Frustrating, isn’t it?
You’ve poured all that money, time, and labor into creating the perfect marketing video…
Or so you thought.
Because while it seemed perfect to you, your audience had other ideas. And when you shared your video with them, their reaction was worse than negativity.
It was… nothing. AKA complete crickets.
Sure, your video has attracted okay views — but you have little ROI to show beyond that. (Except maybe a handful of captured leads, most of whom don’t even match your ideal customer avatar.)
But comments from engaged viewers? Organic shares on socials? Incoming emails or calls asking about your product or service? Your new and shiny video asset hasn’t generated any of those.
And not a single sale — which is the part that REALLY hurts.
What went wrong? And what can you do to make sure your future content doesn’t flop like that again?
Let’s not give in to despair, disappointment, or other unproductive emotions starting with “D” — or any letter, for that matter!
Instead, let’s do what entrepreneurs do best — put on our detective hats and investigate.
Today on The Draw Shop blog, I’m going to share with you the #1 reason marketing videos fail to resonate with viewers and produce conversions.
And of course, I’m going to give you actionable advice on how to fix it and break your “dry spell.”
But first, we’ve got to diagnose the problem… because, dear reader, it’s not what you think.
The truth behind why marketing videos don’t convert
When a perfectly good video bombs, and bombs HARD, most business owners will do anything to find out why. So they look for answers in all the wrong places.
They say things like:
- “I guess I should have optimized my video SEO better.”
- “Maybe asking people to call us was the wrong move — a landing page would have converted more.”
- “We launched the video right before the holidays, what were we thinking?”
Or even…
- “I knew it! My call to action had a green button, and it should have been red.”
…Listen. I gotta level with you.
Could all those factors affect your lead gen and sales from a video asset? Sure they can.
But is it possible that any of them — or even ALL of them — could break a strategically aligned, painstakingly crafted, well-promoted marketing video?
Nah. Not a chance.
Because a truly compelling marketing video is sticky. It’s electrifying. It sparks so much enthusiasm for your offer in the viewer that they don’t care if they have to make a phone call, or what color the button is, or that they’ve just endured a month of non-stop pre-holiday shopping and their bank account is begging for mercy.
A compelling marketing video makes viewers irrationally crave your offer — NOW.
Every other engagement or conversion optimization tactic is just icing on the cake, meant to make the journey to the sale smoother.
But they won’t work without firing up your audience with that initial “Yes, gimme!” impulse.
Here, I’ll even give you a personal example that illustrates my point nicely. It’s what I like to call…
“Hey, why do I still remember this video ad from 2019?”
One summer day, I watched an ad for a photo book startup that was SO relatable, SO funny, and SO irresistible that I still haven’t forgotten it.
Here’s the ad itself, just so you can admire the sheer marketing mastery on display here:
So when did I watch this particular video? Oh, very recently… only 3 years ago! (Or, to be precise: 3 years and 5 months ago as I’m typing this.)
Now, did that video ad make me drop everything and sign up for the photo book offer? No — but only because I wasn’t the ideal target audience.
I guarantee you that for every “Summer” who was wowed by that video but didn’t take action, there were hundreds, probably thousands, of ideal customers who rushed to sign up — probably even before the ad was over.
Imagine YOUR message having that effect.
Imagine putting out a video so compelling, so persuasive, so irresistible that your ideal customers couldn’t help but take enthusiastic action.
What would it mean for your business?
I know, you’re probably saying, “Sure, Summer, that sounds amazing — but it’s easier said than done.”
Well, I know better than most people that creating a truly remarkable marketing video is capital-H Hard. But that’s exactly why I’m stuck here in my home office at the crack of dawn on a Wednesday — before construction workers arrive and ruin my serene work environment in the name of home improvement…
I’m here to help!
So let’s talk about the #1 “it” factor that separates high-converting video content from all the other forgettable visual noise clogging up our every digital moment.
And that factor is…
Company centric VS customer centric messaging
Think back to the last marketing video you’ve seen.
Did you feel like the message was talking TO you… or AT you?
I bet it was the latter. Most videos, especially those focused on getting conversions, ooze what I like to call a “pick-me energy.”
The people who made them know they don’t have your full attention for long, if at all. They know you have probably seen — and WILL probably see — similar videos from their direct competitors. They know that this one video is probably their first and best chance to get you into the funnel.
Now, you’d think that this would motivate marketers to differentiate their messages, try to connect with viewers based on their problems, needs, and goals, and provide meaningful value.
But instead what ends up happening is that they simply try to fast-forward through their sales pitch at maximum speed! An average marketing video is a firehose of selling points, out-of-context features about the product or service, and high-pressure persuasion tactics.
It talks AT the viewer in a desperate attempt to snatch a conversion — throwing everything at them in the hopes that something works.
And predictably enough, it doesn’t.
#1 reason marketers fail at customer centric messaging
Most marketers approach a video with one question in mind, “What can I say to the customer in order to get them to take action?”
This… is the mindset that produces shallow messaging that’s all about the offer and the company behind it, and not about the person watching.
A more productive way to frame this would be:
“What does my customer need to hear in order to feel motivated and empowered to take action?”
It sounds like a very similar question on the surface. But it’s not.
There are two strategic shifts happening here:
First, we recognize the need to align the message with the customer’s needs and goals — “what can I say?” versus “what do THEY need to hear?”
We move the spotlight to shine on the prospect instead of ourselves.
And second, we emphasize the importance of the customer’s agency. You can’t “get” a viewer to do anything if they don’t really want to; you have to motivate them first. Then, taking action and saying yes becomes EASY.
(Almost inevitable, in fact.)
OK, so what does this look like in action? So far all I’ve shared with you has been about strategy, mindset, alignment, and other high-level concepts like that.
But how do you actually create customer-centric messaging in practice? Let’s find out!
3 tips for creating unforgettable video content
Now, I’m going to give you three strategies that can make any video — or any marketing content, period — 10X more compelling to your audience.
Implement these each time you are planning and scripting a new video, and you will have ZERO problem outshining all the wet-noodle, yawn-inducing content in your industry.
The first strategy is…
1. Meet your customers where they are (hint: usually in pain)
Most of your prospects don’t start out looking for a product or service.
They start out in pain, struggling with a problem that’s actively ruining their life. OR they may have a goal they’d like to meet… and not being able to accomplish it is also causing them pain.
Either way, your prospects are often aware of the problem, but not the solution.
Heck, they might not even know a solution is possible, period!
So when your video leads with your offer, or even a solution, you’re essentially “skipping ahead.” You’re missing out on a powerful opportunity to connect with your audience.
To make them interested in your solution and your offer, prove that you understand their pain first.
When creating a marketing video that needs to drive engagement or conversions, always lead with your prospects’ biggest problem or pain point. In my experience, there’s simply no better way to earn their attention. And after 7,000-plus clients in dozens of industries, this “problem-first” approach hasn’t failed me or my team once.
If you want more advice on how to structure a high-converting marketing video, here’s a guide I made a while ago that holds nothing back.
OK, now that you’ve got your audience’s attention by speaking to their pain point… what comes next?
Attention is just one piece of the conversion “puzzle” — the other is TRUST. The next two strategies I’m going to share focus on building that trust.
Here’s one of them…
2. Speak with your customer’s voice, even if it’s “unprofessional”
Your audience shares a similar vocabulary. Not in the sense that they all speak English, or Spanish, or whichever language is their first…
…but in the sense that they describe their problems, needs, and goals in similar ways.
Mastering that vocabulary and using it to connect with prospects is one of the most effective ways to build trust and get them to like you.
And it’s something many businesses consistently neglect. They think they need to sound “professional” and throw industry jargon around, or nobody will take them seriously.
Listen, if your ideal customers also know and use industry-specific language, then go right ahead and do the same! But if they don’t, the experience of listening to it can be very alienating — especially in a sales and marketing context.
I’ll give you an example.
Let’s say you run an SEO agency, and your main clients are small business owners without formal marketing training.
When this crowd talks about their challenges with SEO, they don’t say, “Help, I rank really low in SERPs.”
They say, “Help, Google hates my website!”
See? Same problem — vastly different vocabulary.
When you talk to your target audience about their pain points, goals, and barriers using their words, you inspire trust. Plus, you communicate the value of your product and service with much sharper clarity!
And where there’s clarity, there’s revenue.
Now, you don’t have to do the entire video in your customer’s voice. But when you describe their pain points, their goals, and the benefits and outcomes of your offer? It pays to reflect how customers actually talk in your messaging.
And finally, let’s discuss another strategy that will help you resonate with viewers and outshine the competition…
3. Shout your unique selling proposition from the rooftops
There are dozens, if not hundreds of other companies in your space. Why should your customers buy from you over every other business desperate for their money and attention?
Most of your competitors don’t have a good answer to that question. Oftentimes, their answer is boring, irrelevant, and not really unique. Maybe it’s lower prices. Or maybe it’s “quality” — whatever that means. Sometimes, it’s industry experience or industry awards…
And sometimes, their only answer is nothing at all.
If you want your marketing video to convert, you must have a clear answer to the USP question. You have to be able to answer your customers’ unspoken concern:
What is it that makes you the best and only option specifically for them?
For example: your product or service could be made with a very specific target audience in mind. Think about how many email service providers are out there — easily hundreds, right? But some ESPs are choosing to specialize in specific markets: like Klaviyo for ecommerce, or ConvertKit for bloggers.
Niche focus is not the only way to define your USP, though.
You can also do it by offering an irresistible guarantee — like a 10-year warranty on your product, when the standard in your industry is a measly one year.
OR you can choose to focus on one specific area where your offer outshines all competition, and attract prospects who value that specific thing. For example, the lingerie market is crowded… but a company like Third Love still finds a way to stand out, because it prioritizes fit and comfort over everything else.
Finding your USP is a complicated strategic task — which is just marketing-speak for “pain in the butt”! But at the end of the day, it pays off. A marketing video with a clear unique selling proposition will never get lost among the competition, and will always attract the right crowd.
Use this strategy in combination with the other two, and your videos will reel people in, keep them hooked from the first second to the last, and make your message stand head and shoulders above all competition.
Let us help you create your next high-converting video
Over the years, we’ve created hundreds of high-converting videos for brands across dozens of industries. Education, biotech, manufacturing, finance, coaching, real estate, petroleum, pest control — you name it, we’ve done it!
And our results speak for themselves.
We invite you to take advantage of our genius marketers, silver-tongued copywriters, and absurdly talented artists and videographers to create a marketing video you’d be proud of.
We used to do only whiteboard animation — not anymore! Now you can work with us to create awesome marketing videos in a variety of styles:
- Live action
- Motion graphics and cartoon animations
- Virtual Reality Animation
- Digital stop motion animation
- 2D character animation
And more.
Interested? Then head on over to this page and fill out a 1-minute form to get a risk-free, no-strings-attached quote. After that, you’ll be able to book a strategy session with our marketing experts and brainstorm your future business-boosting video together!
Looking for something smaller… but still more than powerful enough to grow your business? We can craft an irresistible Elevator Pitch that will help you grab your prospects’ attention in less than 30 seconds. Yes, really!
