Are You Making These Mistakes When You Make Videos?

Here are some key things that you need to be aware of when you’re creating videos.

You know the ins and outs, as well as the whys and wherefores of your product.

You can probably rattle off a hundred different reasons for me to buy, but am I going to become bored with what you are saying to me?

For instance, if you are using slides with text, are you in the habit of reading them word for word?

Wouldn’t it be better to let your narration add a mental picture to go with what they are reading?

For instance, if the slide says something like:

“This is Spot!”

“Spot is a Dalmatian that lives with us in the country”

You could say “I love walking down country roads near home with my wife and our dog Spot”

While the script isn’t that much different, it’s not exactly the same as the slide.

This does two things.

One, it creates a picture in the mind of the viewer of a walk in the country side.

This could be especially handy if you are selling tours or holidays in the country side.

It helps potential clients to relax, and “see” what you are talking about.

If I’m in an office somewhere looking to find a quick getaway, being able to “see” what I could be experiencing on a holiday could be a selling point.

The other thing that this is doing is helping to hold your viewers’ attention.

When they realize that you’re not reading the exact script, there is more of a chance that they will read the slides to keep up with you.

I don’t know about you, but I have had to sit through countless boring PowerPoint presentations where the presenter has just read the slides.

As a result, I’ve found that I can switch off, or disconnect with what is going on, thinking about things that need doing.

It would have been easier just to get them to send me an email!

So if you’ve gone to the trouble of arranging a great video or presentation, don’t go getting your potential clients bored spitless!

It’s a great way to lose a sale!

Another common mistake!

One of the easiest mistakes that all of us make in life is that everyone is the same as us. Without going into some philosophical debate here, let’s see how this applies to video!

Here you are in the city with broadband internet. You stream movies, you create videos and everything is happening (almost) in an instant.

So of course you want your videos to look just as good as what you have streaming from online, right?

That’s great for you, but what about the people who don’t have access to high quality broadband, who could be out in the back blocks of just about anywhere?

I had lunch with my friend Errol the other day.

He lives on the side of a mountain at a place called BillyWillinga!

I joke that the crows fly backwards there to get the sand out of their eyes!

Anyway, the only internet access that he has is via his phone.

Sadly, larger files take up more bandwidth, which means higher charges once he’s over the limit.

Which, in Errol’s case, means that he just doesn’t watch them!

So really, while HD video sounds to be a really great idea, it’s really wasted online at the moment, and again, could be costing you views, which in turn, could be costing you sales.

My answer would be to export the video at a maximum resolution of 720p. This way, there’s more of a chance that the Errol’s of this world might see your video.

And you might make a sale!

The image on the right is from the Camtasia export panel, but all modern video editors should allow you to adjust the resolution of your export videos.

The tips on this page come down to the practice of putting yourself in your potential customer’s shoes, which, if you want to sell stuff, you need to do, and do well!

That’s just one part of being able to get sales – it comes down to making your message easier to access and understand.

Now I don’t live out the back of beyond!

I have a reasonable broadband service here. Not world beating by any standard, but reasonable, and I can tell you that if a page takes forever to load, or a video takes ages, I’m gone.

So I try and transpose that to the work that I do.

If my attention span is so short, or I’m so pressed for time that I can’t be bothered waiting yonks, why should I expect anyone else to?