It’s really frustrating for businesses to spend time and money on video productions only to be met with a mediocre audience response. Most of us have stumbled upon videos on YouTube company channels that have been up for a year or so but have view counts in the single-digits, or that were posted on social media and only got liked or shared by a few. There are several contributing factors to low video engagement. Some of them are easily fixed – like adding meta-data or optimizing titles or descriptions for search engines, or reconsidering how you’re promoting the video to get better reach your target audience – but often the problem is with the video itself.
There are several contributing factors to low video engagement. Some of them are easily fixed – like adding meta-data or optimizing titles or descriptions for search engines, or reconsidering how you’re promoting the video to get better reach your target audience – but often the problem is with the video itself. Here are three things to consider:
How well was your video produced?
Even if your story is brilliant, if a video has a low production value, your viewers will be able to tell, and they’ll lose interest. Low quality videos are easy to identify for many reasons, but here are a few: poor lighting, bad audio quality, shot framing problems, strictly locked off shots or camera movements with poor stabilization, no color-grading, lackluster editing, or exposure imbalances due to filming on a green-screen without the skills to match the footage.
Videos that are poorly produced can make your business seem unprofessional or lazy – having the opposite effect of what you’re trying to accomplish with your business marketing.
Is your video too long?
Less is definitely more when it comes to the length of business video productions. We recommend making videos under a minute long, but often even shorter – keep your message or story as short and as engaging as possible to increase the chances of being heard.
A lot can be accomplished with video in 30 seconds, and there are only rare cases in which a web video for a business should exceed two minutes.
Don’t try to cover too much ground in a single video. If you have multiple topics to discuss – break them up into separate video segments.
Is your video content original?
We often have clients that ask for a video almost exactly like other videos they’ve seen before. It’s perfectly fine to view the work of others as inspiration, but when it comes to video production, just as with your business, you want to be a leader not a follower.
Don’t be afraid to try something different. Your video should represent your unique brand and style. And definitely don’t settle for generic work produced by video content mills.
Professional Video Production in Chicago, IL and Seattle, WA
Leeway Films can help you make a high-quality, engaging video for your business. We work with a professional team of directors, editors, motion designers, and producers to bring creativity, originality, and experience to your video marketing in the Chicago and Seattle areas.
