Creating an effective video - get your message delivered!

Now you've determined that an introduction video is required <http://goo.gl/0Y05T>, next step is to get your message across effectively. To do that, your message needs to be properly packaged.

This is more relevant to elaborate concepts and call to actions. For new innovations and concepts, focus on value add against competitive brands, and demonstrate how things work.

1. Slice complicated messages into simple ones 
For elaborate concepts and call to actions, slice them up into individual messages. Each message shouldn't contain more than 1 piece of information that you want to bring across to your audience. For each message, give your audience around 2 seconds ‘pause time’ to digest the information.
Ensure that each individual message is unique. It is important to note that you should not be repeating the same messages multiple times in your videos. It’s ok to re-emphasize a point, but it’s big turn off to be told the same thing over and over again. Annoying example below:

When the exact same action is repeated 3 times in a row, and no distinct differentiation is given, it becomes annoying.

2. Match message against ‘picture’

Taken from http://robinadelson.blogspot.com/2011/01/picture-is-worth-thousand-words.html

Look at your message, and try to match it against an image, an action, and/or a story. Don’t just say it, but don’t force it. 

3. Make it interesting for your target audience

Understand what makes your target audience tick. Then tickle them. Throw in puns and references that connect directly with them. Add music. Depending on your target audience, pure cuteness or hot babes works as well.

4. Don’t take too long to get to the point
(The exception when you have a story to tell.)

We like a little bit of frills around videos, that's what makes videos interesting. But please do not overload your audience with useless information. This sounds quite commonsensical, but we found a couple of introduction videos that goes around in circles, and circles, and more circles, before coming to the point. Such as the one below.

This video is a great example of what not to do. Don't tell people what your stuff is not about, don't repeatedly draw vague pictures, don't repeatedly praise your own project. Focus on what it is about, what your audience should do, and what's in it for them.

5. Have a single clear call to action at the end of the video

Direct your audience to read more. Give them a number to call. Ask them to buy. Make sure they know how to follow up post-introduction if they are interested.

6. Have your core message(s) as text

It could be in the video, or part of the description text. Ensure that it can be read, as spoken messages sometimes get lost in a video. This includes the call to action.

(On that note, if you’re using video sharing websites to host your video, you should always add your website URL as part of the description.)