Does Your Video Have a Purpose?
In the world of video marketing there is no such thing as art. This is something I learned hard and fast as a young, charismatic, recently graduated film student. I grabbed my diploma, my coffee pot and all the clothes I could stuff into my hamper and left the pseudo-reality we call higher education to begin my journey in the real world. I was ready to work for an honest to goodness marketing agency, where people would pay me for my Scorsese-esque films full of beautiful imagery and jaw-dropping cinematography. The only problem: I was living in a fantasy world.
It became increasingly apparent to me that the only way people were going to pay me to make videos was if they worked. And by “worked” I mean brought in more clients. And the best way to do that, it seemed, was to give the videos the one thing they were missing: purpose. The art of establishing and crafting the purpose of a video, although often overlooked, is arguably the most critical process in the overall success of the film.
The best way to find that purpose is to ask yourself a series of questions.
What is the Goal?
Unless your name is Quentin Tarentino, and you are making films “your way” with the millions of dollars you have stored up because its your hobby, you need to institute a goal. Whether the goal is to spread brand awareness, ease customer anxiety or flat out reach more clients, your goal will shape the message of your video. A common cliché people use in the industry is “begin with the end in mind.” What a simple, yet profound idea.
When you set a goal, the process seems to create itself.
Who are You Speaking to?
Who is your audience? Who are the people that you want to send a message to? And no, everyone is not a good answer. You speak differently to your twenty-something co-workers than you do your blue-collar father. In the same respect, you should speak differently to CEOs than stay-at-home moms.
Craft your message around your audience.
Why Should They Care?
Most importantly, you need to tell people why they should care. So often we assume the value is sitting in plain sight when it isn’t. People want to know WHY your product/service is going to make their lives better; so tell them!
Michelle Blanton from Candidio explains how this thought process helps create a connection with your audience in this diagram:
Purpose is Part of the Beauty
Ultimately, asking these questions and fine-tuning the purpose of your video is not a substitution for alluring imagery or masterful cinematography, it’s a part of the beauty of a film. Videos are aesthetically pleasing when they achieve their purpose. When your audience watches a testimonial and responds by becoming a life-long customer, that is beautiful. Purpose and beauty work together to create compelling and effective marketing pieces.
The cinematographer in me asks, “is it stunning?” But the marketer in me asks, “will it work?” And its a good day when I can say yes to both.
InnerAction Media
Video marketing is a powerful way to attract, educate and delight your audience.
- Video can be beautiful.
- It can emotionally resonate.
- It can be an easily digestible way to deliver information.
- Video is the perfect way to tell a story.
Of course, all the pretty pictures in the world don’t mean much if you don’t know what to say or to whom to say it.
That’s why our IAM team has developed a simple, proven process to discover your goals, your audience and your key messages before we ever turn on a camera.