There is nothing worse for me than when the power of video is completely ignored and the opportunity to create a truly unique, engaging marketing asset is missed.
Its like a Powerpoint presentation when the presenter just reads every word that’s on the slide – the whole purpose and usefulness of Powerpoint is missed. There are some videos that I have seen that seek to replicate what the good old corporate brochure did a few years before – shows a few shots of the office, pans across the shop floor, puts a few facts up about size and scope of the workforce and then finishes with a website address, phone number and email on the screen. In the meantime the viewer is bored, doesn’t really know any more than they did when they started watching the video and doesn’t actually know anything interesting about the business. This is such a waste of video and it simply becomes a moving corporate brochure.
The beauty of video is that it can get underneath all of that boring footage, shots of people answering phones, walking down corridors, opening filing cabinets – in can all be consigned to the cutting room floor. A well crafted video can show exactly who the MD of the company is, how and why he started the business, where his passion is, what drives him and what makes his company the best. A video is an insight into whatever you are watching so its ridiculous not to make it as engaging as possible. Make it something the viewer wants to see, tell them things that they want to hear and answer their questions before they’ve even asked them.
Testimonial videos are a perfect example of this, instead of a sentence or two explaining what the client liked use video to show the client talking about their experience. What made it such a great company to deal with? Who were the employees that really delivered? What were the little extras that made a big difference? Showing that satisfied customer really enthusing about the company is so much more engaging and really shows the benefits of what video can do.
New developments in video mean that it can be truly interactive now and the viewer can actually choose what they watch while the film is playing giving them more control and increasing their engagement in your brand even more.
Its not always easy to go against the grain and create something a bit different especially if nobody else has taken a risk like that but its all about the planning. Before a camera has even started to roll, as long as you know your aims and objectives, calls to action and measurement processes you can craft and storyboard a video that hits all of the right notes on all levels. So the key to really getting the best out of a video for your business is be a little bold and look at what video can offer – personality, viewer engagement and something more than an old fashioned leaflet or brochure. If you look at the benefits and features that a video can offer you can avoid the risk of your video not being a video!
To find out more about creating the perfect marketing video for your business get in touch here with here at CMA Video or give us a call on 0121 551 2079.
