Why Does Your Audience Press Play?
Video has changed. Today, 1 in 3 adults use a smartphone as the primary device for watching online video. The video landscape has undergone a pivotal shift as users turn away from TV and big screens to smaller, in-the-moment video content.
A commitment to video is no small thing. It involves greater levels of production and often more time to really do it right, but with the launch of in-the-moment platforms like Periscope and Facebook Live, consumer expectations on production levels are all over, and it matters less when the content is valuable.
Level of production is far from the first question marketers should be asking themselves when they are creating videos. Motivation and context are.
Why are they watching?
Motivation is at the heart of video content. When you understand why people are watching, whether it’s for entertainment, information or some combination of the two, you’ll know the direction your content needs to take. It will help content show up in search and encourage users to turn to them more than once for content.
Address the why behind seeking out and watching video.
Where and how are people watching?
Context is key. Understanding where and how people are watching will ensure your video content delivers on the consumer need. A long video that places a lot of production and fluff between a user and the answer he or she is looking for will be a lot less helpful than one that is short, to the point and emphasizes function over form.
On-the-other hand, content that is entertaining may be able to get away with being a bit longer. But it’s important to know what the content is. Users turn to mobile for fashion, beauty, entertainment and pop culture content. Short and sweet will likely be better for the user. Content related to news, sports and comedy is more likely being viewed on a TV where it can be longer.
When you know the motivation, you can get closer to understanding the context in which a video is going to be viewed. And making the content simple and easy to watch in that context is key for completion rates and views.
Video’s Going Nowhere.
Video isn’t going anywhere. It’s going everywhere because of mobile. It’s easy to get caught up in a video concept, but don’t be so precious with the concept that you neglect the reason the user is watching and when/where they are watching it.