Invodo put out a press release this week with statistics debunking some commonly-held beliefs about prerecorded videos as used on retail websites. We need to be VERY cautious about transferring their findings to the world of live webcasts, as that was not the context that they worked in, and they were not studying long live presentations, but very short clips used on web pages.
Still, one mythbuster in particular caught my eye. I quote from their press release:
Myth: More casual, "YouTube-style" videos produced in-house can be seen as authentic, and are effective in building credibility and demonstrating products.
- What the research shows: Professionally-produced videos with quality lighting and sound matter a lot to shoppers. Consumers appreciate high quality video production, and professionally generated videos receive greater engagement and are seen as more reliable when making purchase decisions.
- More than half of consumers (54%) cited a preference for watching more "polished" professionally produced videos.
- While only 30% of respondents indicated they were inclined to buy a product as a result of watching user-generated videos from peers, more than 47% of consumers called professionally produced videos "more reliable" in helping make purchase decisions.
I maintain that the same psychological factors influence your live webcast/webinar audience. “Good enough” is not good enough for presenting a professional, reliable, trustworthy image to a mass business audience of strangers. If you want your marketing message, your customer training, your press/investor announcements, etc. to be taken seriously and give people a good impression of your products, people, and services then you better spend the necessary time, effort, and cash on production setup, sound, lighting, video, presenter training and rehearsal. [As a side note, that may be the longest single sentence I have ever written. Hemmingway would punch me in the face.]
You want to do a quick video meeting with an existing customer who knows you? You want to have a team meeting with your coworkers? Great… Dig out the webcam, sit under your fluorescent light, and use your speakerphone. But if you plan to introduce yourself and your company to a large target audience, it pays to do it right. Hie thee to a controlled environment with a video production team.
