By 2016, 1.5 billion people will be watching online videos. Only 1.5 billion? Seriously, we don’t need statistics to tell us that people love to watch videos. If you’re in marketing, what you really need is to know how to make a video engaging and shareable- that’s when the magic happens!
With all the competition out there, grabbing someone’s attention and keeping it is becoming increasingly difficult. You need to know your audience extremely well but more than that, you need to know how to captivate. These 5 pointers should help:
1. Make it short.
Attention span is a precious commodity. If your audience sees that your video is more than two minutes long, chances are they will bail. It’s akin to bringing home a phone book. We just don’t want to look at that much content anymore!
2. Get to the point. Stat.
Viewers need to know your message within the first several seconds before they get distracted. So make sure you avoid any fluffy intros.
3. Include recognizable personalities.
As important as your message may be, people will pay more attention if someone they respect or recognize is involved. You don’t need to sign George Clooney here. Any known expert or influencer who your target audience respects will help to drive home your message. Flaunt what you’ve got.
4. Each shot should produce the desire to watch the next.
Once your primary message is delivered, build on the benefits of watching the video in its entirety.
5. Wrap it up with a call to action.
As the video wraps, reiterate your message and ask the audience to do what you want them to do.
We don’t mean to brag but we think these two videos are pretty great. This one announces Better Together’s Hands-on Cook-off contest and this one announced last year’s We Heart Local Awards. Having a great message to work with goes a very long way.
