10 ways to make better technology videos

than your competitors

1. Make “information seeking” the goal

The only decision a prospect

really needs to make is to seek

more information.

Evaluate every word and image:

“Will a prospect want to know

more about this?”

Call-to-action should lead to

another information source

2. Divide and conquer

Software solutions bought by

committee

Users or non-users? CIO, CFO,

CTO, CEO, or other? All have

different issues and interests

Make multiple videos, each to

appeal to different individuals in

first 15 seconds

Shorter videos can cover specific

FAQs and objections

3. Draw a diagram

Diagrams taken from white

papers or whiteboards can help

structure the story

Animated diagrams make

processes and relationships

come alive

Diagrams are more engaging and

less sales-y than icons and other

decorative graphic elements

4. Avoid ticking boxes

Bullet lists slow the video down,

especially when the bullets “build”

OTOH, a video “listicle” that

promises to cover a certain

number of subjects (“5 Secrets of

. . . “) will move along smartly

It’s better to be brief than to be

comprehensive

People watching video won’t remember lists,

but video “listicles” work

5. Start with a vision instead of a pain point

According to Google studies,

buyers have identified the pain

points and possible solutions

before visiting your website

So, try starting with a vision

instead of pain points, as in thisvideo for a

satellite network

monitoring

solution.

6. Skip the intro

“If we break a 3:30 video into

chapters, and call one of them

INTRO, 47% of viewers skip it

entirely, assuming it's boring and

useless.”

— Randy Tinfow, Interactive

Video Technologist

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7. Count every word and make every word count

In two minutes a narrator can

speak about 250 words.

The best way to control the word

count is to let the pictures do the

talking.

Instead of saying things the

viewer can see for himself, tell

viewers what you want them to

see.

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8. Make every picture count

You gain credibility when you

illustrate a real instance of the

value your solution achieves with

numbers, especially numbers of

dollars.

“Follow the money” is something

people in business generally like

to do.

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9. Don’t be boring

Resist the temptation to try to say

it all.

You watch TV. You know what

you do when video is boring.

Trust your instincts.

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10. Don’t be funny

Even the world’s best storytellers

and comedy writers ar not

consistently funny.

You can’t count on people having

a sense of humor, either.

But you do know what’s

interesting about your solution.

Make your video about that.

11You want prospects to seek additional information.