We see advertisements all the time. Everywhere.
People have programmed themselves to “swipe” past advertisements without even thinking. It’s second nature.
The only way to get your message across to a potential customer with video marketing in Kelowna, throughout the province, country, or world, is to stand out: get the viewer’s attention first. You need them to want to watch for more than a few seconds.
Here are three ways to get more eyes on your video.
1. Confident start
You’ve probably heard this statement: “the first 5 seconds of your video are the most important”. This is your window to grab the attention of your viewer. With your first impression, it’s “make or break” right away.
If you’re using a video to market something, you’re going to want a video that is able to visually distill your story into somewhat of a thesis statement right off the bat. What information can you frontload into your advertisement that can sum up the whole advertisement? What’s your “hook”?
Attention spans are deteriorating. The internet is huge. What to do?
Establishing shots that spellbind your viewers are a good option. Typically, an aerial shot that gives a commanding sense of “place” to advertise a business location or product is a great hook.
Alternately, let your viewer know that you have what they’re looking for. Anticipate their questions with your video. If you’re selling a food-delivery service, speak directly to your audience in your opening: “tired of cleaning up after dinner? We’ll deliver!”
Another option is to generate curiosity. A bold introduction to a video that simply piques a viewer’s interest is worth doing.
It might take some creativity to come up with the right “start”. You could brainstorm this with your videography crew, a marketing team, or on your own. Just remember to consider: those first five seconds are your most important. Start confidently.
2. Look the Part
This might seem obvious, but based on a lot of video marketing I’ve seen in the past, it’s not common knowledge: you have to look good when you’re trying to sell somebody something.
A lower quality video doesn’t cut it anymore. People have gotten used to content–from Instagram, to YouTube, to Netflix–that looks expensive. A low resolution isn’t an option. A video with a scattered narrative, or poorly designed graphical elements won’t do. A professional, high-quality video is what we’re used to: and it shows that your company/product is willing to put money behind what they believe in. That goes a long way.
Secondly, it’s a good idea to format your videos for different viewing devices. Some people will view your advertisement on their laptop, and others will view it on their phone. Some people will view your advertisement on Instagram, and others will view it on Facebook. The same exact video is not appropriate for all these different uses. Make sure you–or whoever is in charge of your video production–optimize your content for different platforms.
3. No Audio, No Problem
Audio design and music utterly transform video. Make no mistake: it’s a pivotal part of the videography experience.
But your advertisement is likely to be viewed silently online.
Think about it: you’re on your lunch break, and you scroll through an Instagram feed nonchalantly. Your phone is muted because you wouldn’t want to disturb others. You’re not going to hear audio from an advertisement in this environment.
In most online environments, you need to assume people won’t hear your advertisement. Not to mention, your viewers can often be hard-of-hearing, and the audio won’t particularly matter to them anyway.
Your video should be subtitled if there is dialogue.
Ensure your video is watchable and understandable if a device is on mute.
No dialogue? Use brief moments of quick, easily-digestible text on-screen to get your message across. This can happen in tandem with a voice-over, but it doesn’t have to. Most of your audience won’t be “listening” to your advertisement, they’ll be watching it. What they actually see is what they’re going to take away from their experience.
The bottom line
Content races across the internet at an alarming and unprecedented rate. We’re connected to global world just by owning a device we store in our pocket. Creating shareable and engaging content to an uninitiated audience is something you can do to take advantage of our interconnectivity.
For your video marketing to capture attention, you need to be willing to make a video that will make a viewer “pause” what they’re doing to give you their attention. With these three tips, you’ll be a lot closer to reaching your goals.
But, as always, if you have a question (or need something explained further), the team here at Distill Media be happy to talk with you.
Distill Media is a video production company in the interior of British Columbia dedicated to the “essentials of visual storytelling”: isolating and expressing the core messages of businesses and organizations through video. We provide industry-leading products with high return on investment.
