It used to be that we wake up, make a nice video, imprint a watermark, a logo right at the beginning and at the end, and that’s it. We not only have a good video done, but also a branded and unique one.
Video making is not what it used to be (say what?!)
In this current environment that we live in, however, things are quite different. Nowadays to have a video that stands out, we’re required to do a lot more.
This could be down to the large number of quality video content on the internet today. So yes, without a doubt it is a lot harder to make something that our audience has never seen before. And even harder to keep their attention on us for as long as we need. Thankfully, though, there remains a handful of tips and tricks that you can employ to give your videos that much-needed edge. We list six of the most important, and most relevant video tips below.
1. Personalization
Personalization is a word that’s on everybody’s minds nowadays, and for good reasons too. Sadly, a lot of people are still taking it for granted, which is a big mistake.
For instance, according to a 2019 Smart Insights article citing SmarterHQ research, 72% of consumers said they only engage with marketing messages that are personalized.
To put this in perspective even further, the same Smart Insights article reports that 60% of marketers see personalization as a key strategy for improving lead quality, ahead of improving content (57%), improving data management (30%) and improving lead quality metrics (28%).
So yes, personalization is huge, and could very well be the difference between a successful video with a large number of engagements, or an underperforming one.
Other than these, personalization also builds stronger relationships between the audience and the brand. Personalization is like sending a warm message to a friend telling them that you understand. That you know what their pain points are, how to solve them, and most importantly, you understand.
You can personalize videos easily with an intro maker tool, which allows you to change the intro video to your prospect’s name.
2. Customer Testimonials
If there’s something that outweighs a customer’s need to relate with a brand on a personalized level, it is the customer’s need to relate with other customers — a phenomenon which has been extensively studied by cognitive scientists.
Known formally as social-proof tendency, it is one of the most prominent cognitive biases and it is simply the tendency for us humans to feel safer thinking and acting the same way as other people around us think and act.
This is also why no matter how far you go in establishing brand authority and trust, there will always be people who remain skeptical about your brand if you don’t provide some social proof.
Brand relationships are like normal human relationships in a lot of ways. You need to have as much information as possible before choosing to fully commit to it.
And just like in real life you’d naturally want to hear good things from family and friends, when it comes to brand relationships audiences want to hear good things from your previous customers. This is why reviews are so popular.
And this is why customer testimonials in your videos go a long way.
They don’t even necessarily have to involve actual customers showing their face, though this is the best way without a doubt. It could be something as simple as displaying texts or testimonial pages.
What’s most important is to get the word out there. Customer testimonials in video isn’t a new concept, but it is one that is still going as strong as ever.
3. An Interesting First Three Seconds
The first three seconds – this is how long you have to catch a viewer’s attention and stop them from scrolling to the next shiny thing as fast as they can.
And that is why it becomes so important, imperative even, that you put the best foot forward. Give the introduction all you’ve got. It is almost impossible, in fact, to exaggerate just how important these first three seconds of your video are.
Your entire video may literally be filled with gold nuggets and no one will get to see it thanks to the weak introduction. This is not even necessarily an indictment of the video, or the audience for that matter. It is just the reality today. For example, according to data released by Facebook in 2016, 65% of people who watch the first three seconds of a video will watch for at least 10 seconds, and 45% continue watching for 30 seconds (source).
In other words, get your audience hooked for the first three seconds, and you have a good chance they stick around for more.
4. A Catchy Animated Intro
In case you were wondering just how to add a stunning introduction to your videos, well here’s an idea: a catchy animated intro. Why? Well because they get attention and people love them.
Also, they lead to a higher brand recall. People tend to remember a catchy intro and immediately associate it to a brand, than they do some generic words they saw flashed on a screen.
Animated intros still stand out, especially when they’re done right.
And then there’s the very best part of it all: you don’t have to max out your budget to get the best animated intros.
Sure, if you have the capability and are willing to go all out, you can get a highly sophisticated animated intro done. That is all well and good.
But for those who don’t want to go through that route, there are numerous video content creation options where you can easily get an amazing animated intro, and customize it to fit your purpose and brand, all for free or at a stipend.
Just check out Canva’s YouTube Intro Maker templates here.
5. Subtitles
Every video needs a subtitle. The reasons for this are in multiple folds. The first of them would certainly have to be the fact that more and more viewers across more and more platforms are beginning to consume videos with the sound off.
Another reason is the fact that subtitles increase the degree to which people understand what you’re trying to say. And of course getting people to understand what you’re saying should be a high priority in your videos.
Other reasons adding subtitles is a great idea include SEO benefits, reaching out to a wider audience who may not comprehend the language easily, and even providing foreign language subtitles for your foreign audience.
Also, captions can help viewers keep watching: Facebook’s internal testing found that captioned video ads increased video view time by an average of 12% (source).
6. A Call to Action
You need to make your CTA or Call to Action at the end of your video clear and move your viewer to perform the next action! Whether to visit your website, follow you on social media, or book your calendar, nothing beats a good CTA right on your video!
Conclusion to 6 Things Every Video Needs
Making your video stand out today is a lot harder than it used to be, but not impossible by any means. Among the steps you can take to achieve this are higher personalization, adding testimonials, adding subtitles, including a catchy animated intro, and making sure you have a really captivating first three seconds.
This article was contributed by John Tay with edits from the Mrdzyn Studio team behind Designpreneurs.com.
