Are you ready for your close-up?

Video is the new normal, and if you don’t have it now, you are not considered tech savvy. A few considerations before you attempt to shoot yourself on your smartphone.

Is it the right medium?

I was doing some quick research the other day and I was on a very reputable site that seems to have decided that video should be the preferred format for its content.

I needed some quick facts but was only able to click on video and watch one- to three-minute clips. This was so frustrating that it occurred to me that sometimes content should simply be written so it is easy to scan fast. Video is not the right choice for all messages.

Saying that though, it is the medium that can be the most persuasive for a message as it is able to appeal to most of your senses. Research shows it to have the edge in viewers being able to assess your credibility.

Is it searchable and clickable?

The description and thumbnail of your video are very important. You need to pay close attention to creating a concise summary of your client-benefit message so the key words will be picked up by search engines.

Then, when search results are viewed, you need to get clicked on. Create your own custom thumbnail on YouTube. YouTube will automatically generate a few “frames” of your video, but you will want to create your own with a clear, close-up image of your choice coupled with a few bold words of text that will drive people to click on it.

I am also starting to think that for legal content that is more technical or fact-based, you might also want the viewer to be able to download a transcription of the video.

Do you know your video analytics?

Video content is great as it can provide you with a ton of viewer information. YouTube provides “audience retention reports” that tell you how well you are keeping your viewing audience.

YouTube also provides many helpful hints on creating marketing content. Keep track of what works and what doesn’t and your videos will improve with practice.

Marketing is tipping more and more into the scientific world despite ongoing attempts by some lawyers to continually discount it. There’s a lot of evidence and proof that marketers can now use to show that marketing efforts to create and support the referral process is effective — and actually now — necessary!

Outsource or in-house?

Video is still expensive to outsource, but you do get what you pay for. While anyone can shoot video on his or her smartphone, proper lighting and quality of image will generally grab more viewership. You have to assess the cost benefit of your video.

You can shoot pretty good video yourself, but do some research and practise in advance on lighting and editing before you upload.

Dress, makeup, and hair?

There’s a lot of help online for this. Do look it up before you get videoed as wearing crazy patterns or burning out the screen with bright colours will distract viewers from your message. Also watch reflective items such as jewelry and eyeglasses.

High definition is a killer, people, especially on us aging or sweaty people. Powder is a must.

Video still needs a strategy?

Video is fun and new and many times this distracts creators from strategy. It’s still all about strategy; before you start shooting, you need to define and understand your audience, create your key message and call to action, and create your storyboard before you even pick up the camera.

I’m ready for my close-up now, are you?


-30-