Know-How Exchange : Other

Within ten seconds, I would hire you as video spokesperson talent. As a decision-maker with responsibilities for hiring a website development company, I would not take any further action (such as visiting Elance?) after watching this video.

Anybody can make these promises and claims. Where is the proof, the testimonials, the confirmation, transparency of your business model strategy and positioning behind your brand?

And who are you targeting? My sense is soho/small business just needing simple solution sites for a web presence. Not the "too extravagant' client demands of b2b sites requiring sophisticated user data integration tools costing north of $100k. Maybe that was a little harsh, sorry.

The point is, you should write a business plan, with a marketing section, with a creative brief for any video or other self promotion. Creativity without strategy is everywhere on the web. You don't want to be everywhere, you want to be somewhere.

ps - professional is only working from a website development creative brief that is signed by the client.

You've spent a long time on the script, only I'd like to see something a little more specific. What is the one thing that you as a company can do that nobody else can? I know lots of companies that do exactly what you do, and publicize themselves in ways that are equally bland.

Re-focusing everything you do from that perspective - the perspective of your best client - will change your attitude to your script entirely. Sure, you'll want to tear it up - but wait! All you have to do is take the paper and turn it over and look at it from the other side. The side your customer sees.

Speak to them, directly and specifically. Speak to them as if you were meeting them in a coffee shop and you were explaining your special something to them. Do they get it? Or not? Why not? I do that with businessmen I meet - usually on trains when I'm fetching coffees - and a minute or so tells me if they get what I do or not. That's one-on-one and blind. You're speaking to that perfect client who isn't quite going to believe their luck that they've found you.

So your first task is to relax. It looks as if your boyfriend's trying to tickle you and you're trying to stop laughing. Sit back, let them come to you a little. Just make sure that you do this for the kind of people who have already bought from you twice. Because you're striving for perfection - and the trick is not to be perfect. Do you know the work of Tom Thomson? Even if you don't it doesn't really matter. He painted in a manner that was frankly crude. That shocked an establishment that was all for super-detailed pictures.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Thomson,1917,_April_in_Algonquin_Par... (it's a real shame you can't post pictures on this site!)

I saw his exhibition in Groningen (NL) last year. Yes, his stuff is crude daubing. Only when you stand back at a certain distance - you can hear the birds sing! So what's going on? It's that very unfinishedness that makes his art come alive - and it does so by drawing you into the sphere that he stood in a hundred years ago. It's not that they're unfinished, it's the way in which they're left unfinished - it's those rough edges that your mind irons out to form the picture in your mind's eye.

In other words, if you like Thomson's paintings it's because you allow yourself to engage with them. Because their perfection needs you to bridge the gap between yourself and the thing you see. If you treat his art as an objective, academic study - you will miss the point entirely. You'll also miss out on seeing Canada!

So yes, your video is impressive. Only it's bland, and it's all about you not them. What do these guys want that you do? You need to make it rough in a way that draws the attention of your best clients.

Some testimonials would do nicely - as Steve says - only in 10 seconds? You could show your clean, uncluttered websites that demonstrate the skills of their owners with clarity.

Video is a great medium for showing something. Your video only tells something - which doesn't make use of power of showing. In your video, show more about the results you achieve and the people you work with, rather than simply reading a script. Ultimately, that's what your viewers care about.

Most people looking for a web design company want to see examples.

It's less a case of tell and more a case of show.

If I'm your customer, show me how you've made other companies look good.

Show me examples of logos, Joomla, and Wordpress sites you've done for other people.

Convince me you know what I need, and then give me solid examples of the ways you've met other people's needs.

At the moment, you'd not doing this. So, after 10 seconds, no, I wouldn't hire this company to create a website.

A link would also be helpful. If this link https://creativewebsitepro.com is the site in question (you're in Ohio, this website is based in Ohio, so I'm presuming it's the correct site), then, you might have a small problem.

The link leads to a parked domain: no site, no content. Nada.

This creates a credibility issue.

As for the video itself, although the lighting is good, at the moment the audio is a little muffled.

A small investment in a decent microphone will reap HUGE rewards.

At a running length of 53 seconds it MAY help to have your presenter slow her pitch down just a little. Adding a few half second pauses between statement points gives listeners time to absorb relevant detail before being presented with the next point.