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Advisors may have the most informative videos on their site, but it’s likely that few prospects will watch them.
I recently had a discussion with an advisor. The subject turned to the many videos featured on his website. He mentioned that he was aware of the data suggesting the importance of videos.
On that point, he’s correct.
There’s evidence that using video on your website increases traffic, boosts conversion rates, improves SEO, encourages social media sharing and builds trust with viewers.
I then asked him how many views he received on his videos. He didn’t know, so we checked and found the average video was viewed 10 times over its lifetime. That’s not a typo.
The problem could be a lack of traffic to the website (which could be addressed with SEO) or the videos themselves.
He was stunned and asked why the numbers were so low.
Here’s what I told him.
Avoid poor production quality
Someone once told me this: “Just because you have Word, doesn’t mean you’re a writer.”
I know your iPhone can produce a great video, but the end product will still look unprofessional and uninviting.
Producing a video with great production value involves expensive cameras (preferably two of them, so you get different angles), excellent lighting and great audio.
You should look for a cinematographer (also known as a director of photography or DP) in your area. A good resource is ProductionHub.
Stay away from boring content
You know the finer points of investing, but it’s unlikely prospects share your interest.
One camera focused on you “educating” viewers isn’t going to hold the interest of your audience, given their notoriously short attention span.
To understand what happens in a one-way conversation where you are “educating” others, I highly recommend this insightful blog by Judith E. Glaser.
A video “forces” the viewer to watch, while you engage in a discourse on a subject of your choosing. The likely result is the viewer will stop watching within a few seconds because they will be bored and distracted.
Don’t be the “star” of your video
When you watch well-produced videos, you’ll be struck by one counter-intuitive fact: The presenter is on camera for a relatively brief time.
That’s because professionals understand the need to cut away to other media, which can include still images, b-roll, and stock videos. Those “cutaways” reinforce the message being presented and serve to add interest.
This media should make an emotional connection. It will alleviate boredom and improve learning retention.
Watch this video, which we recently produced. Note the ratio of the presenter on camera time to collateral images.
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Make an emotional connection
Our brains are hard wired to seek an emotional connection. Emotions impact the brain in a more powerful way than facts.
If you are overwhelming your audience with facts, imagine the viewer longing for an emotional connection.
Prospects are, of course, interested in your expertise, but first you have to establish trust. You do that by sharing who you are, your personal journey, your interests and values.
That’s why my firm always produce two videos for our clients. One describes who they are. The other discusses what they can offer their clients.
If we don’t make an emotional connection with the first one, prospects won’t view the second.
Dan trains executives and employees in the lessons based on the research on his latest book, Ask: How to Relate to Anyone. His online course, Ask: Increase Your Sales. Deepen Your Relationships, will be available November 1, 2021.
Read more articles by Dan Solin
Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
