Guest Post By Chelsea Lamb

For entrepreneurs looking to create successful marketing videos, creating a storyboard is an essential step. In a nutshell, this is a visual representation of the video you plan to create, with images and text that outline how the video will be structured. It helps you save time and money during production and also serves as an effective roadmap that helps you stay on track throughout the creative process.

Evolve Media breaks down what you need to know about creating a storyboard for your marketing video.

Understand the Storyboard

A storyboard is essentially an outline for your video. It includes images, text, and elements from the script that explain each scene within the video. It’s important to note that although you should include visuals in your storyboard, they don’t necessarily have to be accurate representations of what will eventually appear in the final product. As long as they accurately describe what happens in each scene, they will serve their purpose.

Why You Need a Storyboard

Storyboards are helpful because they allow you to visualize exactly what will happen in each scene before shooting begins. This makes it easy for everyone involved, from directors and actors to editors and producers, to have a clear idea of how the finished product should look and feel. Having a detailed storyboard will help save you both time and money during production by ensuring that everyone involved knows exactly what needs to be done ahead of time.

Before You Start

Before writing your storyboard and script, there are several steps to prepare you for it. First, decide on which scenes best conveys your message for it to come across effectively. Then, do some research into royalty-free stock footage, so you can get an idea of what types of visuals are readily available for use in your project (more on this below) and help you determine which scenes you’ll need to shoot from scratch. Finally, make sure all the necessary permissions are secured before shooting begins. This includes location permits and waivers or release forms needed by talent or crew members.

Develop Your Storyboard

Now it’s time to write your script and create your storyboard. Begin by sketching out each scene individually on paper or using software like Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Word — this gives participants an accurate visual reference point. Then, write a script scene by scene — this will include dialogue, location details, camera angles and movement, etc. You may even want to include a note on lighting setups, too. This helps ensure that everything runs smoothly throughout production.

Save on Production Costs

Planning before filming will undoubtedly save you time and money as it will help you identify opportunities to save on production costs. An easy and effective way to do so is by using royalty-free stock footage in lieu of shooting original content from scratch. There’s a wide variety of footage available online, and you can save by finding a scene that perfectly fits the storyline and feel of your video. You have to make sure that you have rights to the footage, however, which is why, when looking for stock video, it’s worth subscribing to a royalty-free platform. Additionally, you can create successful marketing videos with online services.

Publish Your Video

Finally, decide which channels will be used for sharing your video once it’s live. Social media is, of course, the obvious choice. This ensures that everyone involved knows how and where their efforts will be showcased once the final product has been created. Better yet, marketing your videos on key platforms will ensure that you get your message across to your target audience.

Proper storyboarding is a must for successful video campaigns. Doing the research early, sketching out each scene, and scripting them afterward puts everyone on the same page before production day so that when launch time arrives, you can expect that your videos are primed to succeed online.

Need help fleshing out and executing a marketing strategy for your business? Check out Evolve Media’s services here.