value Archives - WK Studios

I never sell video.

Oh sure, I meet with clients and explain the benefits of having a quality video, but I won’t sell it if I feel they have no need. I never try to talk someone into getting an expensive video just to increase our bottom line.

That being said, I feel that video sells itself. According to SEO experts, video has been proven to increase web rankings with Google overnight. Video increases conversion rates by a significant percentage. Video makes your webpage more “sticky” (causes people to stay on your page longer) and decreases the bounce rate. It can replace reams of copy and makes the process of ingesting your message much easier for your visitor.

While these are all great reasons to buy a video, they are not (in my opinion) the primary value of video.

The primary value of video is that it can infuse emotion into your brand like nothing else.

When you think about your favorite brands, do you think about information or do you experience an emotion? Companies like Nike and Starbucks spend millions to infuse emotion into their brands. Apple made a “dent in the universe” when they released their 1984 commercial and forever infused an emotional response to their computers. Nike commercials consistently capture the “emotion” of running… or basketball… or jumping… or competition… They don’t just give information about their shoes, they make you think… “I want to be that guy!” Later, when you pick up the latest copy of “Running” magazine and look at the Nike ad the same emotion comes back. Why? Because emotion is much more sticky than information. Information goes in and out of our minds in volumes, but emotion will stay with us long after the initial experience has passed.

A well-conceived, well-created video can stick in people’s souls long after they have finished watching it. If the emotion is powerful enough, it will go a long way toward keeping you top of mind when someone thinks about your product category or service.

Are you utilizing the true power of video?

As creative professionals, we’re constantly trying to figure out what the market is doing? What kind of creative work is reaching people?

Sure there’s the obvious stuff like “that’s a cool camera angle”, or “that’s a great use of that effect”, but what really catches our eye, (and I believe the eyes of clients and viewers) is a well communicated, original idea… in classical terms: a good concept.

The de-facto video is: A. Show up. B. Get an interview with one or two people C. Get some really pretty B-roll. D. Edit it to music.

It’s easy, it’s quick, and it doesn’t require a script, a storyboard, a shot list… you get the idea. No concept. And let’s face it, there are a ton of people out there who can capture good interviews and b-roll. Some are worse than us, others are better.

So what can set your work apart from the competition? Yes, you could capture prettier b-roll than they do (sometimes)…. or you could consistently come up with original ways to “Show and not tell”.

I’m convinced that there is a sea of amazing videographers and editors out there, but in this new digital landscape, “Ideas are the new currency.”

Do you think this is true? Head over to our Facebook page to join the conversation.