Making Effective Videos - The One Mistake I See The Most
The first hurdle I often run into with clients is a funny one. They’ve called me, we’re having a discovery call where I learn more about their work and what they do, then they ask at the end of the meeting, “So, when should we film?”.
It’s great that we’re excited about filming, but we’re missing some key ingredients to make the most effective video possible. The main one being: A Strategic Idea.
This is the point where I pull on the reins, slow us down, and dig some more into the purpose of the video.
It’s not that surprising, right? We’re all used to seeing those videos where there’s a person being interviewed, there’s some smooth slow motion b-roll of the products or services they provide as they talk, and what they’re talking about is their organization’s work from their perspective. I know numerous colleagues in the industry who have gone through college for filmmaking and this is the only method of filmmaking they’ve been taught. It can end up turning into a “show-up and see what happens” mentality if you’re not careful.
There’s a place for for these types of videos, but not all the time. It’s like a basketball team only ever shooting threes, or a carpenter only ever using the same type of nail with a hammer when they could use a screw, or a cop only ever using his gun to deescalate situations. There’s many “tools” that exist and we should figure out which is the right one to use for whatever need we’re trying to address.
Your potential buyers are all in different areas of their buying journey. Some are not aware of the problem they have, some are problem aware and are slowly becoming solution aware, and some are solution aware and are on to the point of comparing solutions. Different stories and methods of storytelling appeal to people at different times.
You know where the interview style video works well? When people are comparing solutions and when they have already used your solution. These people already know they have a problem, already know the solution they require and already know that you provide the solution they are looking for. They don’t need much convincing to watch the video as they’re already interested in you. What they need is some further insight into who you are so they can establish trust.
Where these videos tend to perform pretty poorly? When you’re trying to target and attract an audience that is unaware of you, unaware of their problem and unaware if their need for a solution. Strangers on the internet don’t give us that much time of day if they’re not aware they’re receiving some type of benefit within the first few seconds.
So, before you set off to make a video - I encourage you to ask these three questions:
What goal are we trying to accomplish with this video?
Who are we then trying to reach and where are they on their buying journey?
What is the most effective way to engage them?
These are the first questions I ask when developing ideas for clients. Want to chat and see what might work for you? Book a free call.
