Video is the easiest form of media to consume. A study from Forbes validates that most people prefer video over reading case studies or lengthy reports. Not surprising then that YouTube is the most popular and cost effective way to reach out to masses, especially the young prospects.
Given this background, apart from writing blogs and articles on newspapers/magazines financial advisers should leverage YouTube to increase their visibility.
Having a presence on You Tube can help you build and position your brand. We spoke to a few social media experts and advisers to help you draw an effective video strategy.
Content
IFAs can simplify financial concepts and jargons through videos more effectively.
Advisers should try to keep content topical and interesting like ‘how one should buy a house without taking home loan’, do women make financial decisions better than men?’ and ‘how to save for your child’s marriage’.
Ankur Kapur of Finqa who has uploaded a few videos on YouTube is of the view that the content should address the key concerns of investors. “Merely giving gyan on mutual funds and its benefits may not generate interest among viewers. It should be focused on financial concerns of people like how to lead a luxurious life post retirement and how to save for children education. Also, it should be relevant and timely.”
Sanjay Mehta, Joint CEO, Social Wavelength says that IFAs can become really popular if content is interesting. IFAs can demystify financial jargons with attractive descriptors of the videos, he added.
You can decide topics by taking a cue from websites like quora.com and yahoo answer. Also, you can choose a topic by looking at the queries related to investments like ‘How risky is the stock market?’ and ‘what is the right time to enter equity market?’
Presentation
Keep your video short. A 2-3 minute-long video has a great chance of getting more views. In fact, viewers will like to stay tuned to the videos if it is short and crisp. Also, one can easily share such videos on smart phones via WhatsApp, Facebook etc.
Try to make videos interesting by using animation and having a conversational theme. “Instead of putting solo videos, one should make it interesting by using animation technology, interviewing people and dramatizing a situation,” says Sanjay.
To produce a quality animated video, you may have to spend as much as Rs.50,000. If you don’t wish to spend this kind of money, you can interview people. Interviewing people and dramatizing a situation may not pinch your pocket. You can ask your colleagues/friends to help you.
However, advisers should do their homework before producing a video. Before shooting a video, Sanjay advises that IFAs should work on a script to make it engaging and lively. They can ask a few open-ended questions while interviewing to make it interactive, he added.
Cost
If your budget is less, you can shoot a video by using a handy camera or a mobile camera of over 8 megapixel.
Also, you can also seek professional help to make your video more interesting. A cameraman with an HD camera will charge you around Rs. 8,000 to 10,000 for a day. For post-production, you can hire a video editor who typically charges Rs. 500 for an hour. You can shoot as many as 10 short videos in a day. Editing cost may go up to around Rs.2,000 for 10 videos (4 hours*500). A rough calculation shows that each video will cost you around Rs.1,000.
Also, you can tie up with a YouTube channel or production house if you don’t want to spend much. Such production houses will take care of entire shooting, post production work etc. In fact, they may assist you with professional actors and directors. However, you will have to give video rights to those agencies. These channels make money from YouTube views.
Popularize
You can embed videos in your website and blog. Also, you can share such videos on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and WhatsApp and ask your contacts to share them. Short and interesting videos have a great chance of getting viral on such sites.
Also, you can tie up with professional agencies to popularize your videos through search engine optimization (SEO) and social media. This may cost you between Rs.10,000 to Rs.2 lakh depending on service and the reach you want.
A few advisers have already started leveraging YouTube to increase their visibility. In fact, Money Make Over with Gaurav Mashruwala in which Gaurav talks to youngsters about financial matters has become popular on YouTube. A few of his videos have crossed viewership of over 15,000.
Surely, YouTube has a great potential to help you increase your visibility. You can create a lasting impact on viewers if your content is interesting.
