What is video automation?

To explain what video automation is, let’s begin by trying to untangle a concept that it is often connected with, that of digital transformation.

 

 

Digital transformation and automation, both buzzwords for at least a decade, each refer to a series of initiatives, both technological and organizational, that aim to make business operations more efficient. They are often confused with one another, but there is actually a substantial difference that distinguishes them.

Automation applies technology to autonomously perform a wide range of actions and functions. It has an immediate impact on the results of the organization that adopts it: a gain in time and productivity, an overall increase in transparency, and the ability to have a more complete and timely view of the entire production line. Then there are equally significant benefits that are not directly related to performance but rather transform the corporate culture: it allows repetitive tasks to be completed that, if done manually, can also be very time-consuming to perform. With automation, employees are free to focus on more valuable projects.

If automation insists on a single process by improving its performance, digital transformation uses automation to bring about an overall and radical change in the logic of business operation. It is not an isolated IT project: by upgrading the underlying technology (e.g., by revamping or replacing legacy systems) and profoundly changing the ways in which customers are communicated and served, digital transformation aims to redefine the entire business ecosystem—infrastructure and values—in a “digital-first” sense.

Digital transformation is thus about leveraging all available digital tools, including automation and data analytics solutions, to optimize entire processes or parts of them. In this sense, automation is a prerequisite for digitalization to unfold its full transformative potential.

 

Through the implementation and progressive socialization to automation, entire teams, in different departments, can now benefit from a new, more streamlined and effective workflow configuration. This is a paradigm shift that has also occurred in video production, with the development of video automation: the automation of routine video creation processes.

Traditionally, creating effective videos takes time, specialized skills, skilled professionals, and substantial budgets. From video production to editing to distribution, the production process can be complex and, if not mastered, result in disappointing products.  Costs also rise as a result of the many channels on which a video must be conveyed in order to be enjoyed by a wide audience: in fact, each medium requires specific versions, which can be obtained through a series of technical adaptations.

The possibilities offered by video automation serve diverse stakeholders. Agencies, publishers, marketers, communications professionals, and content creators may already have platforms specifically designed for video automation that enable them to automate video content creation with a scalable, data-driven approach.

By now we know: video has long established itself as one of the most widely employed content by brands, which exploit its expressive possibilities to hit a number of crucial targets: to gain visibility, to specify and enrich reputation, to communicate business propositions in a clear and engaging way, and to disseminate messages in line with their value system.

For all these reasons, video continues to be preferred by the majority of companies, as many as 86% according to Wyzowl, who use it as a marketing tool. But creating video content, we have already mentioned, can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. Video automation is the answer to a need for greater speed and simplification that does not sacrifice the quality of storytelling through images. 

Video automation platforms take charge of those parts of the production on which there is no need to invest creative resources. At the same time, they allow the user to participate firsthand in the production process by providing him or her with automatic ways of constructing different sequences. 

For example, you can choose the template that best suits the communication of a particular message, to insert the company logo, to select the font and voice-overs, insert on-screen text, introduce animation effects, etc. Once produced, the video can be easily shared via email, SMS, social networks, in-app push notifications, or on any channel. From this perspective, video automation can significantly boost an omnichannel digital communication strategy.

Producing more videos means reaching more users (and potential customers). And this has an undeniable economic value: by reducing the time it takes to produce quality content, it becomes possible to maximize the potential of marketing and make a decisive contribution to generating conversions and sales.

 

 

Video automation can produce many different types of videos, from recaps, to news, to animated infographics. From clips that last a few seconds, to multi-chapter explainer videos, and from videos that translate information-dense (and almost always boring) documents into a story, to first-person brand storytelling, which offers many more opportunities.

Among the types of videos that can be produced through video automation, a separate discussion should be made for personalized and interactive videos: evolved content that is based on the particular data set you want to display (and from which, interaction after interaction, it is fed). In general, personalization increases conversions, improves lead growth, and fosters a passionate audience. The video automation tools that offer personalization features can integrate a range of information about the specific recipient of the communication into the sequences: name, email, job title, profile picture, company name, etc. The ability to enter this data quickly, easily, and at a large scale fosters a more authentic connection with the target audience.

First and foremost, video automation serves marketers, who can create as many videos as they need without starting from scratch each time new content is needed. Put another way: videos can easily become scalable, for less expense and significant savings in time and resources. 

In addition, video automation platforms allow digital marketing teams to quickly obtain different versions of the same video, depending on the channels on which the video is published or the degree of personalization it needs to present. Rather than starting from a clean slate, video automation conveys the same content according to the needs and goals of the communication, and with minimal effort, succeeds in creating videos that are unique yet consistent enough to be recognizable across all channels and able to reach specific audiences and customers.

Because producing videos with video automation costs much less, marketers can test content to better understand the effectiveness of their campaigns: what’s working and what needs to be improved. They can experiment more freely with personalization elements and interactive features. Video automation also offers crucial support for content creation. With video automation tools, content creators, even those with basic technical skills, are able to take full advantage of the data at their disposal and in a few simple steps to create thousands of interesting and engaging videos.

In addition, video automation platforms are extremely versatile and support the creative process by pandering to the originality of each individual author without compromising standards: the end user will always have the final say on the finished product.  One function of video automation that can be extremely useful for both content creators and marketers is data analysis, through which it becomes possible to extract insights into the performance of individual content and to understand the actual level of engagement shown by viewers. How many people watched the entire video, at which scenes they stopped watching, which elements performed best: all of these aspects can be monitored with a degree of granularity that was previously unthinkable. It is a true feedback loop: video automation tools harness the knowledge generated by collecting and interpreting the data that describes a video’s performance and use it to reinforce future content.

We have seen how, thanks to video automation, the most redundant and repetitive steps of video creation can be handled quickly and effectively with a few simple commands. One of the most important consequences is that it leaves more time to spend on designing a marketing strategy.

Although optimizing your workflow is strongly recommended, to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by video automation, it is essential to rethink it within a broader business perspective. What goals do we want to achieve by implementing automation? How will video automation bring value to our business? What critical issues do we hope it will solve? Video automation can prove to be a key element within a marketing strategy in several ways. Let’s look at the top 3.

In general, we have said it many times, video automation increases the efficiency of video production activities and allows a company’s employees to take care of more valuable activities, such as in the case of the marketing team, which can focus fully on the overall strategy. Customer care workers also benefit significantly from the implementation of video automation tools. Since it is possible to have as many videos as frequently occurring FAQ topics in a short period of time, customer service is no longer overburdened by inquiries or complaints and can address more sensitive and complex issues with greater care and attention.

Video automation enables video production to be significantly accelerated while reducing errors and helping to make the interaction with the end customer frictionless. The result is a more complete, fluid, and engaging customer experience. 

 

By automating video production processes, you have access to an abundance of data that you could not track before (at least not with the same degree of accuracy). This means you benefit from a privileged vantage point: you can identify the exact elements of content that aren’t working and correct them quickly, deepen the knowledge of your target audience, and segment your target audience down to individual viewer profiles.  This means that data analysis enables better strategic positioning. 

Video automation can help keep the relationship with the audience vital. With data analysis, it becomes easier to identify weaknesses (e.g., lack of correct information or loss of interest) and implement corrections (such as providing updated insights or developing ad hoc business proposals). Video automation helps make a company proactive and address any critical issues before it is too late.

Video automation is the technology that makes the video production process much more efficient and competitive, allowing you, in less time and with less effort, to create a lot of quality content. With video automation tools, you can focus on optimizing your overall strategy. Automated videos, with their ability to capture your audience’s attention, can help you build strong, long-lasting relationships with your customers.