By David Murray, author of Content Wise, the leading quarterly interactive publication.

The results of the 2013 content marketing Industry Characteristics Survey are proprietary for members of the Custom Content Council, and the summary we’re offering in ContentWise won’t be out for another week or two.

But I’ll offer one of the more profound findings right here and now: Video is smoking hot. How hot? Three years ago 37% of marketers said they were using branded video as part of their content marketing strategy. This year? Um, 68%—with 57% of marketers planning to do even more next year.

The questions is: Who’s going to watch all those corporate videos?

And the answer is: No one, if they’re not brilliantly enough conceived, made and distributed to cut through the clutter.

That’s why I think you should attend the first and probably the best of what will surely be many conferences on making strategic videos. It’s the Essentials of Strategic Video Storytelling, put on by my friend Russell Sparkman next month at his cool facility on Whidbey Island, Wash., near Seattle.

As you’ll see from the program, speakers at the two-day course (May 9 and 10) will cover video from conception to budget to distribution to measurement of results. And everything will be discussed in the context of how video fits into the overall content marketing strategy.

You should go. And give my best to Russell when you do. —DM

By Jon Wuebben is CEO of Content Launch ContentLaunch.com  / Author of “Content is Currency” and a featured Langley New Media retreat speaker this May 9th!

You’ve gotten into content marketing as a way to promote your brand and drive customers to your site. When discussing how to make and promote your content, everyone talks about it in terms of blogs: short, informative, written pieces that are designed to educate the reader on a particular topic or perhaps provide commentary. That’s all well and good, but you want something more visually engaging. Something that can entertain your target audience and make a more lasting impression.

You want to make videos.

Videos can be a great marketing tool. After all, YouTube gets over 4 billion views every single day. If you could tap into that popularity, even a little bit, it would mean great publicity for your brand.

But how do you go about it? Where do you start? Here are some tips for how to create a video that’s high quality and engaging.

The Idea

This is where it all starts. What kind of video do you want to make? A vlog, wherein you talk about your point of view to the camera, the same way you would write it down in a blog? A how-to video, demonstrating a specific task for the viewer or helping them solve a particular problem? Maybe you could provide a behind-the-scenes look at your company and what it does. Or something funny and silly that will entertain your audience. The possibilities are endless. But as you’re considering this issue, the question to ask is, “What does my audience want?” Who is your target audience, and what kinds of things are they looking for in your field? Your video should provide it for them.

The next step is putting together a script. This is a very important and often overlooked aspect of how to create a video. No matter what your subject matter is, the script should be well written and engaging and should present your ideas clearly. Hire a professional writer at least to work with you in this regard, if not to handle this part entirely. A great script can make up for a small budget or low production value. But the best-produced video in the world won’t make up for a poor script.

The Production

Now that you’ve got your ideas fleshed out, it’s time to bring them from the page to the screen. How you make your video depends a lot on your budget. These days, you can create and upload a video using just your smartphone camera. But something of that quality isn’t likely to gain much attention for your brand. No matter what your budget, here are some of the basic things you’ll need:

• A good HD video camera
• Sound equipment (at least a microphone)
• Lighting
• A set
• Basic video editing and post-production software

All of these things range in price from fairly inexpensive, to high-end, high-quality equipment. Invest in the best resources you have the budget for, but remember: with hard work and creative talent, a low-budget video can be made to look higher quality than it actually is. If your budget is limited, it’s better to invest most of it in great people who know how to create a video (cameraman, editor, actors, etc.) before you spend on great equipment.

Once you’ve finished creating your video, the next step is to do it again. Keep creating content and putting it out there. That’s how you gain interest for your brand. If you create something people like, then they’ll want to see more. If you create and promote content regularly, you can develop a following. And the better a following you develop, the more people will come to like and trust your brand.

Dear Colleague:

Like any new application, it can take days of study, trial and error, etc., just to get to a basic level of competency. This is certainly the case with the new presentation application called Prezi. Below is a Prezi tip about the importance of understanding Screen Shot Resolution, prepared by Drew Davis of Tippingpoint Labs, in Boston.

Drew Davis is teaching a 2-day intensive Prezi workshop at the Langley Center for New Media, on November 15 and 16.  Learn more about the workshop here, or follow the link in the calendar, to the right.