Magic? Yes, we do mean magic. Like in the magic of creative videos.
The best camera is the one with you. Images aren’t about dynamic ranges and megapixels. They’re about stories and moments.
Chase Jarvis
The magic made by stories and moments that keeps you glued to your display. The magic that makes you remember what you just viewed. The magic that entices you to tell your friends about what you watched … and share it.
Here is a story worth telling your friends about. In 1960 two men made a bet. There was only $50 on the line, but millions of people would feel the impact of this little wager.The first man, Bennett Cerf, was the founder of the publishing firm, Random House. The second man was named Theo Geisel, but you probably know him as Dr. Seuss. Cerf proposed the bet and challenged that Dr. Seuss would not be able to write an entertaining children’s book using only 50 different words. Dr. Seuss took the bet and won.
The result was a little book called Green Eggs and Ham. Since publication, Green Eggs and Ham has sold more than 200 million copies, making it the most popular of Seuss’s works and one of the best-selling children’s books in history. At first glance, you might think this was a lucky fluke.
A talented author plays a fun game with 50 words and ends up producing a hit. But there is actually more to this story and the lessons in it can help us become more creative and stick to better habits over the long-run.
Have you ever seen the videos of Steve Jobs presenting the new product launch of the Mac, iPod, or iPad? He understood that something could be entertaining yet meaningful at the same time. Videos such as these work as well on the web as they do on television.
The simple objective … turn marketing into magical, entertaining content, not content into marketing.
So what is the magic of creating a potentially viral video? Consider the following six elements we use to build award-winning videos:
Engage the Audience
Grab attention … on some problem your audience shares, and then address the solution. This is the most important part of the video … the part of the video that compels viewers to want to see and hear the entire story/show!
We live in a world where over 4 million blog posts are published every day. How do you stand out in a sea of bloggers who have probably covered all the key topics from a thousand different angles? Do you follow the trend or create a technique of your own?
Everyone loves a good story. It’s the part of your copy even skimmers take time to read. I try to start every article on my blog with a story attacking the reader’s pain point. I want them to know this is not just another article from a blogger trying to make a quick buck but someone who genuinely understands their problems.
Enlighten and Inform
Provide your key discriminating message woven into the central theme of the video. This is the second most important element of your video … convincing customers your story is the best and the reason to select you. Make sure you are addressing your most important target customers. And avoid selling at all costs!
Stylize the Experience
Design an experience that will be memorable … create the visual of your value, the core message. Take some risks here to stand out and be different … no risks, no rewards.
Resonate
Strike a nerve to grab attention and connect with your audience. What makes your video such a powerful marketing and branding tool is its ability to communicate on verbal, visual, and metaphoric levels. If you are not using all 3 levels of communications, you are missing opportunities to resonate and connect with your audience.
Entertain
Be memorable and bold … be worth the audience’s time and attention. Use subtle marketing techniques. The challenge is to turn marketing into memorable content that informs, enlightens, and entertains at the same time.
Compel Action
We all understand the need for a call to action. However, you can only deliver on the action called by a convincing story. A story catching attention and providing relevant messages for your target customers.
The bottom line
Our job as marketers is to do the hard work of finding and nurturing charismatic ideas we can be proud of. One place to start is to look at the ideas you’re trying to spread.
Consider whether they’re charismatic enough to earn the effort you’re putting into them–and if not, how to replace them with ideas that are.
