Every video tells a story. And, every story has a structure: a beginning, middle and end. Business videos are no different from a book or a movie when broken down like this. When we put together a business video, we will clarify and communicate your key message into this structure. Here are the three essential steps on how to structure your business video.
The Introduction: The Customer’s Pain Points
A great introduction introduces the problem and then introduces your organization as the solution provider.
Every story starts with a hook in the form of a succinct or attractive opening line. The equivalent of a great opening line for business video is to address the problems of your potential audience and to do so immediately. We’ve demonstrated before that video content has under 15 seconds to grab the audience’s attention. Today, that can be as little as six seconds. Therefore, it’s imperative that the first thing to do is get straight to the point. We may begin by asking a question along the lines of “are you having trouble with XYZ?” or “does this problem look familiar?” Not only does that address the issue, it lets the audience know what your business video is about.
The Middle: How Your Business has the Solution for those Pain Points
A great video body provides potential solutions to the problems presented in the introduction.
The hook is only the first hurdle. Once the video has their attention, it needs to maintain that attention for the duration of the message. Most web viewers do not watch videos through to their conclusion. That’s because many people and businesses fail to grasp the need for a good main crux of the argument. The attention drifts and they go elsewhere; the whole video campaign could collapse less than 30 seconds in. Once we have them hooked from the introduction, the video needs to deliver on the promises made in that introduction. There are many ways to do this; most important is that the video demonstrates the solution to specific claims made in the introduction.
The End: The Call to Action
A great conclusion tells the viewer exactly where to get the solution.
By the end of the video, your audience will understand that not only do you have the solution to their problem(s) but that you are the best or most effective answer. This is where the video should show them how they go about reaching out for that solution. Invite them to sign up for a newsletter, visit your website or webshop or to fill out an application form. The solution itself doesn’t matter; what is important is that you make it easy for them to obtain that solution. The conclusion will tie up all the loose ends and feel complete, conveying an air of competence and authority. The audience will feel their valuable time was used effectively. Ideally, they will also feel relief at finally having a solution to an ongoing problem. A good call to action is imperative.
