Watch the Video Below.
The biggest MISTAKE in a Brand Video.
Most Brand Videos that I’ve seen are leaving money on the table.
(BTW a Brand Video is also called an About Us, Overview or Video Business Card.)
The mistake that I see, waaaay too often, is that most Brand Videos focus only on the company.
“But, aren’t you supposed to talk about how you help your clients in a Brand Video?”
Yes, for sure.
BUT…
Only after you show your viewer, your prospect, that you understand them and the challenge they have.
Here’s a true story to demonstrate…
After I got divorced I went on a first date with a woman that seemed to have all the makings of a great partner. We met for a drink.
She proceeded to talk about herself for over an hour and barely let me in the conversation. Now, I’m a good listener and, as I mentioned, I had a drink in front of me, but this got boring very quickly.
No way was I going on a second date.
Back to the Brand Video…
If you drone on and on about how great you are from the very beginning of the video, and then keep droning on and on about your company, there’s not likely to be a second date.
**** TAKEAWAY ****
If you make the story of your Brand Video about the Viewer (your Prospect) they will give you their attention.
– Mark
TRANSCRIPT of VIDEO
If your organization has a brand video, in other words, an “About Us” or “Overview” or “Video Business Card”, chances are you’re leaving money on the table.
It most likely looks really good, sounds good, and you probably pay a lot for it, but it’s not doing what you’d hoped it would, which is help the right prospects understand that you’re a right solution for them, and get them closer to buying from you.
The biggest mistake I see, and I see it almost all the time, is that the brand video is only about the company. In fact, I’ve seen videos that go on about the company for three solid minutes, and at no point does it mention their customer. This makes me sad.
Let me show you what I’m talking about by starting out two brand videos for you.
VIDEO #1
“Hi, my name is Mark, and I’m the Founder and Creative Director at “Moving and Still”. I started this company about 13 years ago, because I just love helping my clients get amazing videos. We always strive for the highest quality of video and we use Sony cameras that shoot in 4k. We use the S-Log picture profile, and normally shoot at 24 frames per second. We love making videos for both businesses and not-for-profit organizations, and I think everyone should have a video. Oh, and we even have a drone.”
VIDEO #2
“If you’re the person responsible for marketing at your company, then you already know that you have a big challenge when it comes to generating leads and growing revenue. You have plenty of options to try to do that, but aren’t always certain where to invest because there are tons of variables.
You’ve probably thought about using video in your marketing stack, but don’t know where to start. Plus, if you make the wrong move, it’s gonna waste a lot of money. At “Moving and Still” we know that video is complicated, but we have the experience and knowledge to get it right the first time. Our clients look to us to be their guide throughout the process and they trust us to not only be able to get the production part right, you know, making the video look and sound great, but because we take the time to understand your unique situation, we’ll also get the strategy and tactics right too.”
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In the first example, it was all me, me, me, we, we, we. In the second, the focus was squarely on the prospect watching the video. The second video was empathetic, a ‘we feel your pain’ kinda thing that lets the viewer know right away that you understand their challenges.
The first video had jargon, S-Log, dynamic range, frames per second, where the second one brought up the very real fear of wasting money. The other part that you may have noticed in the first example is that it listed features, and didn’t even bother telling the viewer about the benefits of those features.
In the first video, the brand was the star of the show, but in the second, the prospect or viewer was the star of the show, and when you do it this way, the viewer will understand that you are on their side, that they have a challenge and it needs solving, and you are positioning your brand as the one that can guide them to success.
This is classic Hollywood storytelling, where there is a character, your prospect, that has a challenge, the problem that you can help them solve, they come upon a guide, you and your brand, that ultimately leads them to success.
In truth, it’s a bit more complicated, but this is the gist, character, problem, guide, success.
So, if you currently have a brand video, take a look or really, listen to the words used and ask yourself “Who’s the star of the show?” “Your brand or the prospect?”
“Okay, that’s all interesting, Mark,” “but when do I get to tell the prospect how great we are?” “I’m investing in video to make sure people know” “what we do and to get more people to buy from us”. And that’s a great point.
You will definitely be able to do that in your brand video, but absolutely critical that you lead off by showing empathy towards your prospect and their challenge.
If you let them know, you understand their challenges and that you’re on their side, they’ll give you their attention.
If you have any questions about brand videos, let me know. Or if you’d like me to check out your brand video to give you my professional opinion on whether you’re likely leaving money on the table, I’d be more than happy to do that for you.
All you gotta do is get in touch, and you can do that either here with a direct message, or just go to the website. Thanks very much and we’ll talk to you soon.
