Why Is It That Web Video Works So Well?
I’ve been having some weird dreams lately as I’ve been working on different web video commercials for some of my business clients and when I wake up, I just sit there and think “Why the heck was I just dreaming that?”
Stupid stuff like a plumber jumping out of a window of a tall tower at night and shooting the “bad guy” on his way down (never mind about the crying baby floating next to him (ok, I probably sound a bit “disturbed” to you at this point, lol), or how about the clown and his mother ordering dinner at a fancy restaurant and that British actor from the flick “The Bank Job” (great flik, btw) walks over as the waiter! Stupid stuff.
But, as I lay in bed trying to “not forget” what I had just dreamed, I realized that the convergence of all of these things is really what we all do each and every day all day long. We mash together all the teeny tiny little pieces that bombard us all day and make a little “movie” in our head, albeit at the rate of nanoseconds or even faster, simply looking for a connection between all of these millions of elements and events.
That’s a little bit of what web video is trying to achieve, in my humble opinion.
We are trying to imitate the pattern that our subconscious mind already uses on a millisecond by millisecond basis (or nano- , whatever, it’s really really fast!).
So, why do the more bizarre videos go more “viral”? I believe because they overlay on to our own actual “mental randomness processing” (I just made that up, pretty scientific, huh?) and therefore seem more familiar to us than just viewing something and heading down that same old well-known, predictable-ending neuron path that we’ve all become numb to…
So, back to the title of this post… Why does web video work so well?
Not ALL web video “works so well”. When clients take that really “safe”, warm and fuzzy approach that oozes “fake fabrication” out of the screen, I think people click away fast, I know I do! It’s just so boring!
But, if a client can engage the viewer through fast, fun(ny), action-oriented benefits aimed at the viewer in a very in-your-face short clip (60 secs or less), then I think you can hit more home-runs!
My theory is to start the “super-short mini niche videos” now and go for volume, instead of waiting for the “web video market” to mature… (yawn!) Will your computer ever turn into your TV? No way! No time, no patience, not the purpose.
Do quick 15-45 second spurts each focused on a specific keyword and syndicate via the hub and wheel approach… this will give you the momentum and exposure that is needed to get over the “tipping point” and get people talking!
Happy Spurting!
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Do you think you and me could pull off a 15 second video? Nice conversation yesterday. I’ve called Mark today to further discuss an arrangement. Thanks.