If a Picture Can Say a Thousand Words, a Video Can Say a Million

It's a reality, even if it's a sad reality, that website visitors have extremely short attentions spans. When someone is searching for a lawyer, doctor, or other professional online, they are channel surfing for the best candidate. To be competitive online, you need to be attention-grabbing and capable of relaying vast amounts of information in just seconds.

You probably see very few television commercials that present paragraphs of text for the viewer to read; it simply takes too long for the viewer to read all the text (and it's boring). You can relay a paragraph of text's information in precious seconds by showing the viewer everything through visuals and vivid dialogue. The text-based aspect of your website is crucial for search engine optimization, but the addition of video gives you the very best chance of securing the attention of the web audience. Anyone creating marketing video for professionals must keep this in mind.

Here are some tips for grabbing your viewer's attention with video:

• Use a Green Screen - A green screen allows you to superimpose yourself onto an artificial background. This technology is a fantastic tool for grabbing viewer attention and placing yourself into the ideal setting. The background can be literally whatever you imagine - you can place your video's subject in the tropics, in the operating room, or in the courtroom without leaving the video studio. A creative or vibrant green screen background can capture and hold the viewer's attention.

• Don't Forget the Thumbnail - The thumbnail image is the image used to represent the video in links. For instance, if you have ever been on YouTube or scrolled through a website's different videos, you will see a still image that you must click on to watch the video. The thumbnail does not have to be a frame from the video. In fact, making the thumbnail a grainy, pixelated frame from a video is a way to dissuade people from clicking on your video. Utilizing an attractive and appropriate thumbnail is critical to getting your video more views.

• Offer Something Useful - When internet users are searching for services, they usually have questions about their problem (whether those problems are legal, medical, or otherwise) and are in search of answers. For your video, you can offer expert information about common issues that you handle in your practice. This approach shows the viewer that you are knowledgeable, generous, and helpful. If your video offers something useful to the viewer, then their attention is assured.

These are just a sampling of many ways you can grab a viewer's attention and keep it. At our DC video production firm, we have all the tools you need to capture viewers in seconds. Give us a call at 1.877.477.STUDIO to get started today.