How to grab attention using video
“Time is of the essence!” It sounds like a popular movie line, but how true it is! We’ve mentioned in a few of our previous articles that people nowadays don’t have time to waste any more, every second of their lives count. That’s why, you guessed it, people read less, and articles and texts with various subjects are no longer popular. In fact, a research has shown that people read only 18% of the articles they choose to look up.
That is why all of today’s information circulates in the form of a video. Explainer videos are no exception. As their name already says it, they serve one purpose: to spread information and introduce people to a topic, service or product.
But as everything today can be, and actually is, a video, how do you get people to watch yours and not some other from the millions out there? Here’s how to grab attention using video.
First of all, you have to make your it visually appealing to viewers. Make the very first shot captivating, glue people’s eyes to the screen, just like a journalist would with the help of a killer headline. Consider using the rule of thirds, a technique popularly used in photography, for that extra punch.
Here’s something mentioned in our article How to Easily Explain Your Business in a Fun Way: you need to do research about the audience you want to target, and find out what they would like to watch most. Put yourself in their shoes, and you’ll know in no time what’s interesting and what’s not.
Remember that a video is not just a tool for giving information. It creates an experience for viewers, appeals to their emotions, and the more they feel “moved” by it, the more they will remember about it. Videos educate consumers in a visual and friendly way, and they help the market and brand the company in a more memorable way. The more they like it, the greater the chance for them, or their friends, to come back and get in touch with you.
Engage your audience instantaneously! Ask questions, speak directly, make them feel that you are a friend trying to help. The script of the video shouldn’t be too formal or hard, but conversational and easy to understand. The same as if you were talking to a friend of yours and are trying to explain something new to them.
Most think that a video’s plot should build up to a certain point, and then, in a cathartic explosion, reveal the main point behind everything. Well, not exactly. You should tell your viewers what they are watching straight away. The burger method (introducing the main theme layer by layer), does not work well with these videos. You have to hit them with your objective immediately, and then, your viewers will either hook, or you will lose them completely. But don’t worry about that, it’s better to keep a selected few who may become potential clients, than having millions who will drop off after the first couple of seconds. Besides, losing 20% of your audience after the first 7 seconds is normal, so don’t worry about that.
Designing your video for the drop off effect is good from a couple of aspects:
- The typical attention span of a net surfer is less than one of a goldfish, 8 seconds, so you might not want to wait that long to introduce your topic;
- It qualifies leads immediately, so people will know either to stay or leave;
- Producing for a drop off effect means having a short, concise and entertaining video, with no bad parts as they were all cut out to save time;
- With a short video, you don’t lose time, and respect your audience’s time too.
Lastly, keep in mind that, whatever video you make, it has to be top quality. The illustrations, the audio, the editing, everything has to be on spot. It’s your company’s CV after all, and you don’t want yourself to look bad now do you? And remember: if you keep your audience for the first 15 seconds, you’re likely to keep them for the entire duration of the video. Make that happen!
What would you use in your video to grab your audience’s attention? Do you think that designing your videos for the drop off effect is a good idea? Let us know in the comments below.
If you’d like to learn more about explainer videos, go ahead and download our ebook!
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