The use of video can be a very powerful web tool as marketers often testify.
It needs to be planned well to achieve positive results and avoid alienating potential customers. Using video is not an audition for X Factor and to be useful as an effective tool in business it should look professional.
1. Keep video messages short and stick to the point. Good examples are ‘How to” videos e.g. Apple, Aweber etc. Professionally made ‘how to’ videos run from 30 secs to 3 minutes absolute maximum. Human brains cannot digest too much information and it is preferable to keep to bite size chunks.
2. Relationship building. Give the viewer some idea about you as a person, a short biography and background experience to help engage with them is powerful. Avoid videos that are overlong. People are busy and time is scarce so make use of it wisely. Remember less is more.
3. Look straight at the camera but avoid a cold stare and eyes darting everywhere. You want people to to trust you. Watch the body language. If there are distractions they tend to notice less about what you have to say and more about what is happening visually.
4. Take a look at the surroundings and check behind and above before shooting. The backdrop is important. Ensure there is nothing rising out of your head that should not be there!
5. Lighting. You might not have a lighting cameraman at your disposal but choose a reasonably well lit area for inside shots and avoid dark shadows, particularly on the face.
6. Be mindful of background noises. Twiddling with a pen, barking dogs or crying children can be off putting if people are trying to listen to what you have to say. The same applies to outside shots where there can be more distractions.
7. Do experiment with a variety of different shots to make videos more appealing especially for relationship building. A little glimpse into your world is intriguing for others to see. The script does not need to be word perfect. In fact it is often those little errors and human interactions that show the real person behind the camera.
8. Finally, plan, smile, enjoy and engage.
Angie Mee is an independent TV consultant and marketer.
