Number One Thing Killing Your Marketing Videos

Video CameraIt’s funny. I actually just revised that headline. I originally typed, “Number One Thing Killing Your Amateur Marketing Videos.” See, I’d like to pin this problem on all the companies out there producing their own marketing videos, but the truth is I’ve seen plenty of examples of pros who blow this as well.

Video can be a deceptive medium. We see it appear on our screen, so we immediately think it’s a visual medium when the truth is video is a marriage between sight and sound.

Many people do alright with the first part. Heck, the cameras these days are so good if you shoot off a tripod it’s nearly impossible to mess-up the visual aspect. That’s not the issue.

Your Audio Sucks

Audio, audio, audio! When something is wrong with it, your marketing video is doomed. At the very least, it pegs your video as amateurish. Neither is something you want when you’re promoting your brand or company.

I hate to pick on this this startup company, but it’s a great example and they’ve met their fundraising goal so I don’t feel too bad. I found it on kickstarter.com for Storytime Toys.

There’s a lot this video does well. Nice videography, pretty good graphics, but the audio is terrible. It sounds to me like the two entrepreneurs narrating are being picked up by the microphone mounted on the camera. They’re not wearing professional microphones that block out the hallow, ambient room noise. They sound like they’re in a tunnel.

Why It Matters

In this case, it’s no big deal. This is a video for a startup company. Our expectations as viewers are pretty stinkin’ low for something them. The tragedy is this is something a lot of companies do wrong… established businesses with reputations to protect.

They put all sorts of effort into making sure the video looks good, they completely fall flat with the audio. Whether they’ve produced it on their own or hired the wrong production company, it’s a big mistake audiences will pick up on immediately.

It takes what looks like a professional video and turns it into amateur hour.

–Tony Gnau

 Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.