Begin with a splash…
With video you can say so much more
I start this blog with a video of myself because for many readers, this video may be the first time they meet me. Whether someone visits my website, or has been referred to me, or I get a cold email, or I’m sending an email to a prospective video client, this video is found in several key spots and allows that person to get a glimpse into who I am as a person. My ambition in this video is to come across as approachable, friendly, normal, not too uptight, not too silly, show I’m qualified and that quality matters to me, and provide an easy opening to reach out to me. It’s not all my services, or some big comprehensive ad or pitch. This is just my personality in a teaser trailer. This was the only way I could have started this post, because it reinforces the why: why I do what I do, what I do, and who I am.
In 60 seconds, you learned more about me and what I do than I could have related with 20 minutes to explain. Those visuals back to back, coupled with what I’m talking about, gave you a much clearer, more concise, more enhanced picture of me and my work than any conversation could do at a cocktail party or a 1-on-1 meeting. It removes the imagination and the guesswork, and you see me in the flesh and in my element. This would also be something perhaps to open a Zoom meeting with, to really orient the person quickly to myself in a richer way. Video is important because it accelerates knowledge. Through video I can communicate everything faster and better.
For the past few years, we’ve been living in the age of personalization. The more personalization you can bring to customer’s experiences, the more they trust you, and the more comfortable they feel in meeting you or signing up for something. We are living in the age where a person tweets a complaint about their experience with JetBlue, and the CEO responds and offers free miles. 1000s of followers see this, and think more highly of that brand. People like hiring people or buying from people they like. This is where video can be so effective, because it is an opportunity to show the awesome polished side, but also pull back the curtain, go behind the scenes, and see this candid authentic version of a person or company that would have never existed before this social digital age.
Especially in this world during the pandemic (and ultimately, POST-pandemic—wouldn’t THAT be nice to say), where we’ve had a digital awakening (if we haven’t already felt it before), we all need to get a lot more familiar with putting ourselves, as people, out there. The alternative is to do nothing and let competition get out in front. My point is: whether you do it yourself, or have an assistant help, or you hire a video company, do not miss the boat. The risk is getting lost in a sea of content that people are actively searching for and increasingly expecting for validation. Moreover, when people DON’T find this content, the absence actually becomes a negative, so it’s not something we can ignore anymore.
Practice > Perfection
Mark Twain said, “For the majority of us, the past is a regret, the future an experiment.” Let’s not regret what could have been by pretending video marketing isn’t a thing. Let’s equally not disillusion ourselves that if video was tried and didn’t work for whatever reason, or was a regrettable experience for XYZ, that it was Video’s (with a capital V) fault. It means the recipe was wrong. We don’t avoid driving because we were in an accident that one time.
How about the regret of not trying or doing it at all? Some people see their competitors out there: inundating the market with video content that looks great, is getting shares; people are talking about the brand or person—the company is growing. Every new video that pops up makes that professional who waited regret more and more their decision to delay and/or dismiss video marketing. Think of the business opportunities that are just sailing past day after day, week after week, month after month, because video wasn’t embraced, wasn’t given a real chance, and the competition took advantage of dominating that space.
To both of those regrets, I would recommend we not be so defeatist. Like Twain said, the future is an experiment. This is true across the spectrum of all marketing, not just video. Video is just another tool. It just happens to be that after you tweak it, work out the kinks, find out what works and what doesn’t through trial and error and persistent effort, you figure it out. Some companies figure it out faster, some take a while, but my point here is don’t give up, don’t ignore it, and know that it is okay to live in a beta 2.0 world where not everything is perfect. I have to check myself sometimes with that. Sometimes, it is more economical, practical, and even effective, to make something quickly yourself on the cheap, because in certain scenarios that candid feel is appropriate.
I want to get us all more familiar with how we work with those tools, and how some basic steps can improve your viewers’ experience. This is useful to any business professional, because anything that makes you look good and gets you to stand out helps.
I get asked, ‘Adam, what’s the best camera I should use?’
I have an iPhone. It’s not an old one, and it’s not the newest one (does one EVER have the newest one for more than a minute these day?). I don’t have a lens attachment or a mic attachment, it’s just…my phone. When you’re starting out, if you want to create your own content, the best camera you should use is what you have access to. Start using what you have. If I go on vacation and don’t have a fancy DSLR camera with me, I take photos and videos with my iPhone like everyone else.
When creating your own videos, you’ll want to experiment by jumping in, seeing what you like and what you don’t. You don’t need to become a filmmaker to do this. You need only a few tools, some time, and some willingness to give it a go. If you’d like to up your game with it, between watching youtube tutorials, talking to peers, talking to professionals, and general practice, you can gradually increase your knowledge in these disciplines, buy new gadgets, and work your way up. It take as little or as much time and/or money as you want to put into that effort.
Let me table the technical bit for a second and talk about storytelling, which is what’s at the root making successful videos for any professional. Most effective videos have all or most of these 5 key ingredients embedded in them:
1. Audience catered
Defining your audience is critical. We have to know who we are talking to. It guides the messaging of what to say and how to say it. And “general audience” is not really a good answer. It’s really vague, and if you’re presenting to everyone your presenting to no one. When you cast a wide net you likely don’t achieve as much value as when the focus speaks to a particular someone or group. Be specific with your audience. Facebook allows you to run campaigns specific to a demographic, by age, gender, occupation, lifestyle, location, which all allows you to be laser focused. We can have a whole other post about whether we should have that capability, but that IS the market we are all a part of and competing within today. With a targeted campaign, your video may have less views, but it’s not about view count, it’s about the quality of each view. I’ll take 500 views over 10,000 any day if those 500 lead to 15 good leads and 4 new clients, versus 10,000 views that produce no interest and make no connection, or are in geographic area that is useless to me in the case of wanting local commerce. Unless you have a plan for how to scale, and how larger view numbers will benefit you, I would say while there’s nothing wrong with high view counts, it should never be at the expense of your target audience and what they’re seeking, or else it’s just a public forum for our ego.
2. Call To Action (CTA)
Having a clear call to action is important. Tell people what you want them to do after finishing the video. This can be…
– Call me
– Email me
– Book a Zoom appointment with me
– Come by the office
– Subscribe to our channel
– What do you think about XYZ? Leave a comment
The viewer should be asked or compelled to do one of these things. The only reason you would not have a CTA is if you are simply trying to create brand awareness and build a fanbase, and even then I would likely be saying something in the description of that posted video what people should do, or where they should click.
TV is passive, web is interactive, so give them a step 2.
3. Authenticity
Being yourself is important. This gets easier over time. When you are out networking, meeting potential referral partners, meeting or contacting prospects, your personality shines through, and you get the opportunity to be your best self. You want to replicate that person onscreen. The down to earth, friendly, knowledgable expert you want people to know in public is what you want to present on camera. Pretend you’re in a conversation with the camera, as opposed to presenting to it. This creates the best picture of who the viewer will be dealing with when they reach out to you, and in the beginning you have to be patient. You have to allow yourself the time to get comfortable with this, because it doesn’t come easily to everyone, but it will come if you keep doing it. Someone who hates public speaking who starts regularly going to a networking group learns how to be comfortable speaking to that audience more like themselves over time, and this is the same concept.
4. Memorability
To make a video memorable, you need to create a feeling. It could be surprise, humor, inspiration, fear, anger, joy, but you need to identify something that will take the audience out of their mundane day and get them to pay attention. Usually you want to do something right out of the gate, within the first few seconds, that grabs their tough-to-get attention, and invites them through creativity and thoughtfulness to stay longer and watch the entire presentation. And once we’re moving through that presentation, we need more “feeling” moments, and moments of unpredictability, that keep viewers on their toes and interested to watch to the end. Creating a memorable presentation means it not only impresses them upon first viewing, but it sticks with them when they are going about their day. They recall it when they are thinking about their problem or inquiry or area of interest that led them there in the first place. They are more apt to watch it again, to want to watch it again, and/or to send it to someone else they think would like it or find value in it. Making content that is designed to be memorable and “sticky” should be the goal, whether you are making content yourself or hiring someone to do it for you.
I get asked about “ideal video length” all the time. Yes, in general, shorter content is better. This is because people are busy and distracted, and want answers fast. I would always suggest cutting filler out and favoring shorter content, but they are also still people, and what truly will make your content memorable is less the length and more the content itself and your ability to pay attention to the other items in this list. Rushing through a video, or taking too long, are equally detrimental. If you know who you are talking to, what their ambitions are in finding your content, are answering their questions effectively, and design an experience catered to them, they will stick with you through that ride.
5. Useful / Educational / Entertaining
In a world where there is so much content, and so little time, it is more important than ever to value people’s time by understanding what will be useful and enjoyable to the audience, and what is going to be filler. Companies and service providers make this mistake all the time. They make content that is too long, too short, too boring, too repetitive, too similar to competitors, too safe, too detailed, not detailed enough. Striking the right balance requires some thoughtful work upfront, during pre-production and planning, where you are mapping out not just what to say, but how to say it. It is a balance, and a delicate one.
For instance, if you are speaking off-the-cuff, essentially unscripted, you may come across as natural / authentic (which we listed above as a key ingredient), but does it mean you are droning on and on and on? People tend to speak about 3 times as long unscripted versus when they sit down to create concise, edited-down communications. In contrast, if we appear to be reading a script, we may lose some viewers since it doesn’t feel like we’re having that conversational feel anymore. Finding that right balance is tough, and that’s where a trained eye in video marketing and interviewing can help, if they are doing their job right. If you throw in a joke, or talk about a personal story, or show a before and after photo, or provide an animated diagram of the device you’re explaining, these are all things that will engage and continue to re-engage viewers throughout the duration of the presentation. The goal of any video is, yes, to communicate the points, but to do so in a manner that supports the other 4 points we listed above.
Let’s recap key takeaways:
- Video is important, and an effective communication tool
- Don’t ignore it; harness its power
- Experiment, and be okay with making mistakes and improving
- Pick an audience, and be dedicated to thinking about their experience
- Show yourself as you, and remember in most cases you’re not trying to connect with all audiences, just the right audience
Incorporating good video takes time and care, and the rewards of it can last years and make a person look like a real authority and current leader, aware of the need to meet people where they want to meet. If video is helping buyers to make decisions (it is), it’s imperative we all explore its potential and master how it’s going to work best and benefit us the most in our own situation.
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