Sorry for not having new content up yesterday, I had some last minute “Life Happens” stuff. But at least my site didn’t blackout again (Knock on Wood!)
But I’m back, and am taking a break from my usual posts to share something I hope those of you with blogs and/or websites can learn from
As you may remember from last week’s post on my staycation to VIBC (Video Idiot Boot Camp) in May, I created a welcome video for my site during the 8 lesson course.
Well, after completing the course, you get a coupon to redeem within five weeks of finishing your initial welcome video for Katie Davis (Creator/Instructor of this course) to review and give pointers on what to clarify or cut. I got my critique yesterday, after my initial effort uploaded a couple weeks ago, and it confirmed three things I suspected-
-Too Long (While nearly 2 1/2 minutes is SHORT for me, it’s not short enough to hook new people to the site, slow transitions and not enough clarification and key info overall)
-Too unclear about my site’s message (I thought it was clear through the visual slides and context of what I said within the slideshow, but I need to be more clear, that’s the trouble with being a pioneer in your field, it’s hard to convey it to others in a concise, non-cliché sounding way.
-My muddled C.T.A. (Call to Action) – I didn’t better show what I want those who come to my site and like it, what they can do to grow the community.
The reason I’m sharing this is twofold. One, to show that just like writing, videos need to be redone when either the content or quality isn’t doing what you intended, either at all, or not enough.
Second, because while it’s true that one of the main hallmark points of VIBC is to help people like me (Who are anal about clarity and giving our best effort) to relax a bit and realize that “Get it Done!” sometimes is more important than “Get it done right.”
That said, some videos (Just like books, for that matter) are worth extra effort and time. Different videos need different things. A book trailer for my upcoming middle grade novel needs to be ideally under 30 seconds, and let me tell you, that kind of brevity is not my strength, but that’s also why I spend more time on Twitter these days, since you’re limited to 140 characters, including spaces, so I’m trying to get more accustomed to showing more with less. I can’t promise shorter blog posts, but I can promise my videos will be tighter going forward.
All that said, I don’t regret my first attempts. It taught me a lot and took the fear away, and the fact that I did engage some new people means I wasn’t way off the mark. But I do need a shorter, more user-driven, welcome video.
I do have some ideas on how to tighten up the length. But I’d appreciate any ideas in the comments below. How would you, current readers of T.A.A., invite some new faces into our community?
If you haven’t seen my original welcome video yet, you can find it at the links below-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebYgE97-kwg
http://talkinganimaladdicts.com/backfromcamp
Thanks to those of you (In and outside VIBC) who checked out my welcome video. I will get this tighter so the community can grow and flourish.
Until next time, may the fantastical fauna be with you.
