Attention Grabbing Video Ideas
It's probably safe to say that most people think the more polished and movie-like a video or commercial looks, the more appealing it will be to potential customers. In many ways, I would agree. However, conventional wisdom doesn't always get the job done. Huge budgets don't always equal successful videos or commercials, because the end goal may not have been achieved regardless of how expensive or cinematic the video was. Some situations or goals require you to think outside the box and come up with attention grabbing video ideas that are sure to stop viewers in their tracks.
Now, don't get me wrong. This isn't a post telling you to run around shooting commercials and videos on cell phones. You still want your videos to look professional and high quality. But cookie cutter, run of the mill videos, despite working in the past, might not work for you and your business or objective. With so many ads and "nice looking" videos bombarding us from every angle, you might be better served with something that doesn't look like what we're all used to seeing. Let's take a minute to brainstorm some attention grabbing video ideas for certain scenarios.
- ABC Hand Car Wash Company wants a new video or commercial that showcases who they are and brings in new business.
I don't know about your area, but where I live there are hand car wash businesses on just about every corner. These guys are in a tough market and it's very hard for them to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Sure, they could hire someone to come in and highlight their services and make them look nice, but is that really going to set them apart from the others? And there are A LOT of others.
Instead, ABC Hand Car Wash Company might be better served constructing a fresh concept that makes customers think, "Hey, what about those guys that have that cool video going around with the muddy truck that seems to magically turn spotless and shiny as soon as the customer turns around? I bet they're fast! I don't have all day to sit around at the car wash, but I don't trust those drive-thru car washes on my baby."
A commercial like that would be easy to produce and wouldn't, or shouldn't, require a massive budget. The video production company and the business could really have fun with it and show off their personality. In a saturated market like car washes, it's the little things that set businesses apart.
- A new locally owned restaurant wants to attract new customers to their location, despite being a little off the beaten path.
They say location is everything in real estate. Well, in many cases, location is everything for restaurants as well. Think about it. When's the last time you drove just ten minutes away from town to eat at a restaurant that wasn't near the other stores you frequent? Even if the food is pretty good, we normally just go with what is most convenient and avoid going out of our way to grab a bite to eat. That is, unless you give people a good enough reason to make the drive. But what is a good enough reason?
In our neck of the woods, there's a BBQ restaurant that has been in business for decades. People truly drive from miles away to eat there, and I'm one of them. But they're the exception to the rule because of their name recognition. On the other hand, if your business is just starting out, you've got to do something to bring positive attention to your location. You could create a video that talks about your menu options and highlights the building, but won't that look like every other mediocre commercial out there?
We're going to need attention grabbing video ideas. Ever heard of the saying, "It's so good it'll make you wanna slap your mama!"? Why not create a hilarious commercial that depicts just that, and people end up sharing it all over social media and the video goes viral locally? The commercial will peak interest and people will want to check it out in person. Now all you have to do is deliver on great food and a neat atmosphere, and suddenly people don't even think about the drive they're making to eat at your restaurant.