There is a stinging sensation that accompanies the sudden realization of “Oh, I’ve made a huge mistake.” It’s universally unpleasant. Your pride takes a hit. Your bottom line may as well.
Address these realities proactively so that your stakeholders benefit from a truly valuable video marketing experience.
Bear with me as I transform into a joyless curmudgeon (it’s actually quite fun) as we examine these video marketing truths.
Good videos can’t hide crappy value propositions
Some videos rock our worlds. They delight us. They’re way better than we anticipated.
So we take the next step. We do more research. We clickthrough.
This looks promising. It could be the one.
Then it falls apart. The veneer is lifted and we’re left with a lackluster lull.
We appreciate style but we value substance. If solution #1 touts its capabilities but falls short, our frustration may be amplified. We have to restart the buying process which takes more time, effort, and money. All that work may be a sunk cost if we’re invested or committed in resolving a problem. Not only that, we could’ve used this opportunity to accomplish other necessary tasks.
Good videos mean nothing if a terrible value proposition follows. Viewers might complain of a “bait and switch” or misrepresentation of perceived benefits. Your brand is damaged. Revenue is lost.
You get what you pay for
Andy Smith of ReelSEO rightly points out that budget doesn’t always dictate creativity. Creators are able to get so much more mileage out of their expenditures nowadays. Competition between camera manufacturers has made great quality affordable unlike ever before. Technological advancements in editing suites and publication platforms have led to greater opportunities and participation from small businesses and independent content producers. The possibilities are limitless.
With that said, a race to the bottom seems inevitable. We expect more for less nowadays. However, our expectations have outpaced capabilities. Believing in your vision is one thing. Straining the limits of fiscal belief is another. You won’t be getting Steven Spielberg for $50. Look beyond monetary costs. Great work necessitates a great deal of:
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Time
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Labor
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Opportunity
in addition to finances. If you don’t spend enough time planning and coordinating elements in pre-production, you’ll likely end up paying a lot more to correct mistakes late in production.
Editing can only do so much
A poop-in-your-cheerios fact is some things can’t be saved. Despite unwavering optimism, there are instances where what’s recorded is rough at best and downright awful at worst. Mistakes we’re guilty of making include:
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“Bleh” compositions
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Questionable lighting
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Distracting audio
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Wooden performances
“We’ll fix it in post.”
It’s true that master editors can work magic with the right programs at the ready. However, requiring a miracle means a mistake was made long before editorial intervention. All that time and energy is better spent in developing a thorough pre-production module that ensures a seamless process once you get rolling.
How can you avoid these costly mistakes?
If you’re outsourcing your videography, contract a reputable team with a proven portfolio. Articulate your project vision and goals and see what aligns and what contrasts. Understand their working style. Contact previous clients if possible and pick their brains. Many organizations do a trial run where a satisfactory smaller-scale project can lead to greater amounts of work based on demand and cost.
If creating in-house, define your pre-production curriculum. We’re talking:
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Scripting
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Storyboarding
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Blocking
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Resource management
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Location scouting
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Crew
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Equipment
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Production Design
Who’s in charge of each facet? Do you have the necessary talent to achieve all of this in-house? What are the timelines for tasks? What can be improved the next time you shoot a video?
People will like your video and still leave
This feeling is hard to stomach. You did everything right. You created content for buyer personas. You crafted specific landing pages and optimized every best practice for distribution. What went wrong?
Sometimes, viewers aren’t ready to purchase just yet. Maybe the timing and context conflict with the viewer’s present predicament. Maybe the offer doesn’t exactly match his or her perceived needs.
There are plenty of variables that come into play. Your competitors are undoubtedly sharing their own content which makes the battle for “share of mind” and “share of wallet” contentious. On top of that, your video content competes with other noise from other networks (e.g. Facebook, Vine, Periscope) and separate buying decisions. Furthermore, the urgency of your offer may take a backseat to other priorities in your audiences’ lives. So why isn’t this a hopeless cause?
What you can do
Re-shape your video marketing conversion path based on metric analysis. What converted before? What converts now? Where can you add more value? Look into:
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How many interactions happen before transactions occur
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Where do those interactions exist?
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When do those interactions happen?
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What CTAs are viable and when are they encountered
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What’s the next content checkpoint?
You’re obviously producing some good stuff. Examining performance and implementing upgrades based on your users’ conversion paths will take you to the next level.
