I think it goes without saying that web-based video has really begun to take hold in the business world. More and more often, as we land on a company’s home page, we’re greeted with a video.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that most of these videos come across to me as a little too commercial-ish. The scripted delivery, or paid spokesperson, or deer-in-the-headlights/teleprompter-reading presentation found in most corporate videos destroy any opportunity to demonstrate authenticity.
I wanted to share the formula for, and an example of, the type of video I like to see today. One that does away with the overly-produced videos I see and focuses on what’s important to the viewer.
You Bond With People on Their Problems, Not Your Solution
When we shoot a Web TV show, develop a podcast episode, or shoot one of our Vid·EEE·o’s (a new example of which is below) for a corporate customer, we take folks through a simple story-telling process:
- What is the problem facing our customers?
- What are they doing to solve it (that isn’t working)?
- What is the solution that fixes the problem?
The acronym is P.A.S. – Problem, Alternative solution, Solution.
1. Problem
By beginning our video (or podcast or Web TV episode) with the Problem, we bond with our audience. We help them understand that we know what they’re going through. By doing so, we establish our credibility not by claiming it (“we’re a world-class service provider of. . . .blah blah woof woof”) but by demonstrating it.
The video below is for UpMo, a career-management service in the Bay Area. The video begins with a brief review of the problems facing those looking for a job.
Video Time: 00:00 – 00:15
2. Alternative Solution
After the problem is addressed, we speak about the Alternative Solution. There are two goals in reviewing the Alternative Solutions with our viewer;
- Prove we are aware of the viewer’s efforts to solve the problem (which, in turn, shows that I recognize we have competition)
- Subtly poison that competition
Video Time: 00:16 – 00:37
3. The Solution
Once we’ve established our credibility by reviewing the problem(s) facing a client, along with the efforts they may have taken to solve it, I’ve painted a relatively bleak picture. To relieve that tension, I normally begin the Solution segment of my story with this statement:
“This is a problem we solve.”
Once I’ve said that, I am free to detail (in the short time allotted), how it is we solve the problems they face.
Video Time: 00:38 – 01:33
One More Step: A Risk-Free Call to Action
Once I’ve stated my case, I want to take a moment and invite the viewer to accept my Call to Action. (Not doing so is a mistake, I believe.)
Now, your call-to-action could be as innocuous as inviting somebody to visit a certain section of your website. Ultimately, the reason you do a web-based video (or podcast or Web TV program) is to either make money or motivate people to take action on your behalf. Now is the time to make that happen.
With this type of video, I’m a big fan of the risk-free Call to Action. It may be a bit hard to motivate somebody to part with their money after a two-minute video but, if you did a good job, you should be able to motivate a number of viewers to do something that will ultimately benefit them risk-free.
Video Time: 01:34 – 01:48
That’s it, basically. Although there is a bit more to it, this is pretty much the process I go through for every bit of audio/video content PodWorx produces. It appears to be very simple (it is) but is incredibility effective in differentiating yourself from the competitive herd.
I hope you find this “tutorial” helpful. If you have any questions or comments give me a shout or comment below.
Here’s the video:
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