Thursday, July 22, 2010

Tips and Tricks of Online Video

Creating successful and engaging online video is difficult. Here are some tips on what to avoid during your online video production process.

1. Keep It Short.
Promotional videos are meant to be short and sweet. “When is the last time you watched a five minute promotional thing on the Internet?” asks Tim Plum, the owner of Plum, a video production company based in Chicago, IL. “I bet the answer is never.” If the videos go too long viewers don't get hooked and will click away before your message is delivered.
2. Remember Your Production Values.
If you disregard the importance of production values, your videos end up looking unprofessional and turn the viewer off. Cheap looking videos can distract viewers from the message you are trying to convey. Make sure all aspects of the video are professional looking such as lighting, sound, camerawork, and backgrounds. No one is going to take a video seriously if it looks like it was shot in back of someone's garage with a shaky camera with a built-in microphone.
3.Hire a Professional.
If you are hiring a video production company, think twice about going with the cheapest choice. You might save a couple dollars but your video could end up suffering. These companies often have poor taste in font choices, colors, narration, or music and the finished product will reflect this. "You want your video to look fresh and cool" Plum says, "not hacky and slightly wrong."
4.Stay on Topic.
Keep in mind what you want your viewers to feel and think after they watch it the video. Do you want them to take action or remember anything in particular? "Clients tend to want to sneak in a lot of other messages", says Plum. Don't overload them with too much information. Keep to information that supports the goals of the video instead expanding on every little detail about your company. Make it simple and don't go off topic.
5.Viral Isn't Always Right.
Often time companies try to go viral but don't realize it is extremely difficult pull off successfully. "It’s easy to make a bad viral video" says Plum. Feel free to try something crazy and different but make sure your goals are clear. Although viral videos are "cool and hip and mind-blowing", you can still be a hit without being "the next viral video".


Resources:
Dreier, Trou. “Five Online Videos Don'ts.". 20 July 2010. OnlineVideo.net.
http://www.onlinevideo.net/2010/07/five-online-video-donts.

2 comments:

  1. The online video production should begin with a bash to become successful. Usually visitors provide approx 3 – 5 seconds to create an impression. If the video doesn’t influence them, then sure they will move out of your website.

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  2. Very true, the hook of the video is probably the most important part. Without that, they won't even stay long enough to see the rest of the video you spent so much time creating.

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