If you want to create a video for your product or service, you need to include a copywriter in your development phase.
I just finished watching [themecolor]Uberflip’s[/themecolor] video and was stunned. I learned nothing about the product but everything about their hip office and how cool it was to work there because you got free pizza and a well-stocked fridge. (And foosball!)
(Edited Note: The original video was removed but I found the same video on December 6, 2013 in a much more appropriate location. It now appears on the “Careers” page.)
When this video was originally featured on the home page, I asked, “What does it do for me, the customer?”
I got nothing out of it. I didn’t learn one thing about how Uberflip could help me from watching that video. And there was no compelling reason for me to buy the product since no persuasive copy existed in the video.
Copywriters ask the right questions: Who is the target audience? What are their pain points? What influences their buying decisions? What problem will this product solve for them? Will it make their lives simpler? Easier? Will it help them get new business? Find love? Be successful?
There are more questions to ask but those are a few. Copywriters don’t care about design or being hip and cool. Copywriters care about one thing and one thing, only: Getting people to buy your product or service.
[themecolor]Evernote’s[/themecolor] video is a better example of what a product video should look like. From the very start, the copy clearly explains what Evernote is about: “Evernote is a way to capture all of your experiences and access them from anywhere. Type a note. Store documents. Record audio. Capture a photograph.”
At this point, a consumer is saying, “Wow. This looks so simple. And I can keep all of the things I want to remember in one spot and then access them from any computer or device that I use with their application. Cool!”
Evernote gives a very clear definition of their product but more importantly, explains why and how their product will help the consumer.
Compare that to Uberflip’s brand-heavy video intro: “When we started this company in 2008, it was all about helping companies communicate their content more effectively on the web.”
Nice start, but then it goes south with “As that vision has grown, so has our team…” And then we’re off and running with video shots of the team at work, eating together, and the COO earnestly saying, “What we’re building here requires a team effort…”
Do consumers really care about this? Not likely.
I know how this happened. Brand storytelling has become The Big Marketing Idea. Everyone is trying to “tell their story.” But telling your story doesn’t mean staring at the company’s belly button. [themecolor]It means you first have to prove you have an interesting product or service before even thinking that people want to have a relationship with you.[/themecolor]
Customer relationships don’t happen because you look cool or have a hip office. They happen because you have an amazing product or service that has caught your customer’s attention.
Yes, there is a time for brand storytelling. But it’s not in an intro demo video that is supposed to showcase your product. And yes, consumers would rather have a relationship with people vs. a brand, but that relationship happens after a consumer determines that your product is right for them. They’ll then evaluate the pricing, quality of product, and customer service. If all of those are aligned with values that are valued by the consumer, then you’ll have the start of a relationship.
[themecolor]But without a purchase, you have no relationship. At that point, you’re still trying to woo the prospect into a commitment.[/themecolor]
There will be a time to create fun, cool videos that feature your employees. But first start with what’s going to pay those employees: namely, selling your product or service. And to get your target customer to buy, you need a copywriter who will speak their language.
Because in the beginning, and the middle, and in the end — it’s all about your customer. Not you.