Why do you love the Iowa State Fair? Chances are, if you asked ten people that question, you’d get ten different answers. Grandstand performances, 4-H exhibits, Midway rides, fill-in-the-blanks-on-a-stick…. you get my point. There is a very obvious reason why the fair continues to be one of the biggest attractions in the state of Iowa, year after year: there is A LOT to do.
It can also be a little overwhelming. Where do you start? If you have a two-hour time limit, what are the highlights you can’t miss? If you’re going with the kids, how do you make sure they don’t get bored and throw a temper tantrum in the middle of the pork tent? It can require some strategy.
The process of creating a video is often very similar. Let’s say you want to do a video for your website about how fabulous your business is. You have two dozen different examples of why your company is better than the competition. But chances are, most people watching the video won’t care about every, single example. And the more examples you give, the longer the video will drag on, and pretty soon some viewers will get bored and move on to the next thing. (It doesn’t help that our attention spans seem to shrink with each passing year.)
The trick for creating a good video is focus. Focus on a few points you want to make and stick to them. Keep it as short and sweet as possible (typically between 90 seconds and three minutes is ideal). Focus on what is visual about your business. What would catch the viewers’ eyes or ears, and get them to perk up and pay attention? Is there something memorable– funny or nostalgic or sad– that would hold their attention for a few more seconds? That, right there, is what it all boils down to: catching and then capturing someone’s attention. You have to get customers in the door before you can make a sale. A good video can get them in the door, by capturing their interest. Once that’s happened, you have time on your side to use other platforms to secure the sale– for instance, the “about” page of your website, where you have unlimited space to list off all the reasons why your business is the best.
Now. Back to the question at hand: what do YOU love about the fair? For me, it’s the onion rings. I just wish they came with a side of TUMS. And a breath mint.