The first step in creating a compelling video is to develop the concept. What’s the goal of your video—to educate, entertain, sell or promote? Whatever it is, you need to know before getting started. Be careful not to let a clever idea overshadow your goal.
You’ll want to ask yourself: Is this something people will want to share? Great videos are the ones that get reposted on Facebook, blogs and forums. A video no one wants to share won’t do you a lot of good. The most successful videos typically have one of three elements: humor, celebrity or music. Most businesses won’t fall neatly into any of these categories. But with a little creativity, you’ll find that most businesses have something compelling to offer. For instance, lots of people are “celebrities” within their industry. This doesn’t have to be a celebrity in the conventional sense—think celebrity chef, winemaker or designer—create your own celebrity.
How-to videos are a great way to showcase an industry celebrity. People are searching YouTube every second to learn how to do, fix or make something. Find out what people want to learn within your industry and search YouTube for similar how-to videos in your field. This can be something as simple as how to pour a glass of wine without dripping down the side of the bottle. A quick search may reveal many such videos already. Don’t worry: You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, just put your own spin on it. Remember to focus on your goal. Once you get the concept, you’re halfway there.
Keeping your viewers engaged is an important part of a compelling video, so get to the point quickly. Long-winded introductions will lead to short viewing times. You’re lucky if someone watches your video for more than two minutes (more on this later). With the how-to example in mind, most likely, the viewers will be less interested in you and more interested in your expertise, talent and skills. If your video will show how to install a replacement window in a home, then briefly say who you are, what you’re about to do—and then do it.
This brings up the issue of editing. Getting to the point is a lot easier when you have the ability to edit the video down. If you don’t have the resources or inclination to edit a video (you plan to do it on your smartphone and post directly to the Internet), make sure it’s scripted and rehearsed. What should be a three-minute video can quickly turn into 15 minutes of useless footage that no one will share or want to watch in the first place.
Knowing your audience means you can direct the message, style and pace of the video toward your target viewer. Keeping general demographic information in mind is a good start—age, gender, even marital status—but you can go further. The more you know about your viewer, the easier it will be to make a video he or she will want to watch. Get the opinions of people you know and trust who fit the profile. Ask what they’d want to see (or what they wouldn’t want to see). This will get easier with subsequent videos as you learn more about your audience.
The comment section is a great place to engage with and learn about your audience. I encourage businesses to allow comments; it will tell you what your viewers/potential customers are thinking (for better or worse). This is important feedback, but make sure you monitor and respond to comments accordingly. Don’t be defensive if you see rude or overly negative comments. You can always remove comments or block specific users from commenting in the future. The best practice is to respond professionally. By doing so, you join the conversation. Answering questions and becoming a valuable resource to your viewers will help build your subscriber base. YouTube is basically a social media site, so follow the same guidelines you would with your Facebook or Twitter accounts.
The attention span of your audience is critical in creating a successful YouTube video. YouTube and online videos in general aren’t like TV. People want to consume short videos online. Three minutes or less is a good benchmark. You want the viewer to sneak the video in during work hours and not get caught (sorry boss, your employees are watching videos at work). There are circumstances when people will watch longer videos online. A compelling interview is a good example. TED talks (Google it if you don’t already know) have videos that get into the 20 minute mark and get millions of views. But they’re very compelling and they know their audience. It’s best to keep your videos brief whenever possible.
Once you’ve finished your video, make sure to watch it several times (by multiple people if possible) to ensure there are no major mistakes. Once it looks the way you want, post it everywhere you can—YouTube, your website, Facebook, Twitter, blogs and forums—and monitor them. Communication is key and your video is a great place to start.
Marcus Owens is digital media manager for The Cube Productions and EMG Inc. (www.thecubeproductions.com and www.youtube.com/emgpickupstv) in Santa Rosa. He manages a successful YouTube channel with more than 14 million views and has more than 10 years of media experience.
Normal
0
0
1
786
4482
37
8
5504
11.1539
0
0
0
