There's something big coming in video marketing. And it's coming this year.

You need to be prepared, whether you're just starting to create video content or you're looking to expand your current video marketing efforts.

This change is going to affect the way every business and brand produces and distributes video.

Nope, I'm not exaggerating.

(In fact we've already seen a similar phenomenon happen in a slightly different sphere of marketing.)

A flood of epic proportions is coming. And we're going to need a bigger boat.

Okay, enough of the scary words! Let me explain.

The Flood of Video Marketing

Recently, something happened in content marketing that shook the way most businesses created their content. It changed their whole way of thinking about what content was and what it should aim for.

What happened?

Everybody started creating content.

And by everybody I mean everybody. Your friendly dentist down the road started writing blog posts. Your accountant started promoting infographics. The Pope started tweeting.

And as more and more corporate, branded content started to enter the world from practically every direction, we all realised... a lot of it really wasn't good.

The best stuff floated to the top and the rest was, honestly, left to rot.

The bad news? I think the same thing is happening right now to video marketing, everybody's getting in on the game, slap dash, without necessarily a lot of thought behind what they create. I've predicted that this is going to be one of the 3 biggest trends in video marketing in 2016.

The good news? We can learn from content marketing's lesson. We know what we can do to stay relevant during this trend.

(This flood of video marketing content, if you will.)

But here's what happens if you're not prepared once the waves really start hitting:

• You won't get the results you want from video marketing.
• Your audience will be disappointed because they expected more from you.
• Your video content will probably be ignored.

Sorry, this is getting a little heavy.

^{There. That's better.}

It isn't all doom and gloom. The trend of much, much more video content is going to mean we all have to work harder to keep our target audience engaged and provide them with real value, sure, but that isn't exactly a bad thing. No, those who are willing to put in the work will become stronger businesses and brands as a result.

Besides, I'm going to tell you what you need to do to stay ahead of the game.

Stand Apart With Your Video Content

You need to create great, thought-out video content that's spot-on for your target audience.

Yep, it's that simple.

Well actually, simple may not be the right word. Creating truly great video takes time, resources, knowledge and hard work. But it also rewards you with outstanding results.

(And, as I've explained, you really have no other option.)

The world of video marketing is changing. The flood waters are rising. It's really just a question of supply and demand, as more and more companies create more and more video content, our audience's time and attention becomes stretched thin.

So you have to stand out from the crowd in order to succeed.

Understand that if you create some sub-par, rushed video content, "just so we can say we've made some," it's not going to perfom how you want it to perform.

Just having video isn't good enough any more. It has to be great video.

Not to say that your video content needs to be perfect by any means. I happen to be in staunch opposition of perfection in all its forms.

But these days your target audience expects a certain standard from the videos they consume. And with all the video content already out there (and the influx still to come), there's hundreds of options they can choose from apart of you.

A Harsh Truth

I mean, just think about it.

Why would your target audience watch your videos when they can learn about content marketing from Moz?

Or pick up the basics of video editing from Wistia?

Or watch a kitten being brought back to life from GoPro?!

^{I really didn't mean for this post to be so adorable.}

There is some amazing video content out there. But this isn't supposed to make you despair as you wonder how you can ever compete with such greatness. It's supposed to inspire you to create content that is just as valuable to your audience as that GoPro video is to theirs.

So your audience should rather watch your videos than anyone else's (for their specific need or want).

How can we achieve this?

7 Traits of All Great Video

Well, let's learn from the best.

Here's what all those great video examples had in common. They:

• Either inform or entertain (or do both).
• Contain some sort of personality, universal emotion, or other human touch.
• Are as short as possible and no longer than they need to be.
• Engage you and grab your attention immediately.
• Are clear about their message(s).
• Are perfectly tailored to their audience.
• Have a coherent strategy and marketing plan (I promise).

That's where the bar is set. If you want your video content to succeed in its goals, it needs to hit all 7 of those points.

It's not impossible by any means. But it does mean you have to put more thought into video than just demanding an intern to get something up on YouTube.

7 Questions to Ask Yourself

How can you create great video? Basically, put some care and love into it.

Whether you're creating it yourself or passing it onto a video agency, you need to be concerned with how your video is going to make waves in this flood of video content we're about to be hit with.

That means taking the time to build out a video strategy, writing a detailed brief, and considering where and how you'll reach your target audience.

In order to really start thinking critically about your video content, try asking yourself these questions:

• What can you do with your video content that only you could do?
• If you were in your target audience, would you watch your video?
• Is your video content really providing value?
• If you focused on fewer videos that were of better quality, could you achieve more?
• Do you stand out from the crowd?
• Can you grab your audience's attention and keep it with your videos?
• Could your audience go somewhere else for the same information or experience done better?

It's by answering these questions and getting to the root of how you can provide unique value to your target audience that you'll create some truly great videos.

And this is the same no matter what your industry is, how big or small your business is, or who your target audience is.

Round-up: Begin with a Video Brief

So now you know what you have to do and why you have to do it.

The first step to creating great video content that will stand apart from the flood of mediocre video marketing is writing a video production brief.

This means considering your aims, your audience and your messages. It means condensing the questions you've asked yourself above into practical steps necessary to create not just any video content, but video content that is valuable, unique and tailored to your target audience.

Download our free video brief template below to help kick-start the process, and start getting prepared for what's to come.