We've all seen it. Someone pops up on your social media feed that just makes you cringe. If you want people to form an emotional connection with your brand, then there's a few basic rules you can follow to avoid the dreaded 'a**hole' look.
If you want to come across as a likable, relatable human being in your marketing videos, then check out this list of guidelines:
1. Keep your chin down. A lot of people get in front of camera and immediately lift their chin up when talking to camera. This gives the impression of looking down your nose at people. It's generally a good idea to keep your face flat to camera.
2. Friendly lighting. Dramatic lighting can look cool but if too much of your face is in darkness, or you're in a darkly lit space (see above) then it can make you come across as somewhat (ehem) evil. Also always make sure there's a little eyelight to bring a little life to your face.
3. Represent your business as a group of people, rather than a cold, lifeless brand. People want to do business with people, so if you make videos that center around the human beings in your business, your audience is more likely to connect with you.
4. Be authentic. Consumers are extremely savvy nowadays and you if you think you can get one past them, think again. Being honest & transparent is something that people respond to at a primal level. If they feel they can trust you, they'll be much more receptive and more likely to do business with you.
5. Show the flaws. People relate to people who have chinks in their armour, it makes us human. Every movie protagonist you've ever loved has had some flaw that made them relatable. It's the same principle in your marketing videos. Obviously you don't want to damage your brand, but there are plenty of insignificant flaws that don't affect people's confidence in you as a business, for example admitting that you're nervous.
6. Don't be salesy. Almost every client we have has at some point asked us to 'stay away from being salesy, using buzz words' etc. The reason businesses tend to care so much about this is the cliche that 'people don't want to be sold'. The reason people don't want to be sold, especially businesses, is because by the time you get a business up and running, or get to a higher up position in a successful business, you have dealt with so many unpleasant, pressuring & rude salespeople that you've formed a negative emotional connection with them.
7. Make a positive impact. Businesses that have a positive impact on the world and solve more meaningful problems establish a better emotional connection with their customers. People notice when you do something good for the world and this good karma goes a long way.
