ONLINE VIDEO MARKETING
Flashy videos sell better than boring videos.
That might sound silly and obvious, but as a video producer, you always have to question what the audience will respond to, so you can deliver.
Should you spend extra time and money creating flashy graphics or just settle for the cheap and easy plain ones?
During my many years as a video producer, I spoke with hundreds of clients, bosses, co-workers and viewers of all stripes about what they liked or didn’t like about a particular video. I’ve evaluated hundreds of finished video projects, often revamping them to make them better.
All that experience taught me that flashiness is what most impresses people when the video is short. In fact, I was often disappointed to realize how flashiness seemed to work irrespective of any other attributes the video had. Personally, I always favored high quality, in-depth content. Well… I had to learn that most people don’t, which is why American Idol has more viewers than a PBS documentary on fish eggs.
A good “story” is always essential, particularly the longer a video gets. For example, a movie can be extremely flashy but will probably still bomb at the box office if the plot is a snoozer. But it’s also true that the shorter the video gets, the more flashiness is a good substitute for “story.”
Flashiness gives people the impression that the video is expensive and high quality. If they think that, they are almost guaranteed to perceive that the information contained in the video is accurate. That fact never ceases to amaze me. (Am I the only person on the planet who is NOT impressed when a product brags that it is “seen on TV?”)
Flashiness also keeps people entertained. Whizz-bang graphics and spectacular visuals help keep people awake and attentive to the screen. Sound effects and music help do too.
SO USE THEM!
Back when I freelanced as a video producer in the Nashville, TN market, I got to the point where every video I did was moving, shaking and jiving virtually every single frame because that’s what people wanted. It made them believe my videos were sophisticated and valuable.
Honestly, I got a little tired of playing that game, but I got used to it after a while.
Flashy videos like these immediately capture people’s attention. It’s impossible not to get absorbed in it because FLASHY VIDEO WORKS!
Guaranteed.
Thanks for being a reader!
Lorraine Grula