You now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish. You read that correctly. The average human attention span is now 8 seconds. A goldfish has an attention span of 9 seconds. With our decreasing attention spans, it’s becoming harder and harder to capture our audience’s attention online. So what’s the best way to capture attention and engagement online?

Online Video

And since you have an above average attention span and have spent more than 8 seconds reading this post, I’m going to tell you how to create your first engaging video for digital marketing.

Online Video for Small Business

52% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with best ROI. Still not convinced that online video is the best play for your small business? Video leads to 100% longer average time on site.

100%!

That means you essentially get twice as long to convince your visitors to take action.

So how do you make your first online video?

Making a quality video for your small business is still hard. That’s why not many people do it. But each day it’s becoming easier to create an engaging video. Let’s break down the process into 4 easy to follow steps.

1. Script

You don’t have to be Quentin Tarantino to write an engaging business video script.

• Use Google Docs so team can collaborate with your team. Make sure the script is no more than 1 page in Google docs (2-3 minutes max).
• Break script up into 1-2 sentence chunks (much easier to memorize)
• Keep script conversational by avoiding business jargon and buzzwords.
• The script doesn’t have to be word for word. Leave some room for improvisation. My favourite comedy of all time, Curb Your Enthusiasm, only uses a loose script outline for each episode. 80% of the dialogue is improvised, with each scene having the ability to play out in unpredictable ways. While we may not have the same comedic wit or timing as Larry David, you will surprise yourself with the quality you deliver with when the lights are shining on you.
• Always rehearse before you record and complete a table read with other team members who will feature in the video

2. Video equipment

In the past, quality video production could set you back more than $10,000. Luckily, most of us now walk around with a 4k camera right in our pocket. The latest smartphones will more than do the job when you’re starting out with online video for your small business. If you don’t have access to a tripod, you can pick up a Joby Gorilla Pod for under $50. They are light, flexible and can travel with you to different business locations. Great sounding audio is also a must for videos in 2019. We recommend using a separate audio recording device as the inbuilt camera audio is often low quality and ‘tinny’. Try using your smartphone with a voice recorder app. Get the smartphone as close to your subjects mouth as possible without the camera being in frame. It’s also better to use video Lights if available. You can learn more from our lighting guide here.

3. Lights, camera, action!

You may have heard the saying that, ‘The camera adds 20 pounds.’ Well unfortunately, the camera also takes 20% of your enthusiasm away. You don’t want to sound stiff like a robot (or Google Home) while reading your script. Take some advice from producer Dr Dre, who masterfully mentors Ezy E through his first studio recording session in the Straight Outta Compton movie. And don’t be like Christian Bale and take yourself too seriously when recording. As Wistia say, it’s important to try and stay ‘loose’ and laugh off any mistakes. Saying your lines with a smile will help you keep the tone light and conversational. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes you make (depending on your memory card size) as you can always edit these out in post-production. No pressure! The first 10 seconds of your video is the most important and needs to feature your face on the screen. You need to establish rapport with the viewers. There’s no time for long animated intros of your logo on fire. Do I need to remind you that the human attention span is now 8 seconds?

4. That’s a wrap – time for Post Production

Now that your masterpiece has been filmed, the real fun begins. Editing! You can edit in tools like iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro or Camtasia. Make sure you find some awesome royalty-free music tracks to take your video to the next level and create your desired tone. Try Free Music Archive or the YouTube Audio Library. If you get stuck in the editing phase (which can become time-intensive), you can always use one of the many cost-effective and highly-skilled video editors on Upwork and Freelancer. This is also a great way to get animations and lower thirds created.

Don’t be too hard on yourself

So now you’ve completed these 4 steps you’re on your way to becoming the Quentin Tarantino of small business video, starring and directing in your own videos. But unlike Tarantino, you’re probably not going to make a ‘Reservoir Dogs’ quality production on your first shoot. We’ve found that it’s really a case of practice, practice, practice. Just like real actors. So don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s been proven that we all have a confirmation bias to not like ourselves on camera. The good news is that you actually look better than you think on screen 😄 And after the first few videos, you will regularly engage your audience’s attention span past the average 8 seconds. Video is a big part of our strategy at Metigy in 2019 and we are excited to share our journey so you can learn from our video successes and mistakes. Stay tuned for our new web series: Small Business Over a Small Coffee – coming soon!