Watch Your Way to Inspired Video
(Written by guest contributor Chris Harper)
Unless you’re some super creative genius who’s trying to keep your work pure of outside influence (aka a liar), then you’re always on the lookout for some new inspiration. Inspiration is a funny thing. It seems to hide itself in different places, waiting for someone to stumble upon it at just the right time. Oftentimes, it’s not even where you’d expect to find it. And other times, it seems to be staring you in the face and daring you to not see it. When it comes to inspiration for your online videos, I think the latter is usually the case. Video is everywhere. And what’s even better is that good quality video is all over the place.
So if you get stuck on a video or just want ideas to spice up your editing repertoire, here are some places I would suggest you look:
Other Marketers
I hope you are paying attention to other marketers. Specifically, I hope you’re watching what the so-called “gurus” are doing with video these days. Those are the guys you should try to emulate when it comes to sales page videos, without a doubt. And as Dan Nickerson has said before, when you buy something from a website, bookmark it and revisit it later to try and decipher the pieces that contributed to your decision. Key in on what their videos are saying and how they are trying to sell you their product. That kind of research is especially valuable if you’re trying to reach a demographic that you fit into.
Television
One of my greatest influences for new ideas is TV. TV is still where most people are engaged by video, so the styles used here will be familiar to your audience if you can replicate them in your videos. And sometimes, the best ideas are found in the commercials that most people tune out or fast-forward past. Producers of commercials are fighting an increasingly uphill battle these days, so they have to be really good to capture the attention of the audience. So, wouldn’t it make sense to look at these 30- and 60-second pieces when trying to create a promo for your newest product? Take note of which ads grab you, specifically those that may relate to a product or service you might be pitching, and look online to see what they’re doing with video on their websites. If you think it’s worthwhile, apply some of their techniques to your work.
Movies
For this, I want to call upon the Terminator principle. Don’t portray your products as killer robots if you want people to buy them. That’s a good idea, but not the point I want to make. For your typical sales/promo videos, some of the most applicable sources of ideas are going to come from the opening and closing credits. Oftentimes these are the places where you’ll see interesting ways of revealing or interacting with text, which you can then try to copy to make your videos look more professional. Everything in between is just for your enjoyment, so turn your brain off and enjoy the popcorn.
YouTube
You can replace YouTube with Revver, Vimeo, or whatever your video site of choice is. Take a look at some of the popular videos and try to look for elements that you think might be useful to you. Obviously there is a lot of junk that gets millions of views, so you will need to be discerning. Remember that what you see on these sites equals your competition. Why should someone stay on your site and watch a video while there’s a three-legged bulldog surfing on YouTube?
Your Competition
You can’t beat an enemy that you can’t identify. While this is harsh language for the business world, it’s true. Look for things that make your product stand out and show them to your customers. Don’t trash your competition; just show your audience why your product is superior. If you can produce a more professional looking video, then by extension, your customers will assume that your product is also better. And if it’s not better, then quit making videos and work on making it better!
The biggest thing to remember when looking for outside inspiration is that you need to look for ways to support your product and branding. Just because something looks amazing, doesn’t make it right for selling your info-product. It’s also helpful to try and stay within your creative limits. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t grow and learn, just make sure that any video you put out is going to make you look good in the end. Don’t do a bad job of recreating a complicated text effect you saw on TV if you can do a great job of creating something simpler. After all, you’re looking for results, not an Emmy nomination.
