Knowing the best practices for producing short form video will help you in your efforts to generate leads and build trust and credibility. To do things right, you need to know the best practices for creating this type of video.
Research shows that short term video productions increase viewer engagement, so you need to follow the methods that work when producing this type of content. Research reveals that about 56% business-produced videos are short form videos that run about two minutes.
When audiences respond to the content, they usually watch the video to completion, provided it is about 90 seconds or less. This is a pretty good result, considering that the natural attention span is no longer than seven seconds. About 10% of the viewers who watch longer videos watch them to completion.
According to Deloitte, the number of US viewers watching short form videos grew to almost 75% in 2018. Furthermore, over 40% of US viewers spend over an hour weekly watching short form videos on social media channels.
Therefore, it pays–literally–to know how to produce a winning short form video.
In turn, you need to know what to do and what not to do to create an attention-grabbing short form production.
6 Reasons Short Videos Fail and What You Can Do
Below is a list of some of the reasons a shorter video might fail.
1. A Lack of Creative Expression
A creative short video is one that tells an interesting story – one that a viewer can relate to or which makes them stop and think. If it lacks this form of expression, you’ll need to change your focus. Videos need to be both relatable and unique.
This also means that your video should grab the viewer’s attention almost instantly. Any video that is effective and convincing should not run longer than 3 minutes. Those first few seconds are important and therefore are a key reason why you video is bypassed or watched to the end.
When producing the video then, you have to think about how you wish to influence your audience. Therefore, you have to scrutinize the message you want to convey, the aim of the message, and the type of forum where the video will be displayed.
2. Including Too Much Information
While a lawyer is used to adding additional details in legal documents, he or she cannot take the same approach when scripting videos.
If you overwhelm the viewer with too much data, you’ll most likely scare them away and increase your bounce rates.
Remember, viewers want to be educated and entertained. If you have a lot to say in your videos, create a series of short videos instead. End a video so the viewer will want to find out more on a second video, third video, etc.
If you cram too many details into one video, you’ll confuse the viewer as well as dilute the message. Also, it’s important to get rid of any graphics that may divert the viewer’s attention and prevent them from getting the main message.
3. Not Adding a Clear Call to Action (CTA)
A call-to-action should be included at the end of a video so the viewer can proceed with the “next step.” Therefore, these simple yet important concluding remarks must be clearly displayed. A CTA gives the viewer a reason to use the information you’ve just provided.
4. Not Focusing on the Client
Your video should be produced so it’s client-centric. Therefore, you need to show why using your legal services will benefit the client. That means you also need to review and study what your clients need and expect.
Make sure you can answer their questions about the services you feature and show them why using your services will help them resolve a specific legal problem or prevent a dispute. Your goal is to stay focused on the client’s needs at all times.
5. Expecting Instant Results
The most frequent mistake that lawyers make after producing a video is believing it will reap instant results or leads. That is why you need to work with an online marketing company. Doing so will help you see the virtue of waiting. Any marketing campaign takes time to develop and generate returns.
Therefore, remember that video marketing is a campaign that takes time – time that is needed to produce comments, shares, and likes online. If you consistently use videos to highlight your services, the results will compound over time.
Not Emphasizing the Brand
When producing a video, make sure you also highlight your brand. Otherwise, you’ll defeat the purpose of adding the content. You want people to remember you and your legal practice, which branding assists in doing.
Branding strengthens and develops the trust between you and your clients. Adding your logo or a tagline at the beginning or end of your video is, therefore, a must-do activity.
Short Form Video Best Practices
To follow short form video best practices, you need to work with a marketing agency that will follow a format that will lead to success. This outline includes the following activities:
- Learning what your audience wants to see
- Editing the content so it is easy and interesting to understand
- Making sure the video tells a coherent and logical story
- Adding large graphics, if needed, to entertain and educate
- Creating the video per the requirements of each platform
- Keeping up-to-date as to what’s trending
- Engaging the audience versus selling the services
- Keeping everything authentic – it’s okay to show your imperfections and human side
- Adding the Call-to-Action – always include this phrase at the end of the video so the viewer can act on what they’ve just viewed
- Using high-quality content – free of distractions, which is at least 720p resolution*
*Usually, the camera on the back of a smartphone is the better camera to use. It’s even better to shoot footage using a digital camera. To minimize background noise, speak distinctly and loudly. Don’t sit too close to the microphone.
Contact Attorney Marketing Online to Get Started on Your Video Marketing Campaign
Get your points across faster by using short form video marketing as a tool. Work with a leader in the field of legal marketing. Sometimes a name says it all – Contact Attorney Marketing Online at 888-992-9529 right away.
