Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

What's the goal of your video - to answer questions from an interested audience or to attract a disinterested viewer?

Before scripting the video, start by interviewing your prospective clients (ideally, record the interview). Tell them in a sentence or two about what you're selling, and let them ask a question. Answer it, and repeat. Do this enough, and you'll know what points you need to touch on (and in what order).

Since this is a video - what visual impact do you hope to make? Why not simply a PDF or case study? How will the video improve your message?

Finally, 3-5 mins is a long time (these days) to have people watch something. Can you get your message across in 3 minutes?

Jay is a master of this stuff, so his comments are right on the mark. You have to be very clear about who you're targeting with the video and what single-minded message you want to deliver.

And if you can keep the length under 3 minutes -- maybe 90 seconds -- you'll end up communicating twice as much as if you try to pack more into the video and run 2 or 3 minutes. (I know it's counter-intuitive, but it's true. Take advantage of what others have learned the hard way.)

You've said "client" a few times as the audience, so is this an upsell opportunity? If so, your job is definitely easier. But one thing I'm not hearing so far is the emotional sell. We buy on emotion and rationalize our decision with the rest of the information.

So, what is the pain-point from the perspective of your client that this product is solving. That's your story line. Start with the pain and end with the emotional satisfaction and confidence the software offers. Wrap it up with a lot of warm-fuzzies about your brand -- a brand they already trust -- and you're done.

Now, if you're also targeting prospects, your job is the same but a bit harder, because now you've got to sell the brand a bit more. By that I don't mean you add a bunch of corporate speak about why you are the "market leader" or whatever, but perhaps a testimonial from a long-standing client, or a quote from the CEO or Tech Director about the commitment to innovation or something along those lines. What are the differentiators of your brand?

Hope that helps.

--doubleb

Go to these professionals that create exactly what you're looking to do yourself. They have 100's of awards, many Fortune 500 clients, and thousands of smaller company success stories of how their "videos" deliver the clear message in under 3 minutes - exactly what others above have said to do.

Give Matt a call at 503-620-3377 and visit a sample at www.impactmovie.com. Tell them AdsValue sent you. You will learn why doing it yourself is not such a good idea.

Bob