Authenticity. Hard work, but worth it.

July 30 · Blog, Case Studies, social video, Tips & Tricks · corporate video melbourne, corporate video sydney, DIY corporate video, law firm sydney, lawyer sydney, video production melbourne, video production sydney

  Recently we did a project with the wonderful people of Atkinson Vinden Lawyers in Sydney. We love working with Atkinson VInden because they trusted us in executing a bold idea. Instead of making a ‘promo’ video, we worked with Atkinson Vinden to create content that’s about meaningful connection and useful information. https://vimeo.com/99794385 We are very excited about this approach, because it create an authentic story around the business: Content that’s created to connect on a deeper level than making a sale.

It’s about engaging the audience

Connecting in a meaningful way to your audience is worth while, but like anything worth while it’s not necessarily easy. A lot a agencies may tell you there’s a shortcut. You could write a script, stick it on an auto cue reader and get a great looking actor to read it out in front of the camera, pretending to be part of your business. This approach gets you very nice looking, polished and well presented video. The problem with videos like these is the level of audience engagement:  

Watch us not care

The relentless media and advertising efforts of the past have created a major credibility gap between businesses and their audiences. Agencies have persuaded us that it’s basically o.k. to mislead our audiences by using pretend clients and pretend business owners. That approach is very effective in terms of fast turn around and low cost for the agency, but did all of that advertising really help us as business owners?

Are we making an impact?

The average Australian encounters branding 3000-4000 times a day. By the time you read this post today, you’ve probably seen at least a few hundred. Can you recall five? I know I can’t. The ROI on TV commercials, banner ads and corporate video is dropping at a steady rate, despite the lower cost. Clearly, we’re not cutting through, and creating even more content isn’t the answer. Our audience just gets better at ignoring us.

We need to earn the trust

Our audience’s attention is a privilege that’s based on trusting that we offer something relevant. It’s time for a different approach. At Hunting With Pixels we base our content on authenticity. We only work with real people talking about real experiences. https://vimeo.com/99220941

It works..

Great brands are about creating a real connection with a long term view, because we can see that in a media saturated world, it’s the only thing that works.

There’s no quick win

We may need to recalibrate how we look at what marketing is. The first step is to accept that trust is something that takes time to build. The idea that we can outsource connection and get a big return for a low investment in time and effort is outdated and short sighted. You need to have the clout and endurance to think long term and invest into the relationship you have with your audience.

.. and there’s some uncertainty

Building an authentic brand can be challenging. The first hurdle you’d likely to encounter is that there is less control over the details of the outcome. All the information should be correct and well presented, but interviewees will bring their own personality into this. This is a generally a positive aspect of authenticity, but it does required a flexible mindset around what your brand really is. The reality is that the is no way to have full control, because your brand is what other people (including your staff) say about you.

It’s the big picture

Authenticity will give you the best shot at getting great results every time provided it’s well considered and is based on a long term strategy for your brand. This takes careful planning and some resilience, but it will yield real and sustainable results for your business.

It is shareable?

The fundamental question for you is this: Would you share the video you created for your company with your friends. And more importantly, would they?