What belongs in a video?

Almost anything can go in a video. But not everything can go in a video. The most effective videos have a focused audience, limited content, and a targeted mission.

Setting a mission for a video starts with asking the questions: “How should the audience be changed by what they see in this video? What do I want them to do differently after seeing it?”  

Making an effective video is as much — or more — about understanding the audience as it is about understanding the content. What are the questions that THEY want answered? What do they care about?

Some other things to think about are:

• Who are the people you want most to reach? People who are not your primary audience might still like a video made for the target audience. But, if you make a video for “everyone,” chances are that it won’t work for anyone. 

• Where are they mentally, emotionally, intellectually? For instance, are they early in the sales cycle? Hands-on users who want to dig deep? People with positive or negative preconceptions?

• Where will they watch this? On their phones? As a captive audience in an environment you control?

• What’s in it for them? What do they want to get out of the time they spend watching the video?

Want to explore these ideas for your company? Let’s have an informal chat!