So. You’re trying to figure out how to put together a half decent video for your website and you’re stuck. Perhaps you’ve made videos before but none of them seemed to get any real results. Maybe you watched the video you haphazardly hashed together and with a sparkle in your eyes and hope in your heart thought, “wow, this video is gonna go VIRAL!” only to score a measly 22 views on Youtube (half of them from your own mother).
Well in this post I’m not gonna teach you how to be a Youtube super star (yet) but I will illustrate 4 key points that I believe are crucial when making a great video for your webpage.
When we want to make a video where should we look for movie making inspiration? Well I say we look at Hollywood. When Spielberg or J.J. Abrams create a movie they make sure to create interesting story arcs. Here is an example: Hero has a problem, hero faces his problem almost failing until finally the hero overcomes his problem and gets the girl. Without the hero facing a problem, the victory wouldn’t mean much. This is how we need to approach our web videos.
1-Intro: This is simple enough. Here is where you introduce yourself/company/product and begin speaking to your target audience. Make this introduction, clean, clear and short.
2-Hook: Here is where you really grab your audiences attention. Be interesting be creative. Take some chances so your message doesn’t fall flat. Here is where you set up your audience’s problem. This establishes a need. If you sell an awesome iPad case you show them why the one they currently use is horrible. This creates a need, without creating that need your solution or message just won’t sound as appealing.
Once you’ve established the problem quickly switch gears and start telling them about your solution. This leads them along your story arc and if done right will spark an emotional response that will lead them to the next step…
3-Desire: Now they know they have a problem (perhaps they didn’t before) and they know that you have an awesome solution. An iPad case that hovers in the air so you can use it “hands-free!” Now thats awesome. And because you are leading them along your story arc, they now desire your hovering, hands-free, iPad, solution.
4-Action: You hooked them at the beginning when you showed them that they have a problem, you showed them why your solution is the best and now when they have seen just enough to love you and your product you lead them to take action. When you introduce your call to action be specific but not demanding. Nobody likes to be told they HAVE to do something. If you’ve done the rest of the video right and have created enough desire you won’t have to get in their faces at the end, so the call to action should be an invitation, not coercion. Invite people to sign up, add an item to their cart, or call now and provide an easy path for them to become new or recurring customers.
If you follow these basic steps you will have a huge advantage over many other poorly devised web-videos that litter your competitor’s home pages. And you are one step closer to creating that “viral video” you’ve always dreamed of creating. Don’t worry, you’ll get there.
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