Here’s a quick one for you.
If you’re a marketer who makes videos and you’re looking for ways to make them more engaging, feel free to borrow a page from my own playbook.
Don’t Make Commercials. Make Music Videos.
What do I mean?
The majority of folks will hear what we make far more than they’ll see it.
And they’ll remember how we made them feel far more than what we had to say.
So instead of focusing so much on the nuanced narrative and shot selection (both still important components), prioritize pace, pick a killer track, and act like you’re editing a music video.
It’s a trick I first learned in my early days at SNHU when we produced a simple, catchy cut designed to hammer home value propositions and increase recall through a “See/Say” visual approach:
And it’s a technique that I furthered throughout my career, always tracking down and championing for memorable new music from emerging independent artists.
Today, it’s still at the heart of much of Kanahoma’s best creative work:
So How Does It Work?
If you’re interested in exploring a similar approach, always start with the music. My favorite place to source new tracks is Marmoset, but you also can’t go wrong with putting in the work to try and find independent artists directly yourself.
Look for tracks with strong, driving rhythm, dynamic lifts (when the music elevates), and crescendos. Too many folks pick a track with a good hook, but just repeat it for 30-seconds, failing to create the kind of moments that break through the noise and build connection.
From there, ask your editor to lay the track out and use markers on your timeline to note all downbeats in music. Then, cut primarily on the downbeats, allowing for your dynamic lift or crescendo moments to really pop by letting the shots hang (and breaking the pace you build thus far in the spot).
That’s it in a nut shell.
Bringing It Home
There’s lot of things we want people to do after watching our videos, whether it’s love our brand, take an action, etc.
But we need to remember that before people act people have to feel.
So maybe next time around worry a little less about all that copy, or squeezing in that one specific shot, and instead go to bat for the best music you can find and remember:
Don’t Make Commercials. Make Music Videos.
Editor’s Note
Next week marks the annual ASU+GSV conference in San Diego. If you’re planning to attend, please shoot me a note, as I’d welcome the chance to connect and say ‘Hi.’
- Seth
About the Author
Seth is the founder and CEO of Kanahoma, a San Diego-based performance marketing agency on a mission to build a better agency for organizations building a better world.
You can learn more about who we are and what we do at www.Kanahoma.com.