By Shawn Marshall
The society that we live in is a visual society, as each day passes by, the dependency on video increases. As sight is our most powerful sense organ, visual messages are the most powerful messages. They affect the person in a way that they do not even know that their subconscious has been conditioned to buy a certain product and that it is this conditioning that leads them to buy a great number of stuff. Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook’s VP of EMEA said “The video tsunami is coming – and it’s time to get your brand ready. I disagree the video tsunami has struck and now it’s time to act accordingly.” The marketing world is adopting the new trend and is not only using it for marketing but also for information and communication. Although it is now a trend, it still requires a special kind of skill set. Here are six keys to designing a successful video for your brand. Follow them and you are sure to cover a great distance and go a long way in your marketing career.
Understand your video audience
While making a video your audience should be your main concern. Who are your audience? What do they desire? What are they into nowadays? What’s the trend that they follow? These are few questions that you should think about before making a video? You always have a primary audience and a tertiary audience, and you have to deal with both of them.In a manner that none of them are neglected.
Convince your audience
Convincing an audience to listen to one’s argument involves exploring and then, tapping into their sentiment. This is a very difficult task known to some and mastered by few. It demands a person’s ability to understand the audience’s emotion quotient and presenting his arguments based on their emotional understanding of the subject. Now, understanding a large audience’s emotion is a difficult task that can be made easier by making them all see a particular event at the same time that puts their mind frame to a balanced state where everyone feels like one.
The best way to achieve this is by visual stimulation. In this day and age of electronic media, videos can be a powerful tool if wielded incorrect hands. As explained by Oakley Videos can leave a lasting impression that the audience remember for days, which their subconscious recalled for months and this level of subconscious connection is what drives the addressed masses to act upon a person’s message, because it seems right, because its ought to ease the uncertainty of their minds and unites them for a particular cause.
Context
The foundation of a touching video is the idea behind it. The idea no matter how small should always relate to the video. The fundamental concept of a video is the appeal, and it will never be possible if the audience can’t relate to the video. It must hit them hard and imprint upon their memories. For this to take place, the whole video must revolve around an idea. A video about poverty must show poverty, it can include lavish lifestyles of the wealthy, but it should relate to the problems faces by the poor as well. It must highlight the eccentricities of the rich and relate to the simplest needs of the poor, it can show contrast, but it must show relation as well. This is what Oakley has tried to convey, and this is of paramount importance for a video’s success.
Style
People today have seen more than a year’s worth of videos concerning time spent on watching them. They have seen all kinds of films made by the best producers and the not so better ones as well. But the difference in production, a well-produced video is made using the right equipment, and better scenes usually create a lasting impression, but some short minutes worth of videos have left their mark as well. I came across a clip once, it was of Charlie Chaplin making a speech about the world war, it was in monochrome, but the impression it left was amazing. The script and the delivery were phenomenal, the words “and as long as men die, liberty shall never perish” echo in my mind even after a year. On the contrary, I don’t even remember the names of high budget movies I watched that year. So the way a video is scripted and delivered is as important as its production and editing.
Courage
Another way to engage people is to give them something unexpected, something rebellious, its human nature to like rebelling stuff, the thought of it, the rush of it, and the feel of it. The monotonous lifestyles have driven humanity to crave liberty. The way a video is presented shouldn’t necessarily be in a way that people feel accustomed to; it should have flair, it should have an element of rebel in it, which pushes people to want more, to break out of their chains, to see an end to the monotony. This type of cinematography requires courage, going against odds, fighting against the majority and standing ground. Courage is one thing that appeals to the toughest of the audience. Innovation is the way forward; at least that’s how Steve Jobs built an empire.
Around the business problem
The key to solving a problem is understanding the problem first, the nature of it, the ins and outs, the causes and effects. Many businesses involve people to rectify problems with understanding it first, and this leads to increased expenditures, manpower and most importantly wastage of time. These resources are treasured by every business, and their expense can’t be afforded. The way around this is the formulation of a team that identifies the problem and then works to solve it. This saves time, energy and money.
Time
We can’t have a second shot at first impression. In today’s world, first impression is everything, if you fail to make a good first impression; you won’t land the job, get the girl and will most likely miss the opportunity of a lifetime. Likewise, in the world of cinematography, first impression is everything, with so much content, and a shortage of people’s time if you fail to captivate an audience within the first 10 seconds, chances are they won’t hang around for the next 10. The first 10 seconds should be the point and crisp, there should be no confabulation. Make it worthwhile for the audience, and they will make it worthwhile for you, it’s give and take, and you better give quality to receive quantity.
Humor
Humor is the way to a woman’s heart, or so they say, and I have found it to be true most of the times. We, human beings, long for laughter, music, drama and such sensitivities. Incorporating them into a video will do wonders. A bleak, lifeless video will fall short of the viewer’s expectations. The most famous YouTubers are mostly comedians, and their content usually focuses on humor with a serious message at the end which appeals to a person’s mind and soul. Relaxing the audience and them incorporating a logical message goes a long way to the success of campaign videos or any video for that matter. Humor is the key, he who holds it can unlock the most fortified doors
Educate yourself
There are a selective ways of earning; things can be learned by reading about them, seeing them, or doing them. Different people have different aptitudes regarding learning, some learn by reading, some by seeing and some by doing. It is scientifically proven that the best way to learn is by practically doing the task and next to that is by visually experiencing it. If visual learning can be coupled with on hands practice, well things learned then, can never be forgotten. This can be done by making educational videos, webinars, etc. Encyclopedia before the blazing internet speed known as Encarta was a very useful tool for learning as it had descriptive information along with concise videos regarding the topic and it did wonders for kids in the 90’s. I still remember how a scramjet engine works just by eating videos about it. YouTube channels like Vsauce employ the same techniques and have millions of views on their videos because they educate people in a way they want to be educated.
Author bio:
Shawn Marshall is the father of two little girls. He is a digital marketer by profession and is utterly obsessed with the growing technology. He regularly shares his bright ideas on https://squareship.com/.
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