Blog posts tagged differentiation

The elements of a winning video (for business)

I've been meaning for some time to blog about what it is that makes a promotional video really work in a business context.  And now I've been asked to judge an exciting video competition, I've been given extra motivation to get the post written.

The following are my top seven tips for creating a powerful promotional video for business.  Conveniently, they'll also be what I will be looking at when I judge the upcoming competition.  In writing this post, I've focussed mainly on business to business, although my tips work equally well for business to consumer.

So what elements do you need to ensure that your promotional video is very high impact?

Get the basics right.  Imagine you are looking to employ someone, and you receive their CV only to find that it's full of spelling mistakes and formatting errors.  Are you likely to employ them?  Probably not.  The same basic rule applies when you create a business video.  The thought that goes into quality control will affect what the viewer thinks of your business.  Make sure that the sound quality is acceptable.  Think about lighting (much as you would when taking a photo of someone).  Take some time to "frame" each shot in an interesting way.  If you need to, re-shoot anything you are unsure about.  Make sure that your title graphics don't contain spelling mistakes.  These things only take 5% more time when you are creating your video, but add 95% to the overall impact.

Tell a story.  Great videos - even business videos - tell a story.  So rather than "shouting" at your viewer (brochure style), pull them in.  If you run a car repair shop, you might shoot the video from the perspective of someone who has damaged a car in an accident.  If you run a hotel, you might tell the story of a couple's incredible wedding at your venue.  If you are a business organisation, you might get a handful of members to share their stories about the impact you've had on them.  If you are a consultant, you might share some of your greatest "triumphs" or top tips.  In telling a story you are building empathy with someone who would like to be part of that story.  There is always a great story to tell - find the most powerful one, and tell it.

Be different.  Chances are you are in a competitive market with lots of other [insert your profession] trying to appeal to lots of [insert your typical prospect].  It's not going to be easy to stand out if you are pretty much the same as your competitors.  So, look at what they are all saying, and say something different.  This alone will increase your chances of being heard above the din.  It works for Richard Branson doesn't it?

Demand action.  If I had five pounds for each time I saw a promotional tool (advert, video, website) which got my attention but then failed to demand action from me, I think I'd be a millionaire.  Make sure you have a very punchy, clear "call to action" in your video.  Make it the last thing your viewer sees.  When I watch your video, I should have no doubt what it is that you want me, the viewer, to do next.  So, what is it that you want me to do?

Be creative.  There seems to be an unwritten rule that if it's for business, it has to be deadly serious.  Wrong.  Be creative, have fun, throw some colour into what you are doing.  You don't just want people to know about your business.  You want them to react "hey, that was fun" or "what a hoot", or "wow - that's clever."  People will react more positively to your message.  We're all human, and we don't like things to be mundane.  It also helps you to differentiate.

It's not show and tell.  Avoid telling your story twice.  Video is a great medium - it gives you both visual and audio to work with.  So use them wisely, and in tandem.  let one work with the other.  Don't fall into the trap of saying and showing the same thing - for example "we've got lovely meeting rooms" and then showing the lovely meeting room.  Rather, let the visuals work to enhance the audio - for example "we make meetings a breeze" and show lovely meeting room and a fresh cup of coffee.

It's not about you.  Sadly, your prospects care very little about how brilliant your products and services are.  They're not as interested in this as you are.  They almost certainly don't care about the clever things you'd done in the past.  And they don't want to hear that you were estabilshed in 2002 and now have 56 employees.  But they are interested in how you can help them.  So instead of giving them a history lesson, give them a peek into the exciting future (their future), and let them see how you can make a real difference (to them).

I'm sure if you scratch around the internet, you'll find experts who have other factors they focus on.  But for what it's worth, these are my top tips for putting together a great promotional video, and I'll be looking closely at these factors when judging the competition in a few months' time.

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