7 Things That Make an Effective Video
Billions of dollars. BILLIONS are estimated to be wasted on video advertisement. And if I’m honest, I know that I’ve probably been a contributor to that stat, not on purpose of course. I’m sure we all have at some point.
I don’t know the exact number because I’ve seen lots of different stats and percentages over the years, but it looks like somewhere between $5-10 billion (10-25% of all video ad spends) down the drain. I saw one stat that said only 9% of digital ads are viewed for more than a second. That tells you something. People are bored, uninterested, and overloaded with content every day. You already know this. Well how do we stand apart and join that 9%?
There’s a few things that you must get into place before you even come up with that brilliant video idea.
1. Goal
You must first know what problem you are trying to solve. Are you trying to generate more sales, recruit employees, create a pitch to raise money—what is that one thing you want to accomplish? Yes, I said ONE. Do not fall into the trap of trying to do multiple things at once. I know, it’s tempting to want to save money checking a bunch of things off a list in one shot, but don’t do it, please don’t do it. Cause just like trying to carry too many dishes to the sink at once so you don’t have to do two trips, it’ll all come crashing down on you. I think I can come up with a better analogy, but I think you get the point. You don’t want to muddy the waters so that your audience doesn’t know what you’re trying to tell them.
2. Target Audience
And speaking of audience, that’s exactly what you need to figure out next. Who the heck are you trying to get to buy your product, or inform, or recruit? If you don’t know who you are trying to reach, then you will definitely be part of the statistic of wasted ad spend. And you want to get the most for your money, that’s why you were trying to carry too many plates in the first place (bad analogy, good callback).
3. Marketing Plan
Okay, you’ve got your goal and your who you want to reach with your video. Now you need to come up with how you will get it out there. Will it be on social media, tv, at a live event, before the feature at a movie theater? There’s multiple creative ways to get the word out there. You’ve gotta know where you want to share this. If not… okay, you got my point.
4. Thumbnail
So now that we know our goal, target audience, and marketing plan, how do we make a video that people will want to watch? If you are posting on social media, the first goal is to get someone to stop scrolling. Ah, the ever important thumbnail. People spend TONS of money just to create these. Just creating thumbnails is an entire business, and there’s a reason. You’ve gotta think like your target audience. What’s going to stop them in their tracks and think, “I’ve gotta see what this is all about.”?
5. Hook
FINALLY, we’re actually getting to the video part. But those first things are super important to have before you begin a video (although the thumbnail can come later). Once you know you can get someone to click on the video and watch it, then you have to keep them there. And that’s the tough part. Enter THE HOOK. This is the first few seconds of your video. And it’s called the hook, because this is where you reel them in. It’s gotta be interesting enough to them to keep watching. If you know your goal, your target audience, and what they are looking for, then you’ve got a decent shot.
6. Story
Great job. You’ve got your audience to actually click on and watch the video. That’s the toughest part. But you also need something that will keep them there. And this is the backbone of everything in video, and life. People don’t want to listen to a bunch of stats (even though I shared some in the beginning - if you’re still reading then I did a good job sneaking them in). People want to hear a story. You could either tell a video about how many people love your product and results or you can share a customer’s story of how they were out of a job, trying to make ends meet to continue to pay for their mom’s health issues month after month, and then they came across your product, and it CHANGED EVERYTHING. In my opinion, the second option is much more interesting.
7. Clear Call to Action
Congrats. You got someone to watch your video and make it through. They are moved by your story. But what if you just ended there? They wouldn’t know what to do next. They need a clear call to action, something to do after they’ve seen this. Is it to buy a Coke, sign up for your email list, travel to Japan, donate to ending world hunger? This is where you look at your one goal and have an action that your audience can take to accomplish that goal.
Okay, you’ve got it all figured out. Just kidding, I know this is a lot of work. That’s what’s great about hiring a video team that knows what they’re doing . Please do reach out if you need help with a video plan or even if we’re not the right fit for you, we will point you in the right direction (Call to action. See what I did there).