I want these videos to go viral!”

I was discussing video with a potential client and asked him why he wanted to produce video for his restaurant. “Viral” was his response. So I asked him the question I ask in this situation.

“How do I shoot viral?”

My client looked at me and tilted his head slightly. They almost always tilt their heads. “What are you trying to say?” he asked. “Exactly!” I responded. 

What Are You Trying To Say?

This is the most important question to ask yourself when creating a video. “What do you want to say?” Another way to ask this question is “What do you want the viewer to know or to understand after they watch your video?” The answer to these questions expresses your intention for the video. Your intention is your “Why?”. Why do you want to create the video in the first place? 

For my restaurant client, here were some of his “Whys” for creating video:

• “I want the viewer to see how nice my restaurant is and how good the food is.”
• “I want the viewer to know how cool a cool guy my bartender is.”
• “I want my viewer to understand that my head chef was trained at the Cordon Bleu Culinary School and knows how to prepare excellent food.”

These are all excellent reasons for creating video. This means I can create video that shows how nice the restaurant looks: the decor, the plush seating, the tables, the lighting, the menus, the tableware. Because as I’m shooting the video, I’m thinking, “How can I show the viewer how nice the restaurant is and how good the food is?” 

As I’m thinking about how to answer this intention, I think about showing different signature dishes ready to be served. Maybe I can show a couple in an intimate tryst, their eyes lingering as they sensuously stroke tall glasses of a rich merlot. Maybe I have shots of friends laughing while the bartender prepares a snifter of fifty-year-old brandy.

You see, intention is the story you want to tell. Which makes it easier to come up with creative and interesting ways to tell your story. 

Don’t Mistake Your Story For Results

One of the biggest mistake business owners make when creating video is confusing intention with results. What’s the difference? In our example, our intention is to show the viewer to see how nice my restaurant is and how good the food is. A result could be:

• the viewer understands how nice the restaurant is and comes to have a dinner
• the viewer likes what he sees and “Likes” the restaurant’s Facebook page.
• the viewer invites his friends to celebrate his birthday at the restaurant.

These results are all desirable. Any one of them would be a happy result after viewing our video. However, these results are completely separate from “creating” the video. That is, they come AFTER the viewer watches the video.

Another way to view results is to remember this: Intention helps you create the video. Results are what happens after the video is created. Or think about is this: You can’t measure intent, but you can measure results. A strong intent helps you create a strong video, which, in turn, helps drive strong results.

So when you’re ready to create your video, sit down and think about what you want your viewer to know or understand after watching your video. Answer that question, and see how easy it is to come up with creative ways to communicate your intent. Clear communication of your intent will give your videos the best chance of helping your viewers understand your message. Which is what you want.

Integrating video into your social media strategy is a great idea. But it’s easy to get overwhelmed when you first start out. Here’s a few tips to keep things simple:

Just Say “Hello”

The simplest place to start is a short “Hello” video. Of course, you want to not make it suck. The best way to do that is to talk about yourself in a way that it’s still about the viewer. So start with answering the following questions:

1. Why do you do what you do? What path brought you here?
2. What’s the ONE problem that you’re best at solving for your clients?
3. What would you like the viewer to do next? Be very specific, like inviting your viewer to like you on Facebook.

Even though you’re talking about yourself, you’re demonstrating that you are a) passionate and b) you know understand their problem. Remember to just be yourself. Write it out as if you were talking to one person. Also, make sure you use words that sound like “you”. After all, you’re going to say “Hello” on the video. So sound like “you”.

Keep It Simple

You want your “Hello” video to run about a minute to a minute and half. That’s roughly 175 to 200 words. The faster you talk, the more words you get. Don’t worry about formatting into a script. Just type it out so you can read it. 

If you can memorize your script, try to do so. At least know the main points. It doesn’t have to be exact. 

After that, it’s simply about shooting the video. Keep your energy high. It will probably feel a little “over the top”. Better to have a little too much energy than not enough.

Above all else, have fun. This is fun stuff! Enjoy it!

Latest podcast describing how to get good audio for your website/blogging videos.

Ok, there’s more than ONE secret to good video. But miss this one, and your customer testimonial video will fall flat. Guaranteed. 

So what’s the secret?

Good audio.

Sound Is Half Of The Video

Think about it. We expect good video with good sound. If the sound is bad, we reject the video as low quality. Conversely, even if the video is bad, if the sound is good, we accept the video as better quality. Bad video with bad sound just doesn’t have a chance. Here’s a couple of examples: 

Good Video with Good Sound

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Not So Good Video With Good Sound

Video With Bad Sound

So how do you make sure your video has good sound? Look for future posts detailing the different ways to capture good audio for your videos.

A video tour is like an open house. Which means, preparing your home for an HD video tour is just like preparing your home for an open house. Here are a few things to help your home looks its best for a video tour or an open house:

1. Depersonalize As Much As Possible -- This is the number one rule of staging. The idea here is to help potential buyers see themselves in your home. Family pictures, tchotchkes, etc. will appear as clutter. Clear off counters, shelves and take down the photo wall.

2. Clean The Walls And Floors -- When shooting in High Definition (HD), the camera picks up EVERYTHING. Any dirt, holes, scrapes and other dings you can see while standing in the room will show up on camera. Scrub the walls and floors thoroughly. If you think a wall looks like it needs a fresh coat of paint, it probably does.

3. Minimize The Furnishings To The Essentials -- The less furniture in the rooms, the more space in the rooms. It’s about leaving enough furniture to define a room’s purpose without crowding the room.

4. Declutter, Declutter, Declutter -- The cleaner the room, the more open and airy it will appear on camera. Also, clutter has a way of catching the eye. Remove the stacks of magazines, mail, etc. to keep the viewer focused on the best parts of your home.

5. Green it up! -- Plants and fresh flowers go a long way in brightening up any room. Yellow flowers look great on camera. Place a tasteful arrangement of fresh flowers just inside the front door. In the kitchen, place a big bowl of mixed fruit. Too much can clutter, so one or two in a room is usually enough.

6. Let The Sunshine In! -- open the curtains in every room. Cameras LOVE light, especially natural light. And natural light will make your home look good. Use lamps to light up dark corners in a room.

7. Scrub The Bathrooms -- Showing all the bathrooms is an essential part of a video tour. Any scum, dirt or clutter will create an “ewww” factor. Bathrooms should appear “clean enough to use”. Make everything sparkle, shine and look pristine.

8. Set The Dinner Table -- In formal dining rooms, put out chargers, china and a nice centerpiece. Use solid one or two color placemats and a plates for the breakfast nook, as well as a simple centerpiece. Avoid busy patterns.

9. Remember The Back Yard -- remember to stage the back yard too. Clean any toys and clutter, and mow and trim if needed. For patios and decks, plants and potted flowers add color. If there is a patio table set, dress it up with bright, plastic picnic ware. Also, take the cover off the BBQ and open the grill.

10. Curb Appeal Please -- Lastly, the front should look as clean as possible. The video tour begins in the front yard, which means things should look their best. Trimmed lawns, hedges and trees look best on camera. Add color with fresh flowers in the flower beds.

With these simple staging techniques, your home will look its absolute best on camera and off.

Pronoya Video is a video production company focused on creating quality, high definition video tours for real estate at the lowest possible price for you. Find out more about how a Pronoya HD Video Tour can help you.