Consistent Use of Video, Consistent Results
The old adage of “practice makes perfect” isn’t completely accurate. Practice makes permanent. Doing something incorrectly, even if you do it over and over, won’t miraculously make it perfect. With this in mind, let’s explore how consistent use of video, using best practices as a guide, can skyrocket your ROI and move more of your leads through the buying journey.
Consistent Use of Video – Authenticity
One of the greatest assets of video messaging, especially with tools like Covideo, is the quick, non-stylized nature with which you can create videos. The non-glossy, pragmatic sheen also allows for heightened credibility perception from your audience. With this in mind, it’s vitally important to be authentic in your video messages.
Video messaging allows you to build a deeper rapport in a shorter amount of time, but sincerity must be present. As you’re continuing to create and send video messages, ensure that your recordings aren’t overly produced or scripted, as this works against the benefits to the medium. Small pauses, the occasional minor background distraction, these all send important signals of the “impromptu” nature of your messaging, so lean into it.
Consistent Use of Video – Length
Attention spans continue to dwindle. Reward interest with brevity. According to internal Meta statistics, nearly 50 percent of audiences that watch the first three seconds of your video will watch a full 30 seconds. The number one reason to use video messaging is because it guarantees you a higher level of viewer engagement than emails, phone calls, or other forms of outreach—but don’t squander it. Just because you have someone’s attention, doesn’t mean you’ll keep it. Aim for short, concise videos with one clear message and takeaway.
While, as mentioned in the last section on authenticity, a short pause or a small background distraction can reinforce the human element of your message, don’t subject your viewer to stream-of-consciousness thought or rambling explanations. Identify the top purpose you want to communicate with your audience, concisely prepare messaging around that, then deliver it in an extemporaneous, but intentional manner. Don’t let your video continue on for minutes on end and don’t try to cover too many topics in one message.
Attention spans must be earned. If you reward a viewer with a short, compelling, engaging video then you’ll get them to show up again for the next. Continuing to do this will give you multiple touchpoints to cover all the important elements you want to make them aware of while also building affinity for you and your brand. Attempting to cover everything in a long-winded, meandering video monologue will probably cause them to tune out before you’ve covered everything you wanted, but it will also lead them to disregard future messages.
Consistent Use of Video – CTA Buy-In
There’s ultimately a reason you’ve chosen to communicate with your audience. You need them to take some sort of next step. That request you’re making of them is the call-to-action. There are many best practices which can help you to capture appropriate responses from your audience (such as only using one request to avoid CTA-confusion), but let’s take a moment to discuss an overlooked element: the buy-in.
Everything you’re articulating in your video message is leading to your call-to-action, so it needs to create a compelling case. If you are a business intelligence firm attempting to bolster numbers for an upcoming webinar, your entire message should be geared toward convincing your audience of how they’ll benefit from attending. Don’t get lost in the weeds talking about other programs you have other business-related offerings—stay zeroed-in on how attendance will positively impact your viewer. This is the pre-cursor to your call-to-action, but without it your CTA is pointless.
The Takeaway
Consistent use of video, when paired with best practices, can have remarkable impact for your ROI. At Covideo, we see a remarkable correlation between frequency of video creation/send and increased engagement. Practicing these techniques, remaining cognizant of the length of your message, the authenticity of your delivery, and the buy-in to a singular CTA, will help your metrics reach new heights. Curious to learn more tips and best practices? Reach out to speak with an expert today.
