If you are not convinced that you need videos to promote your video, consider this statistic; 90% buyers look for videos about a product and make their decision to buy based on them. Some of the best product reviews are video based and they are highly influential amongst the general populace. In fact 'the best tech reviewer on the planet' as he is known is a twenty year old student on YouTube, not a senior columnist in a gadget magazine. He has over 130 million views on his channel, with well over 1.5 million subscribers. That should tell you everything you need to know about the power of a good explainer video.
So should you start right away and shoot a bunch of videos that promote your product or service? Yes, you should, but before you do, here are a few things that you might want to make a note of on what to avoid while producing your video. Making a quality video is not as easy as it may seem, in fact, good quality videos will cost you quite a bit of money, so you need to know what to use and what not to use on your video. You will have to ensure that your video has a good amount of staying power and stays relevant at least for as long as your product is out there.
1. Premature production
One of the biggest mistakes and yet one of the most common is jumping right away to filming. If you are new to making videos, there is very little chance of you coming out with a quality video if you are not fully prepared. Even if you hire an experienced crew, winging it is not the way to go about it. Create a clean, solid script, know exactly what you want to add and what you want to skip, make sure you have what you want to say in the video prepared and made ready, this will also give you an idea about framing the budget. Then go in for the shoot with the pros. Melty Cone is a professional explainer video production company in NYC.
2. Do not overexpose
If you have an application, software or even a website, make sure you show it in the video. The trick, however, is getting the right amount of screen time for them. Interfaces, colors, content and even the entire look of it is more likely to change than not, so overexposing it on screen will make your video redundant very quickly. Instead, quick glances like sneak peeks or just shots of the buttons will draw the viewer's attention to the website, while not giving away too much. You can also talk about the functionality and urge the audience to check out the app. In a lot of cases that will be enough as most apps are user-friendly and navigating through them is not difficult.
3. Involve people
If your company has a small staff base, try getting as many as possible on the video. You may be tempted to use actors or other professionals, but they will not be able to bring out the same level of genuine emotions and passion for the product as your own people. Have a number of them appear, while not making it look crowded. Even if they later leave your company, the video will stay true. People will always be interested in a shoot and starring in videos, so get them to, it will be fun and will add value to it.
4. Use logos sparingly
Logos are a mark of any brand and is something that you are sure to be very proud of, so you will be tempted to use them everywhere. You really shouldn't. If you don't agree with that statement, look up any popular company's logo, there is sure to be a number of versions of it. Everyone from Pepsi to Google has changed their logos over time and if you have just gotten your start, you will surely get a new logo. So use the logo, but make sure it is not prominent or added in places where it is hard to notice. If it may be possible to re-shoot and edit out the logo, that is also an advantage.
5. Information
The product video should have a good enough amount of information to make the time viewers spend on it worthwhile. There is also a limit to how much you can say on them. Too much information will just make it preachy and boring. A long video will also loose pace and what you convey in the video is likely to be forgotten soon and worse, people may not want to come back for a second viewing.
6. Big screen
Many product videos zoom right in on the product and fill the whole screen, offering a closer view of it. It seems like a good idea as the product is seen up close and personal, but in reality, at such close-up views, even small movements will be distracting. It is really a lot more beneficial for both you and your viewers if you take a step back and give a wider look to the screen. Close-ups are very useful, but effective only when used sparingly, so avoid constant, long, tight close-ups.
7. Geographic limitations
If your brand is a small one, your target may be the immediate vicinity, so you will be tempted to use inside jokes, city specific talk or even show off your pride and love of the place. It will sure to make your close neighbors smile, but what happens when you begin to expand, open a new branch in a nearby state or even open up oversees? Making your video accessible to everyone who stumbles upon the video, is a smart thing to do. It will also be easier to share such a video on different social media outlets.
The above pointers are only a few guidelines that will help you with your video and there are no real rules or a set formula that you can crack to make your video go viral.
What is Melty Cone? Melty Cone is a full-service video production company in NYC. We make videos from start to finish; from creative idea conception to final video delivery.
