If you read our last post on video, you know about the importance of
putting your face out there. This week, we wanted to take a closer look at specific strategies for making video marketing work for you and maximizing the amount of eyes that will actually witness your sweet vids.
A memorable intro (think less than 15 secs.) will help your video establish legitimacy by separating it from the jillions of other videos online. Depending on how much money and effort you’re willing to spend, your intro could range from something as simple as text with music, to more complex animation/montage type pyrotechnics. Keep in mind that the intro is a fixed cost item — you only have to make it once, and you get to use it all the time. So don’t skimp and do a good job.
You might consider yourself an eloquent person, but videos are a time to be extra-eloquent. Think about it this way: because video is a compact medium, you shouldn’t say anything that does not have a specific purpose, be it information, argument, selling, or humor. It really helps to actually write out exactly what you want to say — it will sound more coherent that way.
For the overachiever: using differently colored highlighters to distinguish the purpose of each sentence will help you build a great presentation with a balance of humor, info and marketing. Once you’re done marking, just look at the page — is any color missing or underrepresented?
Unless your self is a cold-hearted selling machine, that is. Let’s face it, people watch videos as a more
fun alternative to reading content online. The last thing you want is to alienate your audience by sounding like a late-night infomercial. (Well OK,
some of those have entertainment value of their own. But as a general rule, stay away from infomercial territory.)
Videos that try to sell too hard inevitably give the viewer what we call “cringe face phenomenon”. The rules of online video are different from those for television advertisements — you have to offer
inherent value. The best way to think about this:
even if the customer never buys your product or service, they should have still gotten something out of watching your video.
You know why you have so much fun hanging out with your best friends? Two words: Inside jokes. Since you’ll be making your videos on a regular basis, you have the perfect opportunity to set up a unique personality and a unique style of delivery that carries on from week to week. These don’t necessarily have to make sense. Why does the Nasonex bee speak with a Hispanic accent? No one knows. Why does Afflack use a duck? Who cares? It works and it’s memorable. For an example of how to make even generic fast food reviews exciting, check
this guy out. That video has over two million views. He gets it.
By now, you’re probably beginning to get a handle on what it takes to do video marketing successfully. Using video really
does take more time than writing content, but the upside can also be tremendous. Now go forth and tape thyself!
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