At a time when online attention is one of the most valuable commodities a marketer can have, maintaining that attention is critical.
Video has proven to be the most effective tool to grab attention online but a video that retains your audience’s eyeballs depends a lot on not just what you have in it, but very importantly, what you leave out.
It is not uncommon for my clients to want to include too many details in their videos. Video is firstly an emotive tool. If you are using it for marketing then you are appealing to the emotions and the old mantra “less is more” holds true.
If you find yourself talking about details and less about the value and experience the customer will have, then you have moved away from the emotional pull that will generate the best response.
Traditional concepts for videos no longer apply.
You don’t need a big logo at the start. You don’t need a credit roll of who was involved at the end. You don’t need branding all over the video.
Here’s why.
Videos are being watched within an ecosystem – YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn. Wherever your video shows up there is a branding already around. Your organisation is hosting the video.
As for the details, when you post a video you can add text with the post. It can explain some more of the data and provide links to sites that provide the next step.
As you think about your videos think about what you can pull out of the video. Your audience won’t know it is missing. Keep stripping it back to the core message and the impact your need to deliver.
A good editor is a crucial person at this stage. They can keep the story flowing in a very neat package. They can also provide a fresh perspective on what may or may not be essential for the video.
If you find yourself wanting to cram too much into a video, then consider making a series of videos. These can be tighter productions on specific topics.
At the end of the video put your logo with the website or the phone number you want them to call. Make sure your end graphic doesn’t fade the black. On most platforms the video will pause at the end, so have something useful there. Not a black screen.
Good videos are refined and refined so that only the essential elements are included. Boring your audience with details they can find elsewhere will not get the ROI for your videos.
