Why Video is NOT the Best Way to Communicate

This video post is inspired by the “Social Media Sundays” series I used to do for my own blog - and would love your input on if they would be valuable to you on Building a Brand Online. While the video is an old one from my blog, I would bet many of you have never seen it before. Check it out below.

There’s two HUGE reasons that video is not the best way to communicate your message or your brand online. Some of the things we’ll talk about can become a double-edged sword and that’s why I think that video may not be the best choice for some people. (I’m not saying you can’t learn how to become better) There’s a time, place, and more suitable situation for different methods.

I think the two double-edged swords of video or video blogging boil down to appearance and attention.

Appearance

As they say, appearance is everything! There are some interesting things to consider that are rather basic but are easily overlooked.

People Judge - I do it. You do it. How many times have you been “turned off” by the way somebody looks or how they present themselves? I know for a fact, like I mentioned in the video - that people are tuning me out because of my tie-dye, my age, my beard and long hair or a number of other factors. In some ways, while video gains a lot of exposure, it can also limit your influence or attention from others.

There’s Nowhere to Hide - All of your insecurities come to light on video. The details are so important. People are paying attention to the way you speak, what your body language looks like, your general demeanor, and your energy. Who wants to listen to somebody that rambles or can’t get it together? Now, on the flip side of this, people that come to like you for who you are will appreciate your authenticity. So in that respect, having nowhere to hide gives people a really good chance to get to know exactly who you are.

Suggestions to Work Around Appearance:

Hey, if they can’t see you, they can’t judge you. I’d suggest using written or audio posts to your advantage. There’s nothing wrong with not having the confidence to get in front of the camera, but I can guarantee if that’s the case you’ll feel a lot better using written posts because you can refine and calculate what you’re going to communicate.

I’ve also recently found that my communication through Facebook (using text and pictures) has increased dramatically through using the New Facebook Groups. It’s really fast paced and banks on people that have short attention spans. Which brings me to the next issue when we’re using video.

Attention

Capturing 100% Attention - When people sit down to watch your video, you’ve pretty much got a captive audience. It’s hard to watch a video and do something else at the same time… and if people aren’t watching and they are checking their email - you’ve already lost some of their attention. This is where it is very difficult! If you’re not engaging or exciting enough to watch and listen to, people will tune you out and stop watching your video. (and maybe the rest of your videos if they didn’t like the first one they saw! *gasp*!)

Length of Video - What’s the first thing you look at when you consider watching a video? You look at the length! The length of the video greatly influences if people even CLICK or give it a chance. Always do your best to keep things concise. On the other hand, if you’re known for giving gobs of value or entertainment, your followers will watch it no matter the length.

Time - This is closely related to the length of the video but is slightly different. People read and digest information at different rates. When they’re watching a video you are putting them on your time meaning the video and information delivered is only going to go as fast as you present it. When people are going through written material or pictures, they choose exactly how fast or how slow they can examine it.

One more thing about time is that when people are watching videos it’s difficult to pause it, go do something else more pertinent, then return and pick up where they left off. (sometimes you have to re-watch the video to recall what was going on or being said) In the case of something written, it’s very easy to leave the material and pick up where you once were.

Ways to Keep Attention Using Video

• Change things up by using pattern interrupt or multiple cuts
• Keep your energy high - it has to transfer through the camera, through the computer, and to the other person
• Spicing things up by introducing some action
• Use an advanced strategy with multiple camera angles

Basically, I think it all comes down to what you’re wanting to accomplish. If you’re looking a bit rugged like I usually am, do you think I’d be as appealing to someone professional as if I were through the written word on our first impression?

Choosing the right time to employ video is highly important and I hope this post gives you some things to consider when creating your videos. Always keep purpose in mind, and you should be fine.