Have you heard of the term “vertical video creator economy”?
It’s a title and a phrase that is gaining traction in 2022, because so many people now consume content on their mobile phones, on platforms where the old standard of 16:9 landscape-oriented video has given way to vertical-oriented video.
More and more, creators with no professional experience in storytelling, editing, audio engineering or graphic design are in high demand for their user-generated content, and that’s a shift that we all have to pay attention to.
With that said – vertical, horizontal; longform or shortform; professional or distinctly not professional – video packs a punch that no static photo or caption ever could.
(You’ve heard the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words”? A video is 30 frames per second. So even with a short video…that’s a lot of words.)
You might think, then, that the takeaway is to lean into the era of cell phone footage, trendy transitions, viral dances and more.
But we believe that the real magic is in counter-programming. Give the people what they think they want, but include what you know they actually need.
Put more plainly…
…Don’t join them. Beat them.
Here are five places that high-end video will always beat the rest.
1. Your homepage.
If you want people to take you seriously and invest their money – either through the purchase of your product or service or through a financial donation or contribution – you have to look serious!
High-end video doesn’t mean that it needs to be stripped of character or entertainment value. Your video should match your overall brand, and set your audience up to know what to expect every time they interact with you, on any platform.
But this is also the video where a majority of your views will accumulate. Make sure that you put your best foot forward.
2. Your event registration page.
These videos can, in less than 2:00, educate someone on:
- The benefit of attending or taking part in a live or virtual event.
- What to expect when he or she attends.
- How to spread the word.
- How their contribution will be used to move the mission forward.
- Why your brand is worth their time and attention.
3. Your donation/fundraising page.
What impact does a donation or financial contribution make? Tug at the heartstrings of the person you’re asking to open his or her wallet. Show the real people who are positively impacted. Let them tell their story of life before your work and life after your work.
The video and audio for this page are critically important, and out-of-focus, poorly edited, generic cell phone footage just won’t get you what you need.
4. Events (real time and after the fact).
Are you including a video in a live event or presentation? Are you hoping to use footage from your event to connect with future prospects, new audience members and more? Ask yourself which will be more impressive: a carefully produced, compelling and well-designed video story, or something that looks like it was slapped together?
5. Testimonials.
Let’s acknowledge one thing here. Some of the most compelling testimonials are a bit more casual, and are often user-generated. Asking people who have been positively impacted through through your work to record a short clip, in their own words, is much more authentic and relatable than someone who is dressed up, in studio, reading from a TelePromptr.
But bringing the UGC (user-generated content) together into a video that is itself more highly polished, includes a clear beginning, middle, end and call to action and which is engineered for the best viewing experience is what sets the good apart from the great.
And you deserve to be great.
