Video advertising has become an essential element in today's marketplace, and for good reason. According to Webdam, an industry leader in consumer behavior and digital marketing. “Videos on landing pages increase conversions by 86%.” Visual Content is also forty times (40x) more likely to be shared on social media than other types of content. Largely, because it is speaking the language of the average consumer because 65% of the population are visual learners (Social Science Research Network). We can safely say that Videos are a fast and effective way of communicating lots of information. But with so many businesses taking advantage of the benefits that promotional videos provide, it can be hard to know how to differentiate yourself from your competition. If your a business owner who’s trying to decide when to start a video campaign or looking for ways to improve an existing one we recommend reading over our top 5 tips on personalizing your video.
Tip 1: Define your goal
A good place to start when creating video campaign is to recognize how the video(s) relate to your company goals. Are you trying to advertise, educate or convert potential clients? Once you’ve established the need you can move onto the nuances of crafting your message. How to make your video unique and impactful?
- Come from the heart. Be genuine. Be authentic. One of the best ways to communicate authenticity and build trust is through video interviews and testimonials. It can be difficult to summon the spontaneity and emotional intensity that a great interview requireswhich is why it can be helpful to hire a professional video production company who can provide cue cards, tele-prompters and most importantly an experienced, professional interviewer. However, if that's not in your budget we have a few tips for expediting the process and getting the most out of your time.
Tip 2: Selecting an interviewee
- Who is the most "camera friendly" on your team? Choose people that have a predisposition towards public speaking and exhibit strong characteristics like confidence, personality, passion, intonation and good body language. These things read well on camera and will improve the overall quality of your video. Connect with your Interviewer. - Forget about the lights and cameras and focus on the conversation between the interviewer and interviewee. Creating a safe, comfortable environment for your subject is a necessity for a good interview so throughout the process you will need to adjust your approach. Try opening with a sound check. A sound check is a way to ensure your camera is picking up the audio clearly but it is also an opportunity to create some rapport. Ask your subject to count from 1 to 10 and asses their comfort level based on the strength of their voice. If they are quiet and nervous try some ice breakers. Ask what they had for breakfast, compliment their dress or reassure them that they are doing well, but most importantly listen. If they are passionate about a subject let them speak about it and see where it takes you. Bottom line, look for your subject’s pain and create a solution.
Tip 3: Repeating the question in the answer
Often times, in an effort to provide context to the viewer, amateur film makers or inexperienced entrepreneurs will make the mistake of including the interviewer’s voice in the video. For example the video will include the interviewer saying “Why do people choose our company?” To avoid this have the interviewee repeat part of the question in your answer; for example: "People choose company X because..." One sign of a good interview and testimonial is a natural, organic delivery and having the interviewers voice included can create the opposite effect. You don’t want the viewer to think the interviewee was coaxed into giving their answer, it needs to appear that it was something they already wanted to say. You can solve a lot of problems in the editing phase but without quality footage your final product can only be so good.
Tip 4: Go with the flow
What separates good interviewers from great ones is the ability to improvise and go with the flow. Planning for an interview and writing a script can be helpful but sometimes having a more casual conversation and letting it unfold naturally can produce better footage with more organic results than a structured procedure would. Getting your subject to feel comfortable and speak extemporaneously about a subject is an art form that some are gifted with, but it is also something you can work on intuitively. We also recommend doing some research on the person you are interviewing. This can be valuable for when the conversation breaks and you need to get them talking again. Mentioning something about their past, a favorite interest or an accomplishment of theirs will help make the interviewee feel important and give them another area of expertise to talk about, thus building their confidence.
Tip 5: Let your personality shine
The more comfortable you are with yourself, the more comfortable your customers or viewers will be with you. Allow for some levity and don’t take yourself too seriously. Try avoiding industry jargon and speak plainly. If you need a spark to jump-start yourself try talking about what motivated you to start your business, what drives you on a daily basis, what gets you out of bed in the morning and your vision for the future. Remember that you are the expert in your business and you have the answers so don’t be afraid to be yourself.
Good testimonials are symptomatic of a healthy business. If you, as a business owner are doing your job, providing value based solutions and delighting customers, getting good testimonials is only a matter of asking. However if your not at this point in your business, if people are unhappy with your service or product you may not be ready for a video testimonial or advertisement. We recommend returning to an earlier stage of your business plan or mission statement to reassess your issues.