Make The Best Video Storyboard To Stand Out

Nowadays, content marketing is increasingly moving towards video. Indeed, according to HubSpot, 43% of people want to see more video content from marketers. Also, four times as many customers prefer watching a video about a product, rather than reading a text about it.

Therefore, as the importance of blogs is decreasing, marketers and corporations include video content as part of their marketing and sales strategy. However, this doesn’t mean that you just must jump in and start creating your videos randomly. Rather, you would be well inspired to plan your video content first to keep your story on track and add value to your audience.

Planning your video content starts with creating a good storyboard. Nevertheless, if you are a beginner, you might be afraid not to be able to create a video storyboard that stands out. If this is your case, this article will guide you.

What is a video storyboard?

A video storyboard is a series of sketches representing individual sketches planned for your video. A good storyboard includes directions for camera angle, lighting, music, transitions, dialogues, and other notes. The outcome of a video storyboard resembles a comic book version of the story you want to tell.

Why is it important to create a video storyboard?

If you’re creating a marketing video, you might ask yourself why creating a storyboard is important. Though you are not working on a comic strip or in a Hollywood studio, a good storyboard is still essential for you.

A video storyboard helps you to plan your video

Thanks to your storyboard, you will plan and control your narrative from the beginning to the end. You will answer different questions regarding the lighting, the timeline, the dialogues, and the message you want to convey to your viewers.

Also, if you create your storyboard with your creative team, they will be able to share their vision of the video with you.

It helps you to save resources

A storyboard is a rehearsal of the real video. Therefore, it helps you to identify potential gaps and mistakes in your video. You will be able to correct them before you spend your budget at the production stage. In that context, a storyboard will help you to save time and money.

It helps you to envision your final product

Creating a storyboard ensures that your final video looks exactly like what you envisioned. Thus, you’ll be able to give proper directions to the production team regarding the setup, the cut, and the editing of the video.

6 steps to create a video storyboard that stands out

Have you decided to create your marketing video? Then, you will have to follow these steps to create a video storyboard that stands out from the competition. They will help you to create the video that is aligned with your vision and your marketing message.

Step #1: Define what you want your video to accomplish

At this stage, you want to define how you want your audience to feel while they will watch your video.

Step #2: Brainstorm

Write down all the ideas you have on your video and discuss them with your colleagues. These ideas will help you to craft a script and sequences, according to the message you want to send to your target audience.

Step #3: Create a timeline

At this stage, you create a timeline where you identify the beginning, the middle, and the end of your video, as well as the important transitions. Make sure that your marketing video also respects the order of your script: opener, problem statement, solution, and call-to-action.

Opener

The opener enables you to grab the audience’s attention, to intrigue them and to encourage them to keep watching your marketing video with a good background, images and dialogue.

Problem statement

The problem statement outlines the issues faced by your audience. At this stage, you must establish what your ideal viewers look like: age, sex, profession, hobbies, place of residence, etc.

Solution

This stage enables you to show how your product can help your target audience. Go in detail, show people happily using your product and testify about it, and show explanatory screenshots.

Call-to-action

With the call-to-action, you entice the viewer to take the action you desire:

• filling out a form,
• visiting your website,
• registering in a webinar,
• purchasing your product,
• calling for an appointment.

Step #4: Start drawing

Here is the moment to show your creative abilities! You can draw your scenes on a piece of paper. You may draw out fully formed characters and backgrounds. Also, you may use stick figures for people and simple geometric shapes for objects.

However, if you don’t have advanced drawing skills, don’t panic! You can use storyboard templates and tools such as Google Slides, PowerPoint presentations, Adobe Illustrator, or Amazon Storyteller.

If you use storyboard templates, you must ensure that your thumbnails are approximately the same size as the dimensions of your video. Also, make sure that you leave some space in your storyboard frame to include notes.

An additional tip is to use a pencil rather than a pen, so that you can easily correct mistakes if need be.

Step#5: Add details

Though a storyboard is a visual tool, adding non-visual details will help you to get the best results.
At this stage, you can add details in your frame, such as characters, animations, music, props, and voice-overs. You can also add directional notes for the production team regarding the lighting, the camera angle, and the order of thumbnails.

Also, you may also add other directions concerning transitions, the flow, and the cuts of your video.

Step #6: Get feedback

Show your storyboard to your creative teams and to every stakeholder in the process. By getting involved, they can notice mistakes and kinks you can correct immediately.

Want to create your first video storyboard? Contact us today!

Are you ready to create your first marketing video? In that case, Pitchy is the platform you need. We offer you several features and tools to help you to start your video, including video storyboard templates. If you’re interested, feel free to ask for a demo. On Pitchy, you will be able to create a simple storyboard, get inspiration with a storyboard example, and choose a pre-designed template with images, background and animation. For your corporate film, you will be able to import your own visuals, and create a narrative story, scene by scene.

Sign up for a demo of the Pitchy solution!