Videos are a great means of marketing communication for financial planners and IFAs. Yet surprisingly few in the sector make use of them. In this post, we put forth the case for IFA videos and offer 10 principles to help ensure it is put to maximum effect.
#1 Length
The total running time of your financial video will partly depend on where it will be used. If you’re intending to publish a YouTube tutorial on pension transfers, for instance, then you might aim for 10-15 minutes (which seems to be the “sweet spot” for the algorithm).
If you’re looking to create an introductory “explainer video” for your website, however, then we find that 1-1.5 minutes is a good length of time. Any longer than that and your audience’s attention starts to drift.
#2 Music
Again, the type of music you use on your IFA video will depend on its purpose and audience. If you’re going for a “talking head” type video on YouTube, then you might not need any music (for example see Ben Felix’s videos here). Most other IFA videos, however, will benefit from a nice backing track. Make sure you pick the right music with regards to aesthetics, tone, rhythm and overall appropriateness.
#3 Have a clear call to action ready
What do you want people to do after watching your IFA video? Perhaps you’d like them to book onto your webinar or to get in touch to arrange a free consultation. Whatever it is, make sure that it’s a realistic call to action (CTA) in light of where your audience is likely to be in their customer journey when they watch your video. Current clients, for instance, may not want to book a consultation – but they might be open to an up-sell/cross-sell offer.
#4 Devise a content outline
It’s so easy for an IFA video to run over if you do not plan what you’re going to say. A script for a 1-minute explainer video, for instance, may only comprise 1 or 2 paragraphs of text on a Word document. If you’re going to do something a bit more “off the cuff” (e.g. a YouTube opinion piece), then you will probably still benefit from having at least a bullet-list to ensure you stay on topic. A timer can also help you to keep an eye on your video length so that you don’t run over.
#5 Plan your main point
What is the core message that you want your audience to walk away with? You will likely be tempted to cover lots of different subjects in your video, but be careful not to let the focus drift. If you’re doing an IFA video on the benefits of estate planning, for instance, then perhaps your main point is to emphasise the importance of checking your IHT liability.
The CTA, therefore, might be to invite people to contact you so that they conduct this review properly. Try not to get too sidetracked by talk about protection planning, tax planning and other areas which are related to estate planning – but may not need unpacking so much within a short video.
#6 Include logo and legal info
Your IFA video needs to “look like it is yours”, so it’s a good idea to consider including your logo and other visual identity markers on your presentation. This reassures the audience that the content in the video belongs to you and that you endorse the core message they are receiving. It is also a good idea to include your compliance statement (e.g. at the end of the video) to help ensure you provide all of the necessary legal disclaimers in this piece of communication.
#7 Include compelling graphics
Your IFA video needs to look attractive and well-designed. This is where it will be important to consider the services of a professional designer to help ensure the presentation is of high quality. It will also be crucial to check that none of your imagery infringes on any copyright and that the graphics reflect your brand consistently.
#8 Plan your transitions
For animated explainer videos in particular it’s crucial to make sure that the transitions between different slides do not move too quickly, slowly or in a distracting way. This is also important to consider when creating a YouTube video where you might be doing a tutorial, since you may wish to transition to different graphs, tables and other supporting data.
#9 Keep sentences short
It’s tempting to want to pack lots of information into your IFA video. Be careful, however, not to let your sentences get too long. When designing an animated explainer video, for instance, you may only have room on a single slide for a sentence comprising 10-15 words. There are occasions where you might be able to let a sentence flow across more than one slide, but this takes careful planning and design skill to make sure the point of the sentence is not lost amidst the transition.
#10 Frequency
It could be that you are just considering one IFA video – perhaps to sit on your website homepage, to help explain your service to prospective clients. Yet it could be that you wish to make use of videos regularly within an ongoing marketing campaign. YouTube publishers, for instance, often release a new video once a week – or perhaps every other week. After all, they need to keep their subscribers engaged with great content. Here, it will be important to plan your content calendar and make sure you are meeting the needs and expectations of your audience.
