Things to focus on when creating promotional videos: 1) Be clear on your audience
As with any marketing activity, it is crucial to define your audience. Be clear on who your audience is. Don’t try to promise everything to everyone. Your message will become lost and loose value. If you have a niche for your firm, then be clear about it.
2) Focused messaging
If your audience can’t define your service after watching your video once, it hasn’t been effective. Define your key message before even planning the video to keep your content focused and niche. What painpoint are you solving for your audience?
3) Limit your information!
Don’t oversaturate! You have 5 seconds to capture your audiences attention. Keep your video concise, as the competition for attention is higher than it’s ever been.
Sometimes too much information ends up turning people away, or worse – boring them.
4) Use emotion over facts
Emotive narratives are an effective way to relate to a consumer’s painpoints. Of course, sprinkle in hard evidence/facts of how your service helps them, but also draw on their heartstrings as to how their quality of life could be improved with your service too.
E.g. do you offer something for less money than a competitor? Not only is this desirable, but it could also cause the audience less stress for financial issues.
Avoid weighty details in videos - they can be found on your website.
5) Avoid being the centre of attention!
Your customers should be your focus - avoid rambling about how great you are! This is hugely boring to listen to, and you'd switch off if you weren't fully convinced about the company to begin with, right? Twist the narrative to show the value you bring to your customer - and you are much more likely to gain loyalty.
6) Prioritise audio!
Poorly formed content translates to = poorly reputable company. Although this may not always be the case, first impressions only have one chance! Never neglect the most important aspect of high production quality for your content. If this means investing in studio microphones, a lighting kit of better videography equipment, then it’s an investment well made. Alongside this, it’s always best to do a recce in the location you’re filming in before the shoot day. This will give an idea of lighting scenarios, additional background audio and last minute issues you may have on the day.
7) Frame it correctly..
Always check your viewfinder when filming. No one wants to see anyone’s head cut off whilst talking, or important features cropped out. As a general rule of thumb, film people as if they were in a picture frame. Leave some room between the top of their head and the top of the frame, and keep in mind the rule of thirds. Remember to film in landscape if recording off a mobile phone too!
8) Remove distracting backgrounds
Don’t neglect your background! Distracting background action can attract from your subject. Equally, a boring backdrop with little or no movement can be especially slow to watch. The more depth you can have in the picture, the better, and a background provides an opportunity to show additional information that can enhance the character of the presenter or the information you are sharing.
9) No wobbly cams!
Another worthy investment: a tripod. Always invest in proper equipment for filming. No one wants to watch a shaky video… (there are very affordable ones on Amazon!), and a recce will come in handy for testing this. Unexplained camera movement distracts the viewer and dilutes the impact of your message.
Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about your customers. Your video should provide value to your customers at all times.
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