How to Write a Script For Your Marketing Video

As a business owner, you’ve decided that 2014 will be the year you produce your first online promotional video. You want to add video to your arsenal of marketing tools to bring in new leads and generate interest in your business. You also understand that video marketing can boost your SEO efforts. So what steps are involved in creating an online promotional video? Here we’ll talk you through the first step: writing a suitable script for your promotional video, and the questions you need to answer to get started.

Who Should Write the Script for Your Online Marketing Video?

If you have the budget you might want to look into outsourcing the scriptwriting to a company specializing in marketing videos, or you might choose to write the script yourself. If you choose to outsource, make sure you work closely with their writing team to make sure they understand your business, your target audience and the correct tone you are looking to achieve. No outside company can know what you do as well as you do. If you choose to write the script yourself ask a few other people to look it over for you. You need to focus on your unique selling point, ie- what you do, and why you do it better than others. You are looking for interesting and informative, not wildly funny or sleep-inducing.

How Long Should you Marketing Video Script Be?

This is one area where we firmly believe the shorter the better. Like a good elevator pitch, you need to condense down your video script to exactly what your product does, and why people should use it. No marketing promotional video should ever be longer than 60 seconds. If you can keep it under 45 seconds you are doing well.

What Should Your Script Include?

Your marketing video script needs to begin by either addressing the pain point that your product solves, or summarizing the key benefit of your business. Next up you list secondary benefits to your product or using your business, and finally, you end with a call to action: get more information, sign up here for free etc. A marketing promotional video for a tourist site would begin by explaining the benefits of their company: beautiful scenery, lots to do in the area, follow up with secondary benefits such as reasonable pricing points and great service, and end by linking to their contact us form on their website. An online promotional video for a local dental clinic might begin by asking if you hate waiting when you need dental care. It would then describe the same-day dental services of their clinic, following up with information about pricing plans and services. You can make your video entertaining, and interesting, but don’t forget to include all the key information you want your future clients to know.

How Should You End Your Promotional Video?

Always end your promotional video with a call to action. This could be a link to a contact form on your website, and a request to contact us for more information, or a call us now, with your telephone number displayed on the screen. If you want less of a hard sell approach you could end with a: for more information please check out our website, or you could direct viewers to an online portfolio site, or social media link.

In my next post we’ll cover how to create the marketing video itself. We’d love to hear from your helpful tips for writing a script for your marketing video, and other tips for marketing videos for promoting your business.

Is This Love?

Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. was suspended Tuesday amid accusations that he had an affair with a female police officer — the second sex scandal to tarnish his tenure since he took the helm in 2010.

An attorney for Detroit Police Officer Angelica Robinson, who works in internal affairs, told the Free Press that his client has been in a relationship with Godbee for “many months.”

After the scandal broke Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Dave Bing suspended Godbee. Godbee could not be reached by the Free Press for comment.

“After learning of the allegations regarding Chief Ralph Godbee, I have placed him on a 30-day suspension pending a full and thorough investigation of this matter,” Bing said in a statement. “In the interim, Assistant Chief Chester Logan will assume the duties and responsibilities of police chief.”

Detroit Police spokeswoman Sgt. Eren Stephens said Godbee was scheduled to be at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference this week in San Diego. The conference runs through today, according to its website.

Robinson declined to comment when reached by the Free Press, directing questions to her attorney. Her LinkedIn account indicates that she has been a Detroit police officer since 1995.

Attorney David Robinson confirmed he is representing Angelica Robinson. He said she tried to sever her relationship with Godbee.

“She was trying to cut it off, and he didn’t like that,” David Robinson said. “And apparently she was, she was very depressed apparently, and the concern was whether or not she was going to take her own life, and Godbee got wind of that and, I guess, tried to intervene.”

Robinson said his client’s gun was taken away, and she is going to be evaluated by a doctor.

Other news media reports have indicated that Angelica Robinson became upset after discovering Godbee may have been at the conference in San Diego with another woman. David Robinson said he did not have information on another woman.

On Tuesday, Godbee and a woman were booked in a room at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, according to the hotel. On Monday, a Twitter account believed to belong to the woman showed pictures of her standing on what appears to be a balcony with the message: “Breakfast by the Bay!”

WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) reported that Godbee and his wife are going through a divorce.

Godbee took over as chief two years ago after former Chief Warren Evans was forced to resign after he was featured in a teaser for a reality program and also had a relationship with a subordinate, Lt. Monique Patterson.

At the time, Bing said Evans’ relationship with Patterson compromised his ability to lead. The mayor named Godbee, a lifelong Detroiter and veteran of the department, interim chief in July 2010. That September, he was given the top job.

But shortly after being named chief, Patterson released text messages showing she also had a romantic relationship with Godbee.

In the wake of that revelation, Bing’s office issued a news release that quoted former Deputy Mayor Saul Green.

“Ralph Godbee has proven that he is the right man to lead the Detroit Police Department,” the release said, noting that the city received a number of qualified candidates but felt Godbee “is the person to lead DPD in our efforts to improve public safety.”

Godbee is the third police chief under Bing’s administration since he was elected mayor in 2009. Bing fired former Police Chief James Barren in 2009, then hired Evans, who was fired in 2010.

Since taking over the helm, Godbee has faced challenges, including budget cuts and rising homicides. As of Sept. 23, police had investigated 287 homicides — up from 261 during the same time last year and 211 during the same period in 2010.

There also has been dissatisfaction with Godbee among some Detroit City Council members, who have questioned his inability to get officers off desk duty and back into street patrols and expressed frustration with the response to murders this summer.

But in September, Bing praised Detroit police officers for catching suspects in several killings and for confiscating guns and millions of dollars in drugs.

David Robinson said Angelica Robinson is upset about the situation and said Godbee put pressure on his client.

According to her LinkedIn account, Angelica Robinson is the founder and president of Soaring Eagles Alternative, which is described on its website as a nonprofit founded in 2009 “to promote the strengths and abilities of youth and families by providing community-based services that empower and enrich to face life’s challenges with the utmost respect, dignity and integrity.”