YouTube has become the second largest search engine after Google. Video ups your conversion rate on product sales somewhere above 60%. Stunning.
One would think that would be every video production companies and video producers dream come true. Well, not necessarily, a few other trends are playing out too. The internet has not only democratized the flow of information and crated “the conversation”, it also has altered content delivery and content consumption. Video production is now accessible to everybody, thanks to smart phones, a plethora of editing and mash-up apps and hosting services.No matter if your message comes along as blog post, an introduction on your company website, or a funny story on your social media stream; what you communicate will be differently perceived depending the media you use. The same message written will be perceived differently from the same story read on a podcast, or acted out in a video.
Video in particular contains tons of subtext, which is why it’s such a great medium and such a hard one to get right. Marshall McLuhan famously said 50 years ago: the message is the medium. There is a symbiosis between all the elements that go into even the simplest video production and the more elements the more re-reactions and inter-actions you get. Not all necessarily intended.
Much like we had to learn how to get our message across correctly and without misinterpretation, when all the world started texting (those born after 1990 please bear with me), and why we all use Emojis – sometimes against our better judgment – because they give a short and sometimes abrupt medium a bit of sub-text and flavor.
If you want to use video, use the medium smartly and understand what you are saying and how you can leverage messaging through video. Focusing on content is key. The technical part should not be your worry. You can learn how to shoot, edit and upload a video onto your website in under an hour.
What should be your worry, is getting the right conversation started with an audience who wants to hear it.