye out for:
While not every company with a great, engaged community will exhibit all of these, and there are always other factors, any one of these is a clue that what you’re doing is working.
According to our survey, 86% of social media marketers say building an active online community is crucial to a successful social media strategy in 2024 — and it’s one of their top priorities.
Expert tip: Haley Gray, founder of Women’s Entrepreneur Network, a community of over 75,000 entrepreneurs, says, “I’ve found that building a community allows smaller businesses to make sales to businesses and customers that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. Engaged communities also massively facilitate the sales process, shortening the time to close a deal and increasing the amount per deal.”
Looking at consumer data, it’s easy to see why. Our 2024 social media survey found that 20% of social media users joined an online community in the past three months, while 22% actively participated in one.
In light of this data, where should you build your online community?
Whereas in 2023, social media marketers split evenly between Facebook and Instagram, the importance of video is changing that significantly in 2024. Facebook still ranks highest, but with YouTube right on its heels. Instagram remains important, coming in third, with TikTok ranking a distant fourth place.
That means you have choices, and I always tell people to choose a platform based on where your audience hangs out. If there are a few options, start with the one where you’re most comfortable.
Then, as you diversify and show up in more places, you can use what you’ve learned about their preferences to inform your strategy on other platforms.
What do I mean here? If your target audience prefers to consume content on YouTube, start there and then apply what you’ve learned to the next place they’re likely to hang out.
Expert tip: Tamara Smith, founder of Studio Three 49, shares that what she’s seeing reinforces that we should define success on social by engagement, rather than vanity metrics.
“Between organic user images outperforming polished graphics and users craving community, authentic connection is key. The brands that win big this year will be those who recognize social media is about true connection. Make sure your audience feels seen and knows they matter most,” Smith says.
Shopping on social media really took off over the past few years. Platforms like Instagram and now TikTok have made it easy to make in-app purchases through shopping tabs, “save later” buttons, and more.
It starts with product discovery. For consumers ages 18 through 54, social media is the preferred channel for finding new products.
As for the purchases, over one in five Gen Z, Millennial, and Gen X social media users bought a product directly in a social media app in the past three months.
Social media marketers have also noticed an uptick in social shopping, with 47% of social media marketers surveyed also reporting in-app sales.
To take it a step further, it’s not just that people will be buying more from social apps. The numbers also show that consumers are increasingly likely to buy from social apps than other places, including a brand’s websites (82%) or third-party websites like Amazon (84%).
Despite these numbers, many consumers are still wary of purchases through social media. According to one HubSpot survey, only 41% of social media users feel comfortable making purchases on social media platforms, and only 37% trust social media platforms with their card information.
The three biggest concerns social media users reported having are:
With platforms using payment integrations like PayPal designed to protect consumers from fraud, it’s getting easier to trust apps for shopping.
Among all the apps offering in-app purchases, Instagram is the one consumers say offers the best shopping experience. Social media marketers also believe it offers the best ROI and marketing tools. However, keep an eye on TikTok. As the TikTok Shop becomes increasingly well known, it’s likely to surge as well in popularity.
If there’s one place to start, the survey suggests that Instagram is the best call. 71% of social media marketers who sell products via social media apps report that Instagram has a high ROI, significantly more than other platforms (the next highest is Facebook, with 63% reporting a high ROI).
If your brand’s DMs aren’t already flooded with customer service requests, they might be this year.
Around one in five Gen Z, Millennial, and Gen X social media users have contacted a brand through DMs for customer service in the past three months. And 88% of social media marketers predict that this will become consumers’ preferred customer service channel in 2024.
It seems like most brands have prepared for this, with 73% of social media marketers saying their company currently offers customer service via social.
Of those companies offering customer service through DMs, 72% say they have a dedicated customer service representative, 62% say it’s a primary responsibility of their job, and 44% shared that automated response tools like chatbots take on this role.
With 20% of social media marketers stating that improving customer service and retention is one of their top goals for 2024, this is your sign to develop a plan for funneling customer service requests via social through the proper channels.
According to our survey, 87% of social media marketers think consumers will search for brands on social media more often than through search engines in 2024.
Our survey found that 22% of consumers between 25 and 34 years old already search for brands on social media platforms more often than through a search engine. This shoots up to 36% among Gen Z.
This trend was even confirmed in 2022 by Google’s senior vice president of Knowledge & Information, Prabhakar Raghavan. He said that social platforms were eating up Google’s core products: Search and Maps.
“In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search,” said the Google exec. “They go to TikTok or Instagram.”
Raghavan explained that nowadays, young consumers are looking for more visual-rich results and steering away from search engines, which favor text.
So, the question is, how should you optimize your profiles for social search? Here are the top recommendations from social media marketers:
The bottom line: With 86% of social media marketers sharing that social search is important to their social media marketing strategy, it’s important that every business optimizes its findability on social media.
Expert tip: Debbie Moran of RecurPost says they’re actively embracing social search, focusing on advanced analytics and better content optimization features.
“Our goal is simple: help businesses be seen in social search and also understand and use the helpful insights that come with it,” Moran says.
Influencer marketing isn’t going anywhere — 88% of companies using influencer marketing say it’s effective. What’s more, 55% of those surveyed said, “My company will invest more in influencer marketing in 2024.”
But, here’s something I found interesting in the study: 24% of influencer marketers work with small creators or nano influencers (1K to 9,999 followers/subscribers), and 67% work with micro-influencers (10,000-99,999 followers), while just 17% work with accounts over 1 million followers.
So, what’s the biggest factor in choosing who to work with? In the earlier days of influencer marketing, follower count was the main allure. Today, it’s quite different — content quality outshines all other factors. Social media marketers who work with influencers said their top goals are:
Working with smaller influencers is more affordable, establishes long-term partnerships, and offers access to engaged, tight-knight audiences with whom they have a great deal of trust — in part due to the quality of their content.
So, it’s clear that influencer marketing isn’t going anywhere. 84% of those we surveyed agree that most companies will have a creator or influencer as the face of their brand in 2024. What has shifted is which influencers hold the most value.
In 2021, we predicted TikTok would have a ripple effect on the social media landscape, and we would see the continued rise of short-form video. In 2024, that trend will continue.
Short-form video is Gen Z and Millennials’ preferred format to learn about new products, with 57% of Gen Z and 42% of Millennials preferring to learn about products and their features through short-form video.
As for social media marketers, it’s the most popular format used by 54% of marketers surveyed. In addition, 33% of social media marketers plan to invest more in it than any other format, the highest of any format.
Not only is it popular, but it’s also effective; 83% of those who use it say it’s the most effective format they leverage.
This is likely why 42% of social media marketers who don’t use short-form yet plan on trying it for the first time in 2024, the highest of any format.
7. Funny, authentic, and interactive content will stand out in 2024.
Remember when social media was all about aesthetics? You had to have the highest production value to stand out among the competition. Well, not anymore. While marketers in our survey were split down the middle about high-quality production vs. relatable content, they agree that creating content that is authentic to the brand and brand values matters most.
68% of consumers say social media content being authentic and relatable is more important than polished, high-quality content.
Expert tip: Social media strategist Hira Osama agrees, sharing, “Everyone knows that video is trending. But from what I’ve seen, raw and unfiltered videos are now being watched more often than heavily branded productions. In fact, my clients report that unscripted reels are getting more traction than scripted reels.”
In 2023, the focus was on funny content. And while funny content still remains important, driving the highest ROI, it’s no longer the biggest focus for social media marketers.
So what social media trends are marketers looking to in 2024?
Particularly with the advent of AI, which makes it easier to crank out bulk, impersonal content, marketers are more concerned with creating content that’s relatable, interactive, and reflects your brand’s values. If that can be funny, too, then all the better.
But, even if funny doesn’t always equal relatable, don’t count it out just yet. Most social media marketers aren’t. 59% are planning to increase their investment in funny content, and 38% plan to keep their funny content creation budget about the same.
Our survey found that Instagram will see the most growth in 2024, compared to other social platforms.
Wondering why? Well, if you ask social media marketers their favorite social platform, they’ll likely say Instagram. In fact, 92% say they plan to increase or maintain their current investment in Instagram.
They rank it #1 for ROI and quality leads. And it ties with YouTube for the highest engagement levels.
Social media marketers also say Instagram has the most accurate algorithm and the most promising potential for generative AI features, which are essential for brand awareness and reach.
On top of that, 39% of those not yet using it plan to leverage Instagram for the first time this year.
In 2022 and 2023, many marketers faced budget cuts with the threat of a recession looming. In 2024, most marketers don’t expect reductions. On the contrary, 55% say, “I expect my social media marketing budget to increase in 2024.” Another 34% say they expect little change to their budget this year.
However, most of those surveyed indicated that they’re facing more oversight and a greater need to tie their activities to business outcomes.
34% say that it will become more important to use data to drive strategy, and another 33% share that using data to demonstrate ROI and business value of social media efforts will be a top priority in 2024.
Using data to drive decision-making has a place. Although measuring ROI and revenue attribution are challenges social marketers expect to face in 2024, they barely crack the top 10. (More marketers are concerned with creating engaging content, keeping up with algorithm updates, and finding new ideas for content.)
All that to say, the data is important — as is developing a first-party data strategy. However, as long as marketers have a method for tracking the ROI of their social media marketing activities, they’ll be able to identify which strategies are most effective, double down on them, and justify their efforts.
Our survey found that social media marketers manage an average of three platforms. Although the benefits of cross-posting are clear, many are starting to steer away from it.
32% believe that tailoring the tone of your content to fit the unique voice of each social media platform will become more important with another 34% placing a higher value on creating content specifically for your audience’s interests and needs.
Our survey found that only 19% of marketers are cross-posting the exact same content. Most are shifting away from a copy-paste approach and instead to a tailored one.
According to our survey, 47% are making tweaks to their content when sharing on various platforms. Meanwhile, over a third are starting from scratch each every time.
So, what types of content come with the highest ROI? Short-form videos ranked highest (according to 71% of those surveyed), with live videos (57%) and VR and AR content (56%) rounding out the top three.
Expert tip: Lori Highby of Keystone Click says, “Video is still hot, hot, hot! We’re seeing a healthy mix of short form and long form video content, while also tying in live video streams.”
She goes on to explain that the beauty of video is that it can be repurposed into many alternative types of media. “By pulling the audio from your video, you can create a podcast. By pulling the transcript, you create a blog post, email, or even an infographic,” Highby says.
What’s more, with AI becoming increasingly prevalent, repurposing content gets so much easier. And that leads me to the 11th trend.
For anyone who has been paying attention to generative AI, it comes as no surprise that over a third of social media marketers we surveyed say that using AI tools in your social media marketing strategy will become more important.
After all, 87% of the marketers already using generative AI believe it’s effective. As the capabilities become clearer, that number is likely to grow.
So how many people is that really? A whopping 73% of marketers are already aboard the AI train, with nearly half (49%) saying that AI tools are extensively integrated into their daily workflow.
And, the types of AI run the gamut, including AI chatbots like ChatGPT, AI assistants like Microsoft Co-Pilot, Visual AI tools for images and videos like MidJourney, and audio AI tools for voice and music.
But it’s not just about writing copy, creating images, or repurposing content. Social media marketers are also using AI to brainstorm ideas and improve their concepts and content to fit the brand voice or the tone of different platforms.
Wondering about the most popular social media trends in AI? Short-form videos rank first — with 55% of social media marketers using generative AI to create them. Images, captions, and long-form video creation are close on the heels, used respectively by 48%, 41%, and 40% of those surveyed.
The bottom line on generative AI? Across the board, marketers agree that generative AI is a social media trend that’s here to stay — and will continue to make a significant impact on strategy, content creation, and efficiency.
Although we think we know what to expect with social media, this list of trends is likely not exhaustive of what we’ll see in 2024. After all, world news is impossible to predict — and can make a dynamic impact on social media trends and marketing strategy.
As a social media marketer, the best thing you can do is to continue to research trends, online consumer behaviors, and your team’s social media data to determine which trends or strategies to lean into or how to navigate unprecedented online scenarios.
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]]>Although creating, organizing, and editing compelling videos can be lengthy and scary, a good script can make or break the success of your video.
So, why don’t we take you through the steps on how you can start your scriptwriting process?
Any basic video is elevated with a script, but there’s more to creating a video. You’ll need proper equipment, sound, lighting, sets, and the cast and crew. When combining these, it can be challenging to make sure there are no mistakes.
A strong video script can seamlessly bring it all together. Plus, having an in-depth script will boost your team’s confidence and result in a better video outcome.
Any marketing project is better with the right buyer persona. This is especially true with video.
Because videos often take more time and investment than an online ad or blog, your video must speak to a specific audience.
So, before you start developing characters or a brief for your video, you need to figure out who your video is for. Your target audience for your video script can impact:
If your video is for brand awareness, you may broadcast to a large and diverse audience. But what if you‘re introducing a product or feature?
In that case, you’ll want to focus your audience on the buyers who are most likely to feel the pain point your product solves.
You might want a different approach if your video is for employee or customer retention. You’ll want to review data, reviews, and testimonials before you begin your script brief.
This will help you create the story and dialogue your audience will respond to.
Videos are usually team projects. Without a single focus, every person could come to the video with their idea of what it’s about. As the project continues, this can turn a simple video into a convoluted mess.
That’s why starting your video script is essential by just thinking about your goal. So, before you jump into a storyline, character, or setting, figure out the why.
Why are you making this video?
Do you want to teach people about your product? Are you introducing a new pricing structure? Are you trying to expand into a new niche?
If you‘re not sure about your goal, think about the problem you’re hoping this video will solve.
For example, say you’re struggling with conversions for a new product.
Don’t jump into your video script without deciding on a single goal.
Then, use your goal to set the metrics you‘ll use to measure the video’s performance once it goes live.
Video marketing helps you show your viewers what your product can do instead of telling them. And characters are essential to storytelling.
Choosing the main character for your video before you begin your script will help you focus on telling a story, not just selling an idea. This will help your audience connect and engage with your video.
You may already know that your main character is your ideal customer or your CEO. They could be a celebrity, a cartoon of your product, or a narrator who speaks in your brand voice.
But if not, before you start writing your video script, decide who will be the focus of your video.
If you don’t know who your main character is, go back to your goal and target audience. Think about who your buyer persona wants to hear from as they reach that stage of their journey.
Next, outline your main character. You can use the habits, quirks, and voice of your main character to paint a picture for your audience that helps them remember and relate to your video.
Once you’ve figured out your main character, you can decide how they relate to your product. Do you want to talk about their back story? Are you going to talk about a specific experience they had and how your product helped?
Creating a brief allows you and your team to document the answers to the most important project questions. This helps everyone involved understand the who, what, when, where, and why of your video.
Say you‘re three-quarters of the way through the editing process. If your boss or colleague wants to completely redo half of your video, that’s a huge problem.
Challenges like this can impact your budget, timing, and campaigns. But with a brief, you can refer to the goals and project plan your team mapped out together and say, “Actually, that’s not what we agreed to.”
Then, you can move forward.
A brief doesn’t have to be fancy, nor does it have to follow a specific formula. However, there are several vital questions it should include to craft an effective video script.
You can easily create a brief in Google Docs to serve as a living, breathing template that you revise over time – and that your team can collaborate on.
Once you‘ve picked a topic and written a brief, it’s time to start constructing your video script. We recommend starting with an outline to give structure to your video script.
This way, you can break your video into subtopics and decide how your dialogue (or monologue) will progress.
You can‘t just rewrite a blog post and call it a day – there’s a specific way to write a blog-based script so that it shapes an effective video. Alicia Collins can teach you a bit more in the video below (and yes, we wrote a script for it).
Like Alicia says in the video above, a video script shouldn‘t simply regurgitate the blog post word-for-word. Blog posts are ideally written to be conversational.
But there are pauses and verbal explanations you’ll need to add to your speech patterns that you wouldn’t have without your script.
But, using the blog post’s subsections is a helpful starting point when figuring out how your script will progress from one section to the next.
Start with a well-structured outline. Many video scripts follow a three-part structure that includes:
This is a basic video script structure, but you can go in many ways as you outline your story. This structure will help you write a script that covers the details that make your video believable and valuable to your audience.
As you create your outline, think about where natural transitions happen.
For example, say you’re writing a video script about the life of a new product. You might outline your script with the steps a business might take to launch a product, including:
Your primary goal is to engage your target audience with a situation they can connect with. This can help them understand how the challenges you share in your video relate to the problems they want to solve in their own lives.
Your video script doesn‘t have to be fancy. You’re not trying to submit this script for any awards – its purpose is strictly functional.
A good script makes it easy for the people on camera to get their messages across while sounding and acting naturally.
Writing a script isn’t the same as writing a college paper or marketing research report. You want to write the script how you want the video subject to speak.
Saying, “I’m gonna create a video after reading this blog post” on camera will read much better than, “I am going to create a video after reading this blog post.” Keep sentences short and crisp, and try to avoid compound sentences.
A script doesn’t just include dialogue. If your video will require multiple shots, characters, or scenes, include these details. Be sure to include any necessary information about the set or stage actions, such as a wardrobe change.
Basically, you want the script to be thorough enough that you could hand it off to someone else to shoot, and they’d understand it.
Make sure you‘re keeping your script conversational for the people you’re trying to connect with – and infuse humor, tone, and inflection accordingly.
For example, if you‘re writing a short-form video for Facebook, you might want to consider keeping your script choppier with sentence fragments.
But if you’re producing a long-form explainer video for your website, make sure you’re as thorough as possible.
It’s understandable to think you can just jot down the main bullet points for a script and then just wing it on camera, especially if you know your subject matter.
This approach makes it tough to communicate a message as clearly and concisely as possible, and it usually results in a lot of redos.
So, we suggest scripting every last word. Doing this will keep you organized during filming and save you loads of time later.
Writing is tough, and it‘s easy to get stuck if you expect your video script to be perfect on your first draft. It’s worth doing two to three rounds of edits to cut any unnecessary words in your writing.
These are a few more tips for editing your script so that the video script can make your final video shine.
Step away from your script after you write it, and don’t go back until you can look at it from a fresh perspective.
Dialogue and actions will move your story forward. So, look for moments in your script that feel abrupt or awkward. Then, add details that will help your viewers understand what is happening.
Great writing and interesting dialogue will be bad for your video if they don’t advance your story. Edit out these parts and save them for a later project if you think they can be useful.
Now that you know how to write a script, it’s time for a table read. This is the part where you practice bringing your script to life on camera.
Why practice? Because some words look great on paper, but once you read them aloud, they just don’t sound right. Reading your video script out loud can help you make the language more conversational and your sentences shorter.
You can read your script aloud while editing, but the table read is where you really get to fine-tune the tone. It’s when you can mix anything that sounds too proper, improper, robotic, or otherwise inappropriate for the message you want to convey.
Check out this video for a fun example of a table read:
Nothing is more frustrating than nervously trying to write an effective video script while staring at a blank sheet. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with all of the ideas floating around.
So, where do you even start? How do you sort and narrow all the ideas to write a strong screenplay? Furthermore, how do you direct this creative tempest into a script that engages the audience?
Well, starting with a template makes it that much easier. Here are some of our video marketing starter packs with a free video script template you can consider. Also, check out the HubSpot video below for more info.
Let’s explore multiple templates for different types of videos:
You can modify scripts to match their brand voice and the preferences of their audience by adding sections and prompts that may be customized. This allows for more efficient storytelling and message delivery.
HubSpot‘s template enhances the overall quality of videos while saving time and effort by ensuring the smooth integration of text and visuals.
We’ve incorporated every aspect discussed in this blog post using HubSpot’s video script template below.
Download the template and get started today.
How-to videos, sometimes called instructional or tutorial videos, walk viewers through a concept, activity, or skill in a series of stages that make sense and are simple to duplicate.
So treat it like a step-by-step guide, and here’s what you can start with:
Don’t beat around the bush here. Simply state what you’re about to discuss and why the reader should focus on this topic.
Go ahead and break down the procedure step by step in straightforward terms and add examples to ensure better comprehension. You can add troubleshooting advice for common mistakes to foresee the reader’s questions.
Your conclusion should be to the point, only focusing on the main idea. Use language that encourages readers to start the process immediately.
Scripts for product demonstration videos have a specific goal. They tell a story and provide visuals that lead to a single outcome: to promote awareness and pique the curiosity of other prospective buyers.
Beyond merely demonstrating a product’s functionality, these scripts also strategically place the product into several stages of the customer journey, highlighting its benefits and answering any queries or needs the potential customer may have.
Let’s see how you can create such a script:
This should only include the basic details of your product, i.e., what it does and why it’s useful. Make sure to highlight a differentiating factor so that it intrigues the viewers.
Provide a brief overview of the product‘s noteworthy features, highlight how it addresses a problem or meets the target audience’s goals, and conclude with a direct illustration of how to use it.
To simplify the user’s journey, make sure your video script balances an educational tone and captivating hooks.
In the end, stress the significance of the points you have made. After that, add a call to action (CTA) that directs them to make a purchase or request more information, depending on where they are in the customer journey.
The onboarding process involves a lot of information sharing regarding the position, team, corporate culture, and role. You can provide employees with accurate information with an onboarding video script template.
It provides an organized framework for discussing crucial topics, dispelling misunderstandings, and accelerating onboarding. Corporate organizations typically have brand guidelines that provide all the required information, so take advantage of these resources.
Provide a brief overview of the organization’s history, mission, and vision at the beginning of the scriptwriting process. Then, use employee testimonies to highlight the corporate culture and values.
For any new employee, you must show them the key milestones, how they can achieve them, or even the KPIs the company has set.
Depending on what type of information you want to share, you could talk about learning opportunities, company frameworks, and much more. Ensure you don’t bombard them with too much information on the first day.
Consider splitting your script into 2 or 3 different ones so you can cover all your company has to offer.
Once you’ve covered all the basics, you can direct your employees to other company resources for more information.
These are just a few examples of video script templates, but many more are out there.
So, here’s my secret formula to ensure you ace them all: Be direct, share as much as you can without overwhelming anyone, and finally, direct your viewers where you want them to go.
There are many different ways to write a video script. Usually, the format you use will depend on the length and complexity of your video. Adding columns can help you organize crucial information like:
Besides the video script template above, the examples below are other ways you can approach your video script.
You have more viewers during the first 10% of your video than at any other time. So, your top goal when writing a video script is to hook viewers at the beginning so that they keep watching until the end.
Use the first few lines to introduce the main character or narrator and what the audience will learn by the end of the video. You can offer in-depth details later in your video.
For example, if you’re teaching viewers how to optimize their blog for SEO, your introduction might be:
“Hi there! I’m [narrator’s name] from [company], and in the next [length of video] minutes, I’m gonna teach you how to get your blog ranking on Google.”
And don’t forget that some viewers will be watching your video without sound. Viewers who are silently scanning your social media or website will still need to quickly understand what your video is about.
When it comes to marketing, shorter videos tend to be more compelling than longer videos. In fact, 68% of people said they’d rather learn about new products and services through a “short video,” according to a survey by Wyzowl.
To make short videos, you need a short script. Don’t write a script any longer than two pages; if you can keep it to one page, that would be even better.
The result is a succinct, engaging video that allows for a simple editing process.
Time is important when you‘re writing a script. If you’re reading at an average pace, you’ll cover about two words per second.
Short paragraphs make it easier to understand the timing of your script as you write and edit it. They also make it easier to use a teleprompter.
So, try to keep your paragraphs to 3-4 sentences at most.
If your video will transition from a person speaking in front of a camera to a close-up shot of your product or a demonstration, write these cues into your script.
This way, anyone who reads it knows to introduce these things to the viewer.
These secondary shots are often referred to as B-roll, which take place while the person continues to speak off-screen. B-roll is one of the main differences between a blog post and a video script.
For example, if a blog post reads, “Take a look at the graph below,” it clearly refers to a graph embedded below that sentence. This phrasing won’t work on camera.
Instead, your video script might read, “In the graph, you see here” – while you show the graph on-screen.
These written exceptions help cue your talent to take certain unspoken actions while reciting the script. It’s also a good idea to add open loops so that your audience has an idea of what is coming next.
This will make them more willing to wait through a section that they might not find engaging.
Visual cues are important to add to your script. Graphics help you make your dialogue easier for viewers to understand and remember.
Options for graphics you can add to your videos include:
It can be tempting to add visuals just for the cool factor. But every image you add should offer value to your viewers. And if you think about these visuals as you write your script, they will feel more natural in your final video.
Writing video scripts is fun, so make sure that the fun shows. As you write and edit your script, try new things to spice up your dialogue, visuals, and structure.
These are a few ideas that can help you add something new to your scriptwriting.
For example, say your main character is talking about finding a better toothbrush.
If her back story is that she was a cookie-loving pastry chef who’s prone to cavities, sharing her back story lets your audience know what inspired her when she was first starting out.
Opposites are a popular concept in improv acting, and they can help when you’re adding variety to your script.
For example, say your script features two ambitious characters. One could be ambitious because they got poor grades in high school and they want to prove themself.
The other is ambitious because they have always performed well in school, and they want that to continue. These different motivations will help make their conversations more interesting.
Films, videos, books, and pictures can all help you create a more vivid world for your video script. You can apply your inspiration directly to the scenes you write or use it for motivation when you’re feeling stuck.
Another way to add variety is to step back and look at the big picture. Writing an outline of your script on notecards or using a card for each scene can help you get a sense of where your script may need some work.
While a great final video is your ultimate goal, you’ll also want to plan for the future as you write your script.
Most marketing videos won’t just post to a single platform. Your team will share clips on social media, in email, and during presentations.
So, it’s smart to plan for repurposing. As you write, think about moments in your script that could be engaging on their own.
Even if you‘re writing a script for a short video, try to write with quick clips in mind. For example, if you’re creating a two-minute video, plan to pull out a few five-second clips.
A video script can be a quick outline or a carefully written work of genius. Either way, it will form the foundation of your video and have a major impact on your results.
When you’re scripting, you can let your creativity run wild, test new ideas, and push boundaries. Use these steps, tips, and templates to invent and experiment. Get to work and help your business soar.
]]>While athletes gather new motivation and coaches pick up a few more techniques, the Super Bowl is also an excellent place for marketers to gain tips.
How?
The ads, of course.
Between 80 and 100 ads run annually during the Super Bowl. Companies pay millions to have their commercials aired for 30 to 60 seconds.
While many companies see success from their ads, others end the game, facing some alarming results.
So, what makes a bad ad?
I’ll highlight the basics of bad advertising and walk you through ten of the worst Super Bowl ads ever. These lessons apply to all forms of marketing, too, so whether you’re a blogger or a scriptwriter, you’ll gain some takeaways.
Super Bowl ads are some of the year’s most widely discussed marketing materials. Some ads make a significant splash, while others are memorable for not-so-good reasons.
As a marketer and as a consumer, there are a few things that make an ad flop, including:
In my experience, ensuring clear and appropriate messaging should be a priority in all marketing areas, regardless of the ad format. When companies disregard clarity and appropriateness, they become vulnerable to a flop.
The Super Bowl has been a powerful platform for advertisers since its launch in 1968. Even in the very first year of the event, companies paid $150,000 for one minute of ad coverage.
With 58 years of commercials, there are some memorable Super Bowl ad flops. Let’s look at some of the worst Super Bowl ads ever and what made them a flop.
This Pepsi ad, launched in 2017, featured supermodel Kendall Jenner giving a Pepsi to a police officer at a protest. After taking a sip of Pepsi, the officer smiled, and the protesters laughed and cheered in glee.
This Super Bowl ad was criticized harshly for being “tone-deaf.” While the ad may have intended to bring awareness to social justice issues, viewers felt that the clip diminished activists’ struggles.
It wasn’t helped by the fact that the influencer they used had little to do with social justice and was a bit controversial herself. My experience as a marketer has taught me that you need to care about the message and the messenger.
Pepsi’s neglect of both created a guarantee that this ad would flop — and many took to Twitter to share their opinions.
In 2000, Lifeminders.com paid for what is now known as the cheapest Super Bowl ad of all time. It starts with text on a yellow screen, reading, “This is the worst Super Bowl ad of all time.”
The ad goes on to describe the company, which offers personalized emails.
While I think this ad was intended to be funny, it was somewhat off-putting. The ad confused audiences with unclear messaging because it didn’t provide much information about the company.
What it did say about the company also seemed in direct opposition to the ad’s style, which was exceedingly bland.
Despite the ad’s poor reception, Lifeminder said they saw 700,000 new customers in the weeks following their Super Bowl ad — so it wasn’t a total flop.
The infamous GM Sad Robot ad aired in 2007. The ad begins with a robot being fired for making a mistake. Then, the robot tries to get a new job but fails. After failing a few new jobs, the robot leaps off a bridge, insinuating suicide.
Then viewers discover this is only a dream, and a message about GM’s 100,000-mile warranty appears.
GM faced extreme backlash for this ad. At its surface, the ad is unsettling and disturbing, offending audiences. Super Bowl audiences vary in age; overwhelmingly, ads are lighthearted or positive.
This tone clash was jarring for viewers. As a marketer, I know the value of ensuring your tone aligns with your context.
GM’s ad was extremely poorly timed, as it was released amidst significant layoffs. The ad’s messaging spoke directly to this in an insensitive and offensive way.
In this 2021 Super Bowl ad for the website builder Squarespace, you can hear Dolly Parton singing a revamped version of her classic, “9 to 5.”
Instead of “9 to 5,” she’s singing “5 to 9,” highlighting side hustles that bring meaning to employees’ lives.
Squarespace and Dolly Parton both received criticism for this Superbowl commercial. Many thought the ad was an offensive suggestion that individuals needed to be overworked to have value.
Additionally, the song isn’t catchy like the original, landing the ad in the irritating category.
Nationwide’s 2015 Make Safe Happen ad featured a young child describing things they’d never do. They’d never get cooties or get married, for example.
At the end of the ad, the young child states that they wouldn’t get to do any of those things because they died in an accident. Then, it said that Nationwide cares about what matters.
This ad is one of the most widely criticized ad campaigns ever. It’s a highly morbid ad, considered overly dark and unnerving. And the ad intended to sell insurance, which people found exploitative and offensive.
Overall, this ad flopped on more than a few marks.
GoDaddy’s Perfect Match ad aired in 2013. It features a supermodel and a nerd, and the spokeswoman states that GoDaddy is both sexy and smart.
Then, as a representation of the fusion of those two attributes, the clip features 10 seconds of kissing — a third of the entire ad.
This GoDaddy ad was criticized for making viewers extremely uncomfortable. While the intent was certainly playful, viewers felt the kiss lingered for far too long and became inappropriate for television.
Like many of the ads on this list, GoDaddy neglected to consider the context of its ad.
Ace Metrix, an ad ranking site, stated that this ad had the 2nd lowest rating for Super Bowl ads that year.
Sony launched an ad for a new Android phone that contained gaming controls in 2011. The ad featured a man wandering through dark streets and ending up in a back room with surgery performed on an Android.
The Android received human thumbs and went out onto the streets, ready to game.
The 2011 Sony ad made viewers extremely uncomfortable. The sight of human thumbs on the robot was visually jarring and, for some viewers, terrifying. Additionally, the messaging in the ad was fairly confusing.
While the end of the commercial clarified what was being advertised, there was little information about the product throughout the 60-second ad.
As a marketer, it’s vital to intentionally use all the space you’re given. Whether you’re writing an educational blog or a commercial script, you have to consider your goal: selling a product. Sony neglected to prioritize that goal in this ad.
In 2018, Dodge Ram’s Super Bowl ad reinforced the brand’s motto, “Built to Serve.” The commercial featured powerful images of folks engaging in acts of community and service.
The ad was accompanied by an MLK sermon from precisely 50 years prior on servanthood.
While some perceived the ad as powerful and inspirational, others found it a diminishing way to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Critics were outraged by the use of an MLK speech to sell trucks.
Overall, the commercial was thought by many to be an exploitative use of Martin Luther King’s words.
If you watched the Superbowl this year, you certainly saw Temu’s advertisements, which aired not once but four times. This ad features animated visuals of people’s lives being improved by Temu, with low prices for each item Temu provides.
It’s accompanied by brand audio and concludes with Temu’s motto: Shop like a billionaire.
The Temu ad didn’t offend (though there are many critics of the brand itself). Instead, the frequency of the ad annoyed viewers and resulted in a significantly negative perception.
Viewers took to social media to lament their irritation with the Temu ad that really did play four times.
The brand likely spent tens of millions on this campaign, as four 30-second ads is no cheap deal — and the frequency turned out to be an issue.
Finally, we’ll take a look at Groupon’s 2011 Super Bowl ad. The first half of the ad featured a narrative about the people of Tibet and how the culture is “in jeopardy.”
Then, the ad cuts to Timothy Hutton sitting in a restaurant being served Tibetan food by a Tibetan man. Finally, Timothy explains that he got this delicious meal for a deal, thanks to Groupon.
Groupon’s ad faced an exceeding backlash for offensiveness. The ad was criticized for racism and diminishment of the struggles facing refugees of Tibet.
It was a poorly timed, poorly executed ad — and a major flop. The ad was pulled promptly from television after viewer response.
As we wrap up our look at some of the Super Bowl‘s biggest ad mishaps, let’s shift our focus to what we can learn and how we can innovate.
The key takeaway? Stay authentic, positive, and aligned with your audience‘s preferences. Those ads that didn’t hit the mark are perfect examples of what not to do, offering valuable insights into crafting effective marketing.
We have a golden chance to transform these missteps into major wins. Aim to create messages that resonate well — be engaging, considerate, and reflective of your audience’s interests, backed by solid data for relevance.
Remember to prioritize clarity and your brand’s integrity regardless of your company or ad format. Even with bold content, ensuring it’s received well should be a top concern.
Keep it casual yet professional, and let’s make marketing that truly stands out.
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